A Glass Act

By Ron Donoho / Photo by Brevin Blach

The Beach Bar Guild launched a year ago and now has 300 members from the Pacific Beach bar industry.

“It’s been a snowball effect,” says founder Ciara Guedesse. “More than 95 percent of bars in PB have active members. Everybody is catching on that it’s better to cooperate than to compete with each other.”

The Guild meets monthly to discuss how to enrich the local service-industry community. In past meetings, San Diego Police Department representatives have addressed the importance of not over-serving customers, and members of the Discover Pacific Beach business improvement district have given updates regarding neighborhood activities.

One of the Guild’s primary goals is promoting safety.

“It was great when security staff got on board,” Guedesse says. “Now, if somebody has been thrown out for fighting or drinking too much, security can text it around town.”

The Guild also participates in charitable activities, like the Pacific Beach Christmas Parade and an upcoming boat cruise that will benefit Rady Children’s Hospital.

Guedesse has been a bartender for all of her adult working life. Her father owned a bar where she grew up in Wyoming, and now she’s been at it for 10 years in San Diego, currently pouring at Cabo Cantina in Pacific Beach.

“We all share customers in P.B.,” Guedesse says. “People bar-hop when they come out here. It just makes sense that we help promote each other.”

For information, email ciara.beachbarguild@gmail.com.

Peer to Pier

On the Sunday afternoon of President’s Weekend, Beach Bar Guild members - many of whom had worked until 3 a.m. that morning and/or dashed out from behind the bar to be in this photo) gathered at Crystal Pier. After a couple stragglers arrived late (you know who you are), the camera flashed a final time, and the group scattered back to the bars from whence they came.

BACK ROW: Foster, The Australian Pub bartender; Walter Crawford, Shore Club manager; Ryan Fitzgerald, PB Pub security guard; Shawn Findley, Guava Beach general manager; Kevin Bass Pitcailthley, Johnny V bartender; Dane Souza, The Australian Pub partner and general manager; Devin Edington, Typhoon Saloon bartender.

MIDDLE ROW: Matt Ayers, Pacific Beach Alehouse bar manager; Kimmy Woodring, Pacific Beach Alehouse bartender; Josh Gehlbach, Beach Bar Guild vice president and Miller’s Field manager; Marius Degarden, Cabo Cantina and Bar Key security guard and chef; Andre Morial, Cabo Cantina manager and bartender; Addison Brown, Typhoon Saloon bartender; Amanda Underholt, Typhoon Saloon bartender; Stacia May, Typhoon Saloon bartender; Julio Soto, Typhoon Saloon bartender; Bobby Klaisle, Typhoon Saloon assistant general manager.

FRONT ROW: Eddie Domingez, Dirty Birds head of security; Adam Jacoby, Dirty Birds partner; Amy Ballaster, Bub’s Dive Bar assistant general manager; Ashton Perez, The Australian Pub bartender; Jimmy Garza, Typhoon Saloon bartender; Adrian Greyson, Typhooon Saloon bartender; Ciara Guedese, Beach Bar Guild president and Cabo Cantina bartender.