Arches guests, past and future, will miss Gibby

If you ever went into the Arches ? and who hasn’t? ? then you knew Gabriel “Gibby” Fernandez.

He cut quite a swath at the famed Newport Beach restaurant, standing out in a place where everyone seems to stand out. He was both dapper and flamboyant as he served as general manager of the Arches for more than 20 years. Before that, he worked at other restaurants in town.

He knew his way around, and he was always quick and happy to help you if you didn’t.

He was just about the perfect maitre d’, in other words ? and we mean that as high praise.

Gibby retired about five months ago, and, sadly, he died last week.

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

No, you don’t.