A church bulletin is one of the least likely places to see an ad for a dive bar. Yet, Peter D’s bar has had a slot in Clairemont’s St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church’s weekly bulletin for 25 years. Peter D’s is an iconic San Diego dive bar replete with stories and an owner who also approaches icon status. After all, not many bar owners would even think to advertise in a church bulletin.
Peter Luster, better known as Peter D (after his middle name, Donald), opened his namesake bar on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard at the tender age of 22.
“I was the youngest person in the state of California to have a liquor license,” recalls Peter. “And I’m still here 48 years later.”
Putting in the work
While owning a bar at 22 might seem like a dream career to many young adults, Peter entered the bar business begrudgingly. The Madison High School graduate was working at a job he enjoyed, where he got to travel the country. His father, who was in the bar business, convinced him to quit and help him turn the former House of Canton Chinese restaurant into Peter D’s bar.
The beginning was hard. Long hours. Late nights. Peter tended bar daily for the first several years, and things eventually took off. He then opened his next bar. Then another. Eventually, he owned six bars and ran another sixteen. Peter burned the candle at both ends for many years.
Now, he’s down to owning his baby, Peter D’s, and JP’s Pub in Tierrasanta, which he opened in 1999.
A Community of Memories
The bar is lined with photos that capture memories of the people who have visited and events that have taken place within its wood-paneled walls. Its slogan, “You’re only a stranger once,” is fitting. Peter D’s attracts patrons from all generations.
“When I build my bars, I like them to be comfortable enough that you can bring your date for a drink, but also comfortable enough for the blue-collar worker when he gets off work to come have a drink,” Peter explained.
Decades ago, Peter D’s would open at 6 am for the third-shifters who worked at Convair and General Dynamics in Kearny Mesa.
Do you own or help run a small business in town?
“We’d have a line of six to eight people waiting to get in after they just got off work,” said Peter. Now, Peter D’s opens at a more reasonable 10 am, when seasoned regulars are welcomed with open arms. In fact, during the 10 am interview for this article, a longtime bartender surprised a regular at the bar with a birthday cake, while others joined him in singing “Happy Birthday” to the birthday boy.
The Famous, the Not-So-Famous, and the Infamous
Peter D’s is a place where average members of the community blend with the famous who have graced the bar, from celebrities to athletes to musicians. Peter says sometimes celebrities stop in on their way home from the airport because they can fly under the radar at his bar versus a trendy downtown bar.
One long-ago regular at Peter D’s bar was a celebrity of sorts—for his arm. Glenn Butterfield used to regularly drink a bottle of Early Times whiskey at the bar, and Peter would drive him home to his nearby apartment.
“He showed me an article where he won the strongest man contest at the Illinois State Fair in 1937,” said Peter. “He told me that his arm is the arm on the Arm & Hammer baking soda box.”
There are also the infamous people who have visited the bar. Peter relayed the scene of a man who came into the bar and bought several rounds of drinks for all the patrons.
“A guy came in who we hadn’t seen before, and it was a pretty full bar—about 25 people at the bar,” said Peter. “He bought a round. Then he got another round. Then a regular came in and said the Big Bear (the current home of Smart and Final) just got robbed.” Lo and behold, the guy buying rounds of drinks at the bar was the one who had robbed the grocery store literally feet away from Peter D’s. Needless to say, he was nabbed.
Changing Times
Peter has learned to roll with changes over the decades of owning a bar. When California outlawed smoking in bars, he thought it would hit the bar business hard. But life went on, and he became grateful not to have to clean cigarette smoke buildup off the walls. More stringent liquor laws and other restrictions have driven many owners out of the bar business, but Peter is adaptive to change.
He jokes about keeping up with change. “Plastic bags are illegal now. When I was in high school, we used to buy our pot in a little plastic bag. Now, the plastic baggie is illegal, and the pot is legal,” he said.
The evolution of change has turned Peter D’s, which used to host live bands, into a bar that now hosts karaoke, trivia, and bingo.
“When karaoke first came around, I thought it was going to be a fad, like most stuff,” admitted Peter. “But it’s here to stay. It’s got affordability, entertainment value, and customer participation. So I think it’s going to be around for a long time.”
Peter D’s offers karaoke from Friday through Monday nights. Monday nights kick off with karaoke and open mic comedy. Tuesday nights are trivia nights. And bingo is on Wednesday nights.
The Future of Peter D’s
Peter said he’s still got enough life in him to keep Peter D’s going for the foreseeable future. His two sons have other career interests, so they aren’t involved in the day-to-day operations.
Much of the staff at the bar has been with Peter for decades. His longtime bar manager and fellow Madison High School alum, Peter Celecki, passed away in 2023. The interview with Peter took place in a section of the bar affectionately called the Board Room. Its “Board of Directors” photos hang on the wall.
“Most of them have passed now, so our board meetings are in the sky,” said Peter.
So what does Peter Luster want his legacy to be? “That I treated people fairly, and I enjoyed seeing people happy and laughing,” he said.
The Church Bulletin Ad
And if you’re wondering what that church bulletin ad says, here’s what Peter shared. “It says ‘Peter D’s,’ and then, I didn’t think they’d let me put this in, but in quotations it says ‘The other place parishioners meet.'”
Cheers to that.
Peter D’s is located at 5149 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard in Clairemont.
This is a well done article that allows us to feel a part of the history. Peter D’s is a great place for the community to visit where ‘people always seem to know your name’…for better or worse! 😀
Thank you, Steven. I loved writing this one.