The Corner Bar wouldn’t be my first foray into bar work in Mallorca, oh no, that honour fell to Magaluf. It was the summer of 1999, Lou Bega’s Mambo Nº5 was at number one in the charts, and I was busy mopping up endless piles of bar-crawl-provoked puke in the toilets of Bar Pacha. (Please note not THE Pacha, just some Scandinavian-run hovel that rota’d me 10pm to 6am until I could take it no more…) I had a feeling Corner Bar would be a breath of fresh air in contrast.
Featuring in The Crew Report’s Ten Best Crew Hangouts in the World (no less) Corner Bar was set up by Alan Bull and Matt Sala in 2000 and celebrated its 15th anniversary last year. Intentionally a crew bar from the get go, it’s sited less than a hundred metres from Palma’s marina front and has ‘family’ and ‘service’ at its heart.
When I say ‘family’, I’m not talking blood relations, but a feeling that you are ‘home’. Yacht crew, due to the nature of their work, are inherently nomadic. Corner Bar is their faithful friend, always waiting with a warm embrace when they return from whatever far-flung ocean they’ve been travelling. The staff will even try and remember what drink you had last time you were in town.
New to the industry and looking for work? Pop your calling card on the notice board and meet some fresh friends. Find yourself in the City with nowhere to rest your head? Take a look at the accommodation ads and ask the bar staff for some local knowledge. Want to speed ‘date’ with a Sea School Principal and a Crew Recruitment Guru? Get your name down for the regular networking night. Just fancy some alcohol-lubricated fun? Chuck a fiver in the pot for the winner-takes-all killer pool.
When I reported for duty, Parisian Manageress, Alexandra, sat me down to explain the second golden rule – service. In general (don’t worry, I know there are MANY exceptions which prove the rule) Spain isn’t known for its service. In fact, quite often customers feel like they’re inconveniencing the staff by interrupting their gossiping to ask, “Do you have this skirt in a size 38?”. You will never feel like an inconvenience at Corner Bar.
When Alexandra joined Corner Bar a decade ago, owner Alan emphasised his wish for top quality service. Make people feel welcome, learn faces and names, build relationships, smile, maintain a high level of table service, keep the bar tidy and drink prices affordable to show respect for the client. Alexandra has instilled these values in her all-female team and now has the unforeseen honour of continuing Alan’s philosophy following his sad death less than a week before my arrival. She’s more than happy to ensure the show goes on exactly as he would want it.
So, smile plastered on, responsibility weighing heavily on my shoulders, I took up residence behind the bar and started pulling the pints. I was terrified. The worst thing about it being your first night is that you have ‘IT’S MY FIRST NIGHT’ written all over your face. “How much is a Mahou?” “Err, I don’t know, I’ll ask my colleague” “What football are you showing tonight?” “Err, I don’t know, I’ll ask my colleague” “What gins do you have?” “Err, I don’t know, I’ll ask my colleague”. Add to that a few over-frothed pints, several brain-freeze moments operating the till and a height clearance issue caused by a combination of high heels and low ceiling (note to self – never wear heels to serve beers) it was difficult not to feel like a bit of a numbskull.
Alexandra reminded me that a genuine smile and an “I’ll find out for you” gets you out of 99% of awkward situations with ease. She wasn’t wrong, and before long I was well into my stride. I even bashed out my first Espresso Martini (which bizarrely contains zero Martini, and instead quite a bit of vodka, coffee liqueur, chocolate liqueur and a shot of espresso). Whilst my cocktail shaking action was blatantly ridiculed by two sniggering customers, I was assured it tasted knockout.
By the end of my shift I had gained an immense amount of respect for Alexandra and her multilingual team, as well as a renewed affection for bar work – my Magaluf scars were healed. And, unlike many careers, the customers really add to your sense of job satisfaction. I was told there was never trouble, absolutely no need to hire any door staff, and a sense of mutual respect throughout. I guess it helped that captains drank alongside crew so if you were either looking for work, or trying to keep the work you already had, it would be most unwise to start a massive bar room brawl.
Corner Bar thoroughly deserves its reputation as one of the best crew hangouts in the world. I am sure Alan will rest comfortably in the knowledge that his ‘baby’ is in the safest of hands – especially now I’m not serving the drinks.
Sarah Drane
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