07/02/2026
ANNOUNCEMENT
Greetings to all,
The more astute among you will have observed that Barbarino’s is currently closed. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
The brutal truth is that after a decade of uninterrupted trading (including during Covid), we need time to pause and reflect on how the business is running. As many of you know, while not technically a “Not for Profit”, we operate very much along the lines of a community hub, and while costs must be covered in the long term, we are not motivated by money.
Our feeling is that while on the whole, we have provided a good service, there are areas that require attention if we are to survive long term. In no particular order, the most crucial of these (not to say there are not others) are:
1. Our opening hours are sub optimal, insofar as we have too many hours operating, with associated staff and A/C costs with insufficient custom to warrant it.
2. The premises (which we rent) are getting tired. Infrastructure and décor improvements are necessary if we are to offer an attractive environment to our friends and customers.
3. Quite frankly, our Menu is too large for a restaurant of our size. It needs radical surgery, to be far simpler, with less options per day, but with constant changes to reflect seasonal ingredients, and appropriate offerings (eg: Fish on a Friday, etc.).
4. Very sadly, we have an ageing Customer base. The days of most Expats being military Vets are numbered, as good friends depart for the Parade Ground in the sky. We need to attract newcomers to fill the gaps, which will require some changes in our image, our operations, and our marketing.
Therefore, with the above in mind, we are taking time out to address these issues. Please be assured that we intend to come back, bigger and better. Possibly with a new name, and certainly with a new vibe. We will bring you the best of the old (and that includes some friendly faces), and some exciting new developments.
To conclude, we thank you for your valued custom, and your patience while we do all we can to improve YOUR experience. Also, your patience in reading this post…. it is necessarily long, so we can be straight with you. Timing is not yet exact, but please watch this space for further updates.
Best regards.