Kandy Barr rekindling friendships at Mulligans after 24 years at the Driftwood

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PAGE – As she made her way toward a hallway, Kandy Barr kicked the edge of a speaker and broke her toe. The next day she took a sick day because she couldn’t get her shoe on.

That was the first and only time in six years that Barr missed a day of work at Wahweap Marina’s Drift­wood Lounge. The day after her sick day, she went right back to work to serve people she had been waiting on for years.

“I have a strong work ethic,” Barr for years.

“I have a strong work ethic,” Barr said. “I’m focused on work because I don’t want to let my (colleagues)

down because they are who you let down when you call in sick.”

Barr worked at the Driftwood Lounge for nearly 25 years. She moved away from the area for a couple of years and then returned in 1997 when she got a year-round job as a full-time bartender at the Driftwood.

“I’ve been waiting on the same people all these years,” Barr said, adding that having a job, dedication to that job, and being on time are essential to her. “I’ve been waiting on the same slip owners––I loved my job. I just loved it out there (at Wahweap Marina).”

The Driftwood was thriving pre-coronavirus pandemic, but the virus temporarily shut it down for 10 weeks last year. Then it reopened for takeout.

Even though Barr enjoyed working at the Driftwood, she wanted something different.

“I was hoping to get my 25-year gift because I’ve been there 24 years this year,” Barr said. “But my 25-year gift was this new job at Mulligans (Pub + Patio at the Lake Powell National Golf Course). I love it! It’s amazing! The people I work with are amazing.”

25-year gift

Kandy Barr never thought about leaving her job at the Driftwood until last year, when she saw a friend play in a golf tournament at the LPNGC.

“I went (inside Mulligans) to get a cocktail, and there was Joe (Russler) from Blue Buddha (Sushi Lounge) working behind the bar,” Barr said. “I’m like, ‘Oh my––what are you doing here?’ He’s like, ‘I’m working for the City, Kandy. I’m working full-time.’ I’m like, ‘No way!’

“And I had heard him advertise on the radio, but I didn’t think anything of it because I didn’t think I could––you know, make a living there. So I told myself that day (last August): ‘If I hear that (advertisement) on the radio again, I’m going to apply.’”

Sure enough, about five weeks ago, Barr heard an advertisement for a full-time cook-bartender on the radio and applied. She was hired.

“I said, ‘Way to switch it up.’ I gave my two-week notice at ARAMARK, and I’ve been working at Mulligans ever since,” Barr explained. “And I love it! The people I work with … are fabulous. And everybody there is in a good mood. Everybody’s happy to come to work.”

The first two days of work at Mulligans, Barr heard a lot of customers ask, “Kandy Barr, is that you? I haven’t seen you in years!”

“I’m like, ‘Yup! Here I am,’” she said. “It’s just amazing.”

Barr said dozens of people came up to her to ask if she’ll be working in town or if she’ll be working on the golf course. Many of the people she had not seen in nearly decades.

“It’s hilarious,” Barr said. “Everybody’s just like, ‘What are you doing here?’ Working!’”

Rekindling friendships

Kandy Barr lives about 15 minutes from town, but she never visited much because of work. She said her focus was work.

“I went out (to town) every now and then,” Barr said. “I didn’t spend a lot of time going out too much, and I didn’t regularly run into people that I knew 30 years ago.

Now, I see them almost every day. It’s hilarious. Plus, other people I’ve known over the years that I’ve crossed paths with and stuff. Now they know where I am. They know I’m at Mulligans.”

A strong work ethic

Barr said she’s not only dependable and lives a good, honest life, but she also works hard for her paycheck.

And her colleagues at Mulligans – and former colleagues at the Driftwood – are the same way.

“We (at Mulligans) just work like a well-oiled machine.

It’s crazy,” Barr said. “We just have the best time.

We just have the best time. My boss told me our revenue is way up for April compared to last year, and it’s just going to get better from here.”

Barr said she has so many great memories working at the Driftwood and she knows her customers and longtime friends are going to be shocked when they learned she’s no longer there. Now she’s making more memories at Mulligans.

“Every moment is a fun moment there,” Barr said. “It really is. It’s weird when you work with everybody that’s so happy and so glad to be there and so glad that you’re there. And every day is not a chore. It’s so fun, and the food is so good!”

Barr added, “I feel really blessed to have this job. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. And I haven’t worked a day (at Mulligans) yet. Don’t get me wrong. The work is hard but you’re happy to do it.”