Premier Restaurants, the operator of Malta’s McDonald’s restaurants, is to close its Plaza operation in Sliema at the end of April to consolidate its presence in the locality at its flagship store on the seafront.

The decision comes two years after Premier Restaurants opened its largest McDonald’s on the Maltese islands on Sliema’s seafront, just a stone’s throw away from the Plaza. Since May 2013, McDonald’s has served several thousand patrons within the Sliema community at both locations. McDonald’s Plaza opened in 1996. The Plaza crew will now join Premier Restaurants’ nine other operations across Malta and Gozo.

McDonald’s Sliema has strengthened its operation considerably over the past 24 months, with 86,000 guests counts per month. The two-storey restaurant has a seating capacity of 260 patrons and includes street-level seating and an upper-floor terrace.

“We believe the time is right to consolidate the brand’s presence in Sliema at our flagship McDonald’s restaurant,” Premier Restaurants Managing Director for Malta and Greece Victor Tedesco said. “The restaurant is now firmly geared to deliver the McDonald’s experience effectively to Sliema’s catchment population. We thank Plaza Commercial Centres for their collaboration and professionalism over the past 19 years, and for embracing the brand so warmly within the Plaza family. Meanwhile, Premier Restaurants continues to invest in growing its restaurant network in its five European territories.”

 

Premier Restaurants is part of Premier Capital plc, the Maltese-owned developmental licencee for McDonald’s in Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta. Premier Capital plc currently incorporates 60 restaurants across the five territories and employs more than 3,000 people. Premier Capital plc is a subsidiary of Hili Ventures.