Longtime Arches headwaiter dies

He was famous for his dapper clothes, the plaid suits and the red patent leather shoes he wore during the holidays. His manner was similarly refined, to the point that even 14-year-old busboys felt comfortable asking him any question.

Those who knew Gabriel “Gibby” Fernandez best, however, remember him just as well for his cutting sense of humor.

“Everyone knew him for his sharp wit,” said Joanne Sullivan, who served as a waitress under Fernandez at the Bob Burns Restaurant. “When he was manager there, the hardest thing to do was to get everyone to show up for shifts. When I started work there, he asked me to come down for a Saturday shift and he said, ‘If you do this for me, I’ll give you Christmas off.’

“Then, a few months later, I found out Bob Burns wasn’t open for Christmas. I’m sure he used that on many gullible waitresses before me.”

Courtly, enterprising, sly, generous, Fernandez was an institution of Newport Beach eateries for more than four decades. On Thursday, the longtime maitre d’ of the Arches restaurant died at the age of 84, just five months after his retirement.

A restaurant manager for much of his life, Fernandez served as general manager at the Arches for 23 years before retiring in November.

“Gibby had a great personality, an excellent sense of humor ? the ultimate professional,” Arches owner Dan Marcheano said. “You don’t find many like him anymore.”

In honor of his former colleague, Marcheano said he planned to create a tribute-to-Gibby lunch item in the near future consisting of Fernandez’s favorites: Caesar salad, pasta, meatball, sausage and wine. All proceeds from sales will help buy gift cards for local families of Marines serving in Iraq.

A document on a dimly lighted wall inside the Arches shows how revered Fernandez was during his time there: a 1995 award from the Southern California Restaurant Writers Assn. naming him as maitre d’ of the year.

Mike Kelly, a regular customer at the Arches, worked as a busboy for Fernandez years ago at Berkshire’s Restaurant and remembered him as a compassionate boss.

“He would call my parents if I needed a ride home,” Kelly said. “He was always concerned about his employees.”

Born in Del Ray, Fernandez served in the Coast Guard and later settled in Newport Beach. At the time of his death, he was living in Porterville, where members of his family resided. He is survived by his daughter, Gabriela Fernandez, an aunt and a number of cousins.dpt.19-gibby-BPhotoInfoGI1Q3CI220060419ixy2crnc(LA)Gibby Fernandez, right, with Arches restaurant owner Dan Marcheano