Workforce Shortages and The New Reality of Fine Dining in Malta

Luciano Camilleri and Ayrton Zarb have co-authored a paper focusing on the current challenges faced by finedining restaurants in Malta.

Malta’s fine dining sector has never been more visible. In just a few years, the number of MICHELIN-starred and recommended restaurants has grown significantly, signalling strong investment in food quality, creativity, and ambience. Yet behind the awards and accolades lies a structural challenge that operators can no longer ignore: a persistent workforce shortage that is reshaping how quality is managed on a daily basis.

Recent research conducted among industry professionals reveals a clear pattern. While food quality and culinary innovation remain strong, service delivery and front-of-house consistency are under unprecedented strain.

From systems to supervision

Fine dining has traditionally relied on embedded systems, structured training, and a culture of excellence. Today, however, quality assurance is increasingly sustained through direct managerial intervention.

Owners and senior managers are no longer simply leading and planning. They are supervising tables, correcting service in real time, mentoring inexperienced staff during mid-shift, and intervening to prevent service breakdowns. As one operator put it: “These days, you must notice the person’s attitude during the interview… because then you can train them. But this requires a lot of patience and resources.”

Recruitment has shifted dramatically. With reduced job competition, restaurants are prioritising attitude over technical skill, hoping to build competence through on-the-job training. However, ongoing training in a live-service environment is financially and operationally burdensome. It diverts attention from strategic development and long-term growth.

The result? Management presence becomes the backbone of service quality. Without it, consistency suffers.

The Third Country National Reality

The sector’s reliance on Third Country Nationals (TCNs) has grown rapidly over the past decade. While many TCN employees are hardworking and committed, the research highlights a structural issue: a significant proportion enter fine dining without prior exposure to high-end service standards. This creates a resource challenge. The time that should be invested in refinement and innovation is spent on foundational training. Language barriers, high turnover, and short-term employment patterns further destabilise teams.

Recent regulatory measures, including the introduction of the skills card requirement, have added complexity. As one restaurateur remarked: “With the new addition of the skills card, more issues are arising because foreign workers must pay to work in the industry. In turn, we are seeing that also foreign workers are leaving the industry.”

The regulation's intent may be quality control, but operators report that it has further tightened an already constrained labour pool.

Food is strong, service is strained

Kitchen performance remains resilient! Investment in ingredients, culinary leadership, and creativity continues. Strong chef-driven visions have preserved and, in some cases, elevated food quality. As highlighted in the study: “The food quality has increased due to strong kitchen leadership.”

Ambience, too, remains a strategic focus. Lighting, music, design, and spatial layout are carefully curated to deliver a premium experience.

However, fine dining is holistic. When front-of-house service does not mirror the refinement of the kitchen and the setting, the guest experience becomes fragmented. Inconsistent explanations of dishes, rushed interactions, or visible staff stress undermine the ambience that restaurants work hard to create.

In an era in which customers arrive with heightened expectations, shaped by MICHELIN recognition, social media, and global dining standards, even small service inconsistencies are magnified.

As one operator observed: “The difference between attaining and maintaining the MICHELIN Star is that once you are awarded the star, you are working in an environment with a lot of added pressure and responsibility.”

Recognition raises the bar. But staffing realities have not kept pace with those rising expectations.

A cultural shift in the workforce

Beyond skills, the research identifies a deeper cultural concern: a perceived decline in professional pride and competitive drive within the workforce.

With jobs widely available, positive competition has diminished. Several operators noted that the industry has moved “from team-centred to becoming every employee for himself.” This shift impacts discipline, cohesion, and consistency.

Fine dining requires more than technical execution. It requires alignment, shared vision, and internal motivation to exceed expectations, even when no one is watching.

Education and industry misalignment

A further structural challenge lies in the gap between educational outputs and industry needs. Employers report that many graduates lack exposure to contemporary fine dining standards and practical readiness.

There is a strong consensus on the need for deeper collaboration between educational institutions and industry professionals. Practical workshops, mentorship from leading chefs and managers, and mandatory placements in fine-dining environments could significantly reduce the training burden currently borne by operators.

What needs to change?

The research points toward three key priorities:
1. Targeted government support – Policies must address retention, not just recruitment. Incentives that encourage longer employment periods and structured industry training are essential.
2. Education reform and industry integration – Curricula must evolve with industry standards. Collaboration is no longer optional.
3. Structured internal development – Even amid shortages, operators must formalise training pathways to reduce overdependence on constant managerial supervision.

Malta’s fine-dining sector has demonstrated culinary excellence. The next challenge is workforce sustainability.

If quality continues to depend primarily on managerial heroics rather than embedded systems and skilled teams, long-term resilience will be at risk. Addressing the workforce crisis is no longer merely an HR issue; it is a strategic imperative for preserving Malta’s reputation as a serious fine-dining destination.