Jordi Sansó: "The generational handover will be complicated, my children don't want to take it over"

ManacorJordi Sansó and Gabriela Brunet opened Casona Can Jordi in 1974, next to the Portocristo stream. Since then, one thing has led to another. Hamburgers, hot dogs, or skewers are the specialty of a house that his son Jordi still keeps. In less than 10 square meters a world, on a terrace half the town, and in the photos the memories of Can Jordiet, Can Jordió, or whatever the smell brings to mind first.

When does the story of the most famous country house in Portocristo begin?

— My father put it there between the years 1973 and 1974… I can't tell you exactly when, but around these years. Here we have the date 1974, which is why we celebrated the 50th anniversary two years ago, but it might have been in the summer of '73. My father [Jordi Sansó] was a tailor and decided to quit. From then on, he decided to start a fast-food business. First, we rented the one in Cala Agulla, and then, when my little sister Xisca was born, we came to Portocristo. We haven't moved from there since.

What is the secret to hamburgers? Is there a recipe I can tell?

— For the hamburgers, love and tenderness [laughs]. For the pintxos, yes, there is a secret recipe from munpare… but obviously I won't tell it!

Are you from a porteño family?

— My father was a llorencí and my mother a carrionera. My siblings have all been born in Manacor.

—

Why do you think your father left tailoring? Why moving to manage a kiosk doesn't have much to do with it...

— To tell you the truth, I have no idea. There was a small crisis, the tailoring business was declining, ready-made garments and clothing stores became widespread... and he decided to let it go.

Have you always been here near the Riuet?

— Exactly here where we are now, no. First it was under the stairs of Can Salvador, then when I was a child in the attic of Perelló, where the Portobello restaurant is now; and then it was brought here. From that time until now, always here.

Did his mother also work there?

— Sure, and all of us siblings have helped out at some point when we were little. My father was the one who opened and closed. Every day of the year.

Weren't you ever going to close?

— In the past, we only closed on Christmas Day, which was when the whole family got together. Only once a year. We also opened on Sundays.

The winters I guess you did lower the barrier

— Munpare never closed, I'm just lazy [laughs]. It's the truth. It never closed, only on days it rained.

And did the clientele suffice?

— There have been better and worse days. as expected.

Have you always made burgers or other things too?

— Hamburgers and ‘hot dogs’, above all, and what you see on the menu. The potatoes came later; formerly there were no potatoes. But in general, instead of adding, we have been removing. Before we had chorizo sandwiches from Revilla, bacon, sobrasada, black pudding… I have been discarding all of that.

Were you the first hamburger restaurant in Portocristo?

— No, in the early 70s there was El Pino, the den Nadal, another one that was xaflant (noisy/bustling) next to the church.

And then El Rinconcillo or El Wimpy, which was the first franchise in Portocristo…

— You are right…

Have they ever been direct competition?

— No. Thank God I always say I've had the best clientele in the world.

Mallorcan clientele?

— Yes, yes, Mallorcan. Foreigners have always been well received as expected and we welcome them with open arms, but it is the national one that always returns and the majority… the one from Manacor, come on.

And what are your opening hours and from what date to what date? 

— We used to open at 10 in the morning; but after Covid we moved it to 12. And the kitchen is open until 10:30-11 PM. In December we close and stay closed until a little before Easter.

The 1989 flood passed right by here

— Until nothing was left. Here is a photo of the flood where you can see how the kiosk ended up. Nothing at all was saved. Well yes, only a clothespin and a fire extinguisher. I still have the clothespin, but not the fire extinguisher. 

Do you have a bad time when it rains? 

— I'm not very calm, to be honest. The big house is secure, but still… [places hand on neck]

Is it easy to maintain a license to have a large house like this in such a unique place?

— In those times we asked the Manacor City Council and I don't remember there being any problem. Now we maintain the permits. Because in the end it is still private land. We pay a rent to Jeroni de El Pino.

Is it very hard to endure so many years?

— Above all physically, because it's many hours: there are people like that. You have to have a liver like the one in La Seu, to put it bluntly [laughs]. 

A scene from the cult film ‘Jostissi de Carreró’ was filmed here. How was the experience?

— We laughed a lot, honestly. Tomeu Penya was performing… it was very fun. The thing is that to record two minutes of film took all afternoon!

Any famous people you remember on this terrace?

— Paloma Lago, Antonio Martín, Héctor Cúper… el Fary, Ana Obregón’s father…

Did El Fary dine here?

— Yeees, it was fun, ¡little like me!

Is there a daily clientele?

— Yes of course, there are those who always come for a little beer, to read the newspaper…

How do you see the future?

— Now I am 62… the generational handover will be complicated. My children don't want to take over. We'll see.