Fontana – that is the name of a place which is like a second home not only to locals but to foreigners as well, especially students who are living in Dubrovnik at the moment. Affordable prices, great atmosphere and friendly bartenders - that is the first impression of this bar which is situated in the heart of the old town. However behind every picture there is a story and now you have a chance to hear it from a person who knows it the best – Pero Barkidžija – a son of Vlaho Barkidžija the owner of Fontana.
The very beginning
He opened the bar with his friend 12 years ago. Before opening Fontana Vlaho had a dream to start a restaurant on the island called Lokrum, however not everything went according to the plan. After not succeeding there another opportunity showed up. Many years ago the bar (now known as an Irish pub Karaka) covered the whole first floor of the today’s Fontana location. 12 years ago due to unknown reasons the place was divided into two – one side left to Karaka and the other one was empty. Vlaho Barkidžija took the opportunity and settled a bar for locals.
The story of Pero
Despite the fact that one of the owners is now retired, Fontana successfully operates with Vlaho Barkidžija in charge and his two sons next to him. Pero and Mario help their father with business by standing behind the bar and pouring drinks, talking to customers and listening to their stories. Mario works only at weekends while Pero comes there every single day. “The only days that I don’t work are Christmas, Easter and my girlfriend’s birthday.” Pero started working in Fontana 6 years ago when he was 17 but it was only during the summer at that time. “I wanted to help my father because he was working there all day long and I was just sitting at home, doing nothing.” Pero is 23 years old now and he studies at Maritime College, nevertheless Fontana is a very big part of his life. But it is not only fun - working there he often has to sacrifice his free time: “I’m working every night. When you are going out I’m working. When my friends want to go out I say that I can join them after a few hours because I have to clean the bar up”. Nevertheless: one of the reasons Pero is not whining about the lack of free time is the desire to help his father: “I can`t complain about it because my father spends so many hours working just to earn food for me and my brothers and to make our lives full of everything”. However, he is dreaming of one day working for himself and not having a boss in the future. The explanation why Pero has this ambition is that he does not want to get everything from his father. He wants to achieve something by himself.
Good vibes
Fontana is a great opportunity for him to get a lot of practice, face different situations and meet many interesting people. Young guy has shared many stories about his work and interesting customers. For instance, an old lady is also working there and she knows all the loyal customers. Once he was working with her and an old man came into Fontana and sat to one of the tables. The lady who was working there immediately started to make coffee and after a few minutes she put the cup in front an old man and told him: "Here you go, sir, as you like, coffee without milk and with 2 spoons of sugar." That`s why in Fontana there is a great atmosphere, everyone knows each other and act like friends or even family members. Interesting fact is also that there is no fighting inside the bar, everyone is always positive and friendly.
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