The third edition of the MTA Quality Assured restaurant awards were held on 30 May at the Intercontinental Hotel Malta with a total of 200 guests attending.
This year 23 restaurants were awarded the QA seal for the first time and together with the restaurants that successfully renewed their participation, the amount of QA restaurants today stands at 112. During the event, over €2,300 were collected in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.
MTA CEO, Paul Bugeja, presented seven awards, six of which were based on the results of the mystery guest visits organised by the MTA throughout the year, while the other award, sponsored by Review Pro, was for best customer feedback based on over 20,000 customer reviews, covering all Quality Assured restaurants.
All participating restaurants were assessed by means of a mystery guest who followed a set of criteria covering service, hospitality, food, ambience and other areas. While the QA seal itself is valid for a two-year period with an interim visit, the special awards are valid for a one-year period.
While thanking all the restaurants for their ongoing success in obtaining or maintaining the QA seal, Mr Bugeja emphasised that "it is the duty and responsibility of the restaurants to maintain the level of this seal. When a restaurant fails to adhere to the criteria, it will be diminishing the value of the seal for all participating restaurants in this scheme".
The aim of the QA seal is to encourage best practice and recognise those establishments that consistently deliver a quality product. The QA seal is supported by the Ministry for Tourism, the Malta Hotels & Restaurants Association and Marsovin winery.
The awards went to the following:
Best in Class Award
1) De Mondion and Quadro (joint winners)
2) Brookies
3) Café Delos
Best Service and Hospitality Award
1) Medina Restaurant
2) The Villa Brasserie and Tartarun (joint winners)
3) The Stone Crab
Customer Feedback Award (sponsored by Review Pro)
1) Commando Restaurant