By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Editor & Publisher
You can tell a respected manager in a restaurant or a bar when the employees come up to him or her and give high-fives and hugs when that person is not on duty. Another sign is employee retention. Some places turn over staff so fast the lasting image of them is of their backs.
At Hideaway, a very popular bar in Pacific Beach, Chad Mitchell is a respected manager. The employees don’t exactly think he walks across the Pacific Ocean to get to work, but it’s apparent they really like having him as a boss. And he is PubClub.com’s San Diego Manager of the Month for January.
Actually, Mitchell is not really the manager. His title is Director of Training, which means he interviews, hires, trains and manages the staff. He does this not just at Hideway but at other bars in the Baja Sharkeez Restaurant Group, including Sand Bar in Santa Barbara. And he’s as natural at it as Mike Hynson was on a wave, Tony Hawk on a skateboard. He also has the eyes of an eagle and the attention to detail of Curt Cignetti. Even when casually relaxing at Hideaway– as he was doing with PubClub.com one afternoon – he’s looking around, making sure the staff is on point in what they are doing, how they are doing it and how they are interacting with customers.
“We hire people both with experience and without experience and mold them into menu knowledge, drink knowledge and steps of service,” he said. “We have a really great staff here. There’s not a lot of turnover, either. Almost everyone has stuck around since the beginning (Hideaway opened in June of 2024).”
Mitchell cut his teeth at the very barebones of the bar industry. He was the “floor guy” at Cafe Boogaloo, which was a live music venue a couple hours north in LA’s Hermosa Beach and then at Sharkeez in Manhattan Beach. That’s the bar equivalent of being the guy who hands the band members their guitars at a rock concert. He has been in the service industry for 13 years and literally worked his way from the ground floor to management.
He does not hesistate to answer when you ask him what drives him crazy when he goes to other bars and restaurants.
“Lack of service,” he says immediately.
He expands: “You go for an experience. If you go to a spot and they (the staff) are just not delivering, where everything seems rushed and it’s not personal. It kind of ruins the whole experience. That’s why we train people in steps of service and to actually care. Get kind of intimate with your table, get to know the locals, get to know the people that come back and what they order and offer recommendations.”
The staff certainly does that at Hideway. In one of my visits, I got into a livey conversation with the hostesses about the menu; they lit up talking in detail about the items. It was apparently they had tried everything and it made me want to do the same. I was already enjoying being at Hideway and had yet to set foot in the place that day. That’s the summit of staff training when even the hostesses know the menu as well as the servers.
By the way, Mitchell offered a tip for those who see big lines on weekends at Hideaway; in its short time, it has become one of PB’s most sought-after bars. “Keep coming back and get to know the staff and managers, he advised.” He said there is a VIP card for certain regulars but even for those who do wait, “it’s worth it,” he said.
The nightlife is great, the DJs are great.”
So, too, is the staff and management.
Name: Chad Mitchell
Title: Director of Training, Baja Sharkeez Restaurant Group
Bar/Restaurant: Hideaway, Pacific Beach, CA
Hometown: Plainfield, CT
How Long Have You Been In San Diego? Two years.
Personality: “I think I’m fun. A lot of people can’t tell if I’m being serious or not. I do like to let my hair down and have fun at night.”
Favorite Drink To Recommend: The Dreamsicle (an exotic tiki cocktail) and the Fire Marshall Bill, a rum-heavy potent drink that rivals the Bali Hai’s Mai Tai. Plus, you get to keep the glass.
Favorite Drink To, Well, Drink: In addition to the above, he won’t turn down a tequila shot.
Things You Like To Do When Not Working: Play golf. Torrey Pines, Coronado and Balboa.
Instagram: @hideawaypacificbeach
PubClub.com conducts interviews with bartenders, servers and managers at bars and restaurants around San Diego. To nominate someone, send us an e-mail to: bartender@pubclub.com. To read more about Hideway Pacific Beach, click here. This article was written by a human with no help from AI or ChatGTP.
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