Bagby Beer, an Oceanside fixture in the San Diego craft brewery scene since 2014, is wrapping up operations by Sunday, Jan. 28, and handing the site over to Orange County-based Green Cheek Beer Co., Bagby announced this month.
In a blog post, Bagby’s owners cited a difficult return to full business after the end of COVID-19 restrictions among the reasons for its end.
“It shouldn’t be news to anyone that restaurants have been absolutely gutted throughout Covid — but also in the years that have succeeded it,” owners Dande and Jeff Bagby wrote. “We can discuss the myriad reasons for that, but the bottom line is we’ve struggled to find our way back.”
The Bagbys will remain involved in what will become Green Cheek’s new Oceanside location, which will be its first in San Diego County.
“Our long-time pals, Jeff & Dande, will be joining team Green Cheek,” the brewery posted on social media Jan. 10, the same date that the Bagbys announced that they were wrapping up operations. “We’re incredibly honored to have Jeff Bagby as the brewer at this location.”
Green Cheek expects to have the site, located at 601 S. Coast Highway 101, open in early March. Dande Bagby will manage the location.
The Babgys stated that their relationship with Green Cheek Beer Co.’s owners goes back about 15 years, and that relationship made them the ideal candidate to move forward.
“Our very good friends and respected colleagues at Green Cheek Beer Company will be taking over the Bagby Beer property effective sometime in the mid first quarter of 2024,” the Bagbys wrote. “There is no other brewery ownership team — Brian Rauso and Evan Price — that we have had the privilege of knowing on a personal and professional level for almost a decade, for whom we have the utmost respect, than the very fine folks at Green Cheek.”
Jeff Bagby and Evan Price have known each other since their early involvement in craft beer, according to the Bagbys. Jeff Bagby was at Pizza Port at the time he and Price, who was at Taps, got to know each other.
Green Cheek, founded in 2017, has locations in Orange, Costa Mesa and Sunset Beach.
The Bagbys wrote that they anticipate a successful transition to their Green Cheek colleagues.
“Green Cheek has shown honor and respect (for) what we have built over the years in Oceanside and understands how important our team is to us,” the Bagbys wrote. “They have indicated they will endeavor to retain our staff to the extent our existing team is interested; we are confident this transition will favorably position our current employees for the long term, with stability and additional avenues for growth and development.”
As director of operations for Pizza Port in the early 2010s, Jeff Bagby ran the brewery’s Carlsbad location and won Great American Beer Festival brewery and brewer of the year awards in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Bagby Beer opened in late spring 2014.
In their blog post, the Bagbys thanked their longtime customers.
“We’ve had such an astonishing run — we will remain forever grateful for how our lives have been changed, how we’ve been touched by you all, and how much we’ve learned. What a gift.”
