The warmth that customers feel when they enter BeachFire Bar & Grill in downtown San Clemente comes from more than just the cozy fireplace. It also comes from the friendly ambiance and the community spirit that made this restaurant one of the most popular and vibrant gathering spots in the city.

We let love rule,” said Dave Donaldson, who opened BeachFire in June 2002, after working as everything from dishwasher, bartender and waiter to food and beverage director and general manager at a variety of restaurants throughout Orange County.

“When I saw there was an opportunity to open a restaurant in San Clemente, I decided to go for it,” said Donaldson. And, it’s a restaurant where love is definitely in the air.

“We felt as though we were walking into one of our neighborhood hangouts,” said Linda Francis of Los Angeles, who recently met a group of friends from San Diego at BeachFire for lunch.”

“We all were so impressed with how friendly everyone was – the employees and even the other customers . And, the food was excellent,” said Francis, adding that her group was amazed by all the artwork.

“Every inch of our walls is covered with original and affordable art. We have more than 300 paintings from about 75 south Orange County artists,” says Donaldson, a guitarist and a plein air artists who often displays his work, right along with other members of his artistic family, including his two older brothers, Robin and Mark.

The design of the restaurant also is artistic, with the beach feeling that Donaldson has created from his fond memories of spending family summers sitting around the fires on the beaches near Santa Barbara.

He has used a lot of recycled products, such as old park benches from San Clemente State Beach, a metal roof from an old barn, and driftwood. And, the art students from San Clemente High School helped design and put in the mosaic tiles on the floor.

Creativity is a major force that has kept and continues to keep BeachFire fresh and exciting. Along with the ever-changing artwork on the walls, there also are ever-changing menus and ever-changing entertainment that is offered Tuesdays through Sundays from 9pm to midnight.

“We are always reinventing,” said Donaldson, explaining that he pays attention to the input from his staff and customers. But, what he, no doubt, won’t change on his eclectic menu are the familiar and most popular dishes, such as the fresh fish, the prime rib of pork and the hand-carved steaks.

Donaldson, who started the Downtown San Clemente Restaurant Association and who is on the board of the Downtown Business Association, lives in San Clemente with his wife, Allison, and their two daughters, Paige and Isabel.

They plan to say, but Donaldson is ready to roll out his business to other areas. “Right now, we are negotiating for space in Costa Mesa, and we are actively looking in San Diego’s North County,” he said.