A remote work meetup in Encinitas brought remote workers together Friday afternoon, after a planned beach event hit roadblocks with the city.
SAN DIEGO — Working remotely has taken on a whole new meaning in recent months. Organizer Scott Muirhead has gone viral on Instagram, posting videos of himself working from, everywhere from ski lifts to the sky to the beach.
He hosted a remote work meetup in March at Law Street Beach, drawing around 150 people.
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From beach to bar: remote work meetups evolve in San Diego
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A second meetup was planned for La Jolla Shores Friday morning, but after hitting some roadblocks, it turned into a different kind of gathering: a mandatory return to office.
By “office,” organizers meant The Cardiff Office, a local bar just blocks from the iconic Cardiff Kook Statue.
Inside, the scene felt familiar, but with a twist. Drinks sat next to open laptops, as remote workers turned the space into a casual work hub.
“I’m stuck at home all the time, why not just get out and change scenery?” one attendee said. “Coffee shops get boring after a while, so you might as well.”
For many, it wasn’t just about getting work done, it was about connection.
“I’ve been networking with all the people around me,” another attendee said. “So networking, new friendships and getting out of the house.”
Muirhead said the idea took off after his first beach meetup drew a crowd.
“There was just such a positive response from the first one,” he said. “We have to keep it going, like it was so unbelievable.”
But that success also brought challenges.
The second beach meetup planned for La Jolla Shores was postponed after the city reached out to Scott, asking him to go through the proper permitting process.
“It just got a lot of traction on social media,” Muirhead said. “And then the city actually reached out via email and just said, ‘Hey, we’d love it if you would postpone this and, you know, do it the right way, get it permitted, because the last one was just a little bit too big.'”
For now, the beach events are on pause, but the concept isn’t.
Muirhead said he’s working with the city on future permitted meetups and already has something bigger planned next month.
“Instead of being claustrophobic in our home offices or coffee shops,” one attendee said, “we’re coming out and meeting other San Diego remote people.”
And in the meantime, the goal remains simple: make remote work feel a little less remote.