Gurus in the catering sector say service and quality top priority

Major players in the catering sector, amongst them the Malta Hotels and Restaurants (MHRA), the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC), the Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS) and the Malta Tourism Authority agreed that service and product quality remain a priority. 

Representatives of the various associations were speaking at a conference hosted by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), entitled 'Raising the Level of the Quality Service Standards' at the Palace Hotel in Sliema. 

"It is not easy to define quality. In fact, we prefer to speak about what we call a value proposition, which includes a good product, as well as a good service," said Ernest Azzopardi, the Chairman of ITS. 

Meanwhile, John Magri, the Human Resources Executive of the MTA said that the catering industry was "as much about quality as it is about service". 

The Chairman of the Employment and Training Corpration (ETC), Alfred Grixti, said that it was unfortunate that there were only 62 persons - out of the current 7,500 registered unemployed persons - who were willing to work the job of a waiter. 

Grixti said that there was need for a marketing scheme in secondary schools in order to promote the job of waiters, admitting that the job was not considered 'sexy'. 

Whilst he praised the role of ITS, he said that the field offered youngsters a career path, unlike other jobs which left them unskilled, and unemployable in the future. 

Karl Grech, the Training Manager at the Hilton Hotel, confirmed that the lowest level of job stability at the Hilton was in the sectors of catering and front-office. 

He said that Malta offers a decent level of service, but said that sometimes it is difficult to find people that are enthusiastic about offering a good service. 

Grech said that the Hilton have changed their approach when it comes to employing people in the sector, placing an emphasis on personal attributes such their capabilities within a team and their general attitude to their job. 

A survey on restaurants' performance between the months of May and September, carried out by Deloitte, was also presented during the conference. 

The study, which had a participant number of 114, up 13% from the same research last year, found that St Julians remained as the prime locality for restaurants with 28% of restaurants in Malta found there. This was followed by Sliema (14%), Valletta(13%), Qawra and Bugibba (10%) and Gozo (10%). 

The survey also found that people tended to spend more - as a result of the respective restaurant prices - in St Julians than in Qawra. 

Whilst Qawra and Bugibba slowed a 'slight but not alarming' decline in number of restaurant activity, Gozo showed slight increases every month this year. 

The research showed that Valletta was slowly shifting from a retail hub to one of entertainment. 

The survey found that 49% of all restaurant activity took place over the weekend.