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 small river of Portocristo. Since then, one thing has led to another. Hamburgers, hot dogs, or pintxos are the specialty of a place that their son Jordi still maintains. 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 smell comes to mind first.

When does the story of the most famous mansion in Portocristo begin?

— He set it up between 1973 and 1974... I can't say exactly when, but around those years. Here we have the date 1974, which is why we celebrated the 50th anniversary two years ago, but it could have been in the summer of '73. Munpare [Jordi Sansó] was a tailor and decided to let it go. From then on, he decided to set up a fast-food business. First, we rented the one in Cala Agulla and then, when my little sister Xisca was born, we came here to Portocristo. We haven't moved since those days.

What is the secret of hamburgers? Is there any recipe that can tell?

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

Are you from a Buenos Aires family?

— My father was a Llorençí and my mother a carrionera. My brothers are all already born in Manacor.

—

Why do you think his father left the tailoring business? Because running a newsstand doesn't have much to do with it...

— If you want me to tell you the truth, I have no idea. There was a small crisis, the tailor's shop was going downhill, ready-made clothes and clothing stores became more common... and he decided to let it go.

Have you always been here by 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 moved here. Since that time, always here.

Did his mother also work there?

— Sure, and all the siblings as children have helped out at some point. Munpare was the one who opened and closed. Every day of the year.

Did you never 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 suppose you did lower the barrier

— Munpare never closed!, it's me who is lazy [laughs]. It's the truth. It never closed, only on days when it rained.

And was the clientele enough?

— There were better and worse days. as is to be expected. 

Have you always made hamburgers 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, sobrassada, black pudding... I have been discarding all of that.

Were you the first hamburger restaurant in Portocristo?

— No, at the beginning of the 70s there was already El Pino, den Nadal's, another one that was chattering next to the church.

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

— You're right…

Have they ever been direct competition?

— No. Thank God I always say that I have 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 Manacorí, you see.

And what hours do you have and from what date to what date? 

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

The flood of 1989 passed right through here

— Until nothing was left of it. Here is a photo of the flood where you can see how the kiosk was left. Absolutely nothing was saved. Well yes, only a pair of tweezers and a fire extinguisher. I still have the tweezers, the extinguisher not. 

Do you suffer when it rains? 

— I'm not too calm, honestly. The house is insured, but still... [puts hand to neck]

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

— At that time we asked the Manacor City Council for it 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 rent to Jeroni de El Pino.

Is it very hard to put up with so many years?

— Above all physically, because it's many hours: there are people like that. You have to have a liver like the Cathedral, speaking clearly [laughs]. 

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

— We laughed a lot, really. Tomeu Penya was in it... it was very funny. The thing is that to record two minutes of film it took all afternoon!

Any famous person you remember on this terrace?

— Paloma Lago, Antonio Martín, Héctor Cúper… el Fary, the father of Ana Obregón…

Did El Fary have dinner here?

— Yes, it was fun, small like me!

Are there regular customers?

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

How do you see the future?

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