GOOD OLD DAYS:

It has been 10 years since the Warehouse restaurant served Newport Beach diners, but a reunion today will bring some of its former employees together for a day of reminiscence.

Former server LouAnn Piccolello held her most recent reunion in 1996 but worked from Illinois to plan today’s get-together.

“They were all my best friends in the world,” Piccolello said of her coworkers.

Piccolello invited more than just former employees — Warehouse owner Burt Hixson also attends her reunions.

“I was flattered to no end when she first asked me,” Hixson said.

Hixson, formerly a motion-picture cameraman who traveled the world, was affectionately known to his staff as “Uncle Burt,” and participated in bowling leagues, parties and special events in his employees’ lives.

“How often does the boss get invited to somebody’s house?” Hixson asked.

His Lido Village restaurant opened in 1974 and was dedicated by John Wayne, whose boat slip was near Hixson’s.

Hixson operated the restaurant until its sale in 1986; he also operated other dining establishments throughout Southern California. The restaurant closed in 1998.

The Warehouse was one of the first restaurants to cross the bridge between extremely casual fast-food restaurants and fine Continental-style dining establishments, with plush red booths and table-side service, Hixson said.

“It was all-American, with clean-cut college kids,” Hixson said. “We sort of turned the tide on dining in the ’60s.”

After observing the success of the first Warehouse in the South Bay, developers approached Hixson with the promise of the best waterfront space on the harbor. The building was completely turn-key when he received it.

The two-story, tin-roofed establishment had a Polynesian flair, with young servers in tropical clothing.

Celebrities like Robert Goulet frequently visited the restaurant, which was often featured in lifestyle magazines and newspapers.

“What we did was really bring in the wonderful charm of youth,” Hixson said.

In following years, the Warehouse won many awards for the restaurateur and food.

“I did not believe in the word ‘employee’ in those days,” Hixson said. “We ran it like they were cousins. It really became a club — a family.”

To that end, he offered them profit-sharing, Cousin Cruises aboard his yacht (named “No Reservations,” of course) and trips to Hawaii, Palm Springs and Tahiti.

A highlight of tonight’s party will be an appearance by one of the restaurant’s most popular house bands, Fertitta and McClintock, who first started playing at the Warehouse in 1977.

For Fertitta and McClintock, the restaurant was its launch into California’s music scene.

The gig was its first in Orange County, McClintock said, after moving here from Texas.

“We wanted to play it because we heard John Wayne stopped by occasionally — and that was a big deal!”

Following their split, Stephen McClintock went on to book bands and direct entertainment at Hixson’s various locations.

The duo recently began playing together again and finally finished the record they originally started recording at the Warehouse in 1978.

CANDICE BAKER can be reached at (949) 494-5480 or at [email protected].