Would You Work at Quark's Bar?
Deep Space Nine Boasted The Coolest Ferengi Watering Hole In The Quadrant
Career pop quiz. Like your job? It’s more centrally important to ask: Do you like your boss? Are you having a productive time at work or do you dread starting your shift? Maybe you still work at home because of Covid-19 so the pressure is off. You’re not seeing cranky supervisors in person on a daily basis. The boss can’t chew you out come noontime after you took a longer lunch than all of your overworked co-workers.
The working world can be the proverbial rat race. We’re all trying to get the cheese in the maze. How’s about working for a Ferengi? Namely: Quark.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans know all about the infamous Ferengi’s employment place ethics - or latinum fueled lack thereof. Over on Captain Picard’s Enterprise, Ten Forward hostess, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) may not have had as many customers as the skinflint Ferengi, though I’m sure her employees are probably compensated just a wee bit better.
Ferengi Workplace
Your co-workers: Quark employs his brother, Rom (Max Grodenchick) and Rom’s son, nephew Nog (Aron Eisenberg) plus a grand assortment of other Ferengi and beautiful girl servers and gambling assistants. These comely game monitors are known as Dabo girls - for the game they help run. Eventually, Rom even marries one of the most memorable Dabo girls, - Leeta played by Chase Masterson.
And so, still considering his employment? Let’s get down to a little reality.
Your work environment: Quark runs a tight ship. You’d be expected to haul your butt within a framework of tight work schedules and little downtime. Unlike similar pub or restaurant/casino environments, Quark doesn’t seem to enjoy sharing tips with his help. Proper compensation can’t be on the top of anyone’s expectations working at DS9’s edge of the frontier cantina.
Your duties: Being cozily friendly to customers (your idea of coziness could vary from Quark’s) - of every conceivable alien race. Cleaning out those busy holosuites - that alone could fuel an entire spin-off show, though the family friendly rating would undoubtedly go missing.
At one time, Las Vegas hosted a replica of Quark’s Bar during the heyday of The Star Trek Experience. Long since closed, patrons were treated to an experience much like the real thing. With all this new Star Trek coming from Paramount + who knows - maybe they’ll reopen the attraction. You’d have to compare notes with the veteran employees just on what it would be like to work there. But remember: No banding together to join a union. Ferengi don’t exactly tolerate collective bargaining.