By Craig Babstock
When the Mayflower first opened, a cup of coffee cost a quarter and a pint of beer was under a buck.
Times have changed, but the bar hasn’t, according to co-owner Walter Krepski. He and Alfred Friedman opened the Mayflower 20 years ago this January. It was the first pub on Elgin Street and the first British-style bar in Ottawa.
Krepski takes credit for introducing Ottawa to British stouts such as Guinness, Double Diamond and Bass Ale.
He says they used to serve up British delicacies such as Scotch eggs and veal and ham pies, but tastes have changed over the years.
Krepski says treating the customers right is the key to longevity in the bar business.
Sitting in the bar for a while makes it clear why the place has remained popular for so long.
There’s no blaring music. In fact, there’s no music at all. The only sounds in the room are the hum of conversation and the clinking of beer glasses.
There is a television on the premises, but it remains turned down at all times. On this afternoon, professional wrestlers bash each other’s heads in complete silence. It’s there for special events such as the Super Bowl or soccer’s World Cup, but even the volume for those gets turned down once someone makes the request.
“It’s a place where you can come, sit, have a beer, relax, and let your guard down,” says Scott Butler, who currently tends bar, but has held many positions at the establishment over the past 10 years.
As Butler pours another round of Guinness for the crowd at the bar, he tops each one off with his trademark: a shamrock pattern poured into the head of foam. He started this tradition years ago, but admits it was a poor-looking clover until an Irish bartender they hired showed him how to do it right.
It’s little touches like that which keep the regulars coming back to the Mayflower. Things like golf tournaments where employees and regulars play side by side.
All these little things create a community atmosphere, according to Frank Hague, who’s been coming to the Mayflower since the second day it was open. He says the staff and customers all know each other and all get along.
He gestures around at the portraits of Queen Victoria and the nautical decor such as photos of ships and an actual ship’s wheel.
“It’s even more British than most British pubs. Nowadays most have 60 T.V.s in them,” says Hague, who moved to Canada from England over 40 years ago.
Hague says one reason he keeps coming back is the attitude of management.
One of the regulars was in an accident several years ago and the bar held a fundraiser to buy him a wheelchair. They also installed a bell at the bar and gave him a remote control so that when he got to the bar he could buzz inside for someone let him in.
He says the different people that come through his doors add to the appeal. There are politicians, journalists, lawyers, business people, just to name a few.
On any given evening you could have students cramming for a math exam in one corner and a bunch of 70-year-old women talking about their golf game in another.
“In a way it’s like Cheers. Everybody gets along. You’re part of the furniture as soon as you get here.”
Krepski says as long as people continue to feel at home when they visit the Mayflower, there’s no reason why it won’t be open for another 20 years.