Today we’d like to introduce you to Dande Bagby.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dande. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My husband, Jeff Bagby, has been a professional brewer in San Diego for over 20 years now. When we met he was the Head Brewer at Pizza Port Carlsbad and Director of Brewery Operations for all of the Pizza Port locations. Jeff has built an incredible career, highlighted by numerous prestigious brewing awards and accolades over the years, culminating in him winning Brewery and Brewer of the Year three years in a row at the Great American Beer Festival, a national competition hosted in Denver every year.
As he progressed in his knowledge and experience, and we dreamed big, it became evident that we should try to build our brewery, honoring the history and tradition of beer, and celebrating the rich connections and deep roots he had forged over the years. So, at the end of 2011, Jeff departed Pizza Port and we began our journey to what is now Bagby Beer Company in Oceanside! We secured our spot, signed a great long lease, and started the business of building a brewery, including an extensive design and permitting phase, followed by almost a year of construction, to ultimately opening in September of 2014.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Most definitely not! There have been countless challenges and struggles along the way, and they continue to this day. Early on the challenges involved design and construction limitations, building code requirements, regulatory agencies. As we opened, we struggled to find our ideal service model, testing several options, ensuring it made sense and was viable. We have a very very large space, so bringing it down to size is something we are always working on, ensuring each guest has a great experience. Staffing and labor are a challenge especially in California, so this means we have to be aggressive and smart with our labor planning, and in-the-minute decision making. Setbacks are an inherent part of the building and operating of any business. Hurdles are to be expected, and they are a constant part of the process. But overcoming challenges is its own reward, and what an education it has been. We’ve learned so much so far – with no doubt more to come.
Please tell us about your business.
We are a brewery and a restaurant – a “brewpub” as it is defined. Beer is what inspires us most primarily, and we love sharing the history and tradition of beer whenever we can. We have traveled extensively in Europe, and have tried to honor the styles of beer found everywhere, from Germany to Belgium, the UK to Italy. If we can know enough about a particular style that one of our guests can be transported, just for a little while, while enjoying a beer found so far away, that is a success to us. We love to show how diverse and incredible beer can be, from the most delicate lager to the hoppiest American IPA, and everything in between. We love to have something for everyone.
We also love wine and spirits and have a very well established cocktail program. We are proud of our kitchen, too, where everything is made from scratch. We do not take shortcuts, and always try to show respect for our guests by providing the highest quality, most delicious food and beverage we can. Too often restaurants cut corners, providing poor(er) quality food and drink, simply because they bet the average guest doesn’t know better. We strive to elevate and educate, so the guest can leave feeling like they were treated well and got a great value for their hard-earned dollar.
Contact Info:
- Address: 601 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside CA 92054
- Website: bagbybeer.com
- Phone: 7602709075
- Email: info@bagbybeer.com
- Instagram: bagbybeer
- Facebook: bagbybeerco
- Twitter: bagbybeer
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