SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — When the doors of Long Story Irish Pub opened in 2020, it quickly became more than just a neighborhood bar. For many regulars, it turned into a second home — a place built on friendships, familiar faces, and lasting memories.
Now, the San Diego pub is the latest local business fighting to keep its doors open.
Every greeting and every walk-in carries extra weight for the staff behind the bar, who say the pub has always felt like family.
“It’s more family-oriented,” said bartender Billie Clevenger. “Every time you come in, you build relationships with people. You get to know your regulars. You treat them like friends and family.”
On busy nights, the walls — covered in handwritten notes and memories — tell the story of years of connection. But behind the scenes, owners say business has slowed dramatically.
“The bar used to be filled,” said Mike “Mac” McAfee, the general manager and co-owner. “We’ve just noticed a huge downtick.”
Long Story Irish Pub is among a growing number of San Diego bars and restaurants struggling under the weight of rising costs. Higher prices for goods, increasing rent, and lingering debt from the COVID-19 pandemic have created financial pressure across the industry.
Since last summer, several well-known local spots have shut down, including Salud Tacos in Barrio Logan, Harland Brewing at One Paseo, and most recently Matteo in South Park, which is set to close December 28.
McAfee says despite the challenges, the pub has made a priority of keeping its staff employed — even as expenses continue to climb.
“We’ve retained the employees,” McAfee said. “We honestly take care of them better than we take care of ourselves. The hardest part is everything has gone up so exponentially.”
To stay afloat, Long Story Irish Pub has leaned into community support, offering discounts, giveaways, and hosting charity events. The owners are also encouraging locals to book private events at the pub.
“It’s hard to keep the doors open, and we just want to do that,” McAfee said. “We want to weather the storm. There’s been a tremendous outpour.”
A GoFundMe created to help cover costs has raised more than $7,000 so far — support McAfee says has been overwhelming.
“The response has been completely humbling,” he said. “We’re going to make it. We’re going to go down swinging.”
