After my friend and I had concluded some business in Valletta, we decided we needed a coffee.

At the first coffee shop we waited for ages. And it did not seem the waiter could speak Maltese, English or Italian – he had simply been taken on and given a pad and paper. He didn’t have a clue! Not his fault, but a bit of training might have helped him, and us.

Tired of waiting, we left and decided to go to a well-established coffee shop elsewhere in Valletta. I have been there many times in 26 years and the Maltese in charge were always friendly, quick to serve and respectful.

Not now. Again, we had to wait for ages for the seemingly new people running the place to take our order. 

In the meantime, a sparrow decided to help himself to one of the croissants on a plate on top of the refrigerated cabinet. We told the staff but no-one took any notice. The sparrow returned and decided to try the doughnuts! 

At this, I got up and demanded that the staff remove the cakes. Very reluctantly, one of them took the two plates and put the cakes back in the refrigerator without even removing the damaged ones!

When I protested, he said he would throw them away but all he did was put the plates to one side. I’d bet anything those cakes were put back on display after we left.

These cafes are being operated by people who don’t care and are giving the Maltese a bad name. They just want to make a quick buck: customer service does not come into it, and certainly not health issues. Where are the Maltese who used to run the place? 

The health and safety authorities need to pay a visit. It’s a pity they can’t do something about the attitude of those behind the counter as well. I won’t even start on the lack of facilities to dry our hands after using the toilets.

Thousands of tourists come off the cruise ships. What on earth would they think?

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