Longtime bartender at Pool Bar Jim’s gone from Hilton Head resort, but why?

When Kathy McIlvaine visits Hilton Head Island with her husband at the Marriott Grande Ocean Resort, she always heads down to Pool Bar Jim’s.

It’s the place she’s visited since 1994, where she met a group of five families that visit the resort at the same time each year and the only spot on the island where you can order a mango-peach pina colada with fresh fruit of your preference.

It’s also the only bar with Jim Lisenby, the beloved bartender who has operated PBJ’s for more than 20 years and who created a menu with more than 200 frozen and tropical beverage recipes during that time.

Lisenby is known by locals and vacationers alike as a friendly man who knows people by name, McIlvaine said.

Every time she visits the island and sees Lisenby again, he says the same thing: “I’m so glad y’all are back; how long are you staying?”

“He’s more than a bartender to us,” she said. “He knows our life; all these people, he knows their lives.”

Lisenby has not been seen at Pool Bar Jim’s since before the July 4th holiday weekend, and McIlvaine, along with many of his regular customers, want to know why.

Two attempts to reach Lisenby on Thursday and two additional attempts on Friday were unsuccessful.

Gina Haines, a visitor from Roswell, Ga., said when she went down to the bar after checking into her timeshare at the Marriott on July 3, Lisenby was nowhere to be found.

“His menus weren’t out,” she said, adding that merchandise and signage were also missing from the bar. The only proof of the original PBJ’s existence were signs asking public customers not to use the private boardwalk meant for guests.

When Haines asked men working at the bar what was going on, she was told Lisenby had been “shut down for the holiday” and was not told when Lisenby would return.

“It doesn’t sound right at all,” she said of the situation. “It really struck me the wrong way.”

A Facebook post created July 2 on a page dedicated to Pool Bar Jim’s said the bartender had been suspended by Marriott and would not be allowed to serve customers during the holiday. It is unclear whether Lisenby runs the page.

Patrons responded to the post and expressed their rage, disappointment and disapproval.

More than 240 comments have been made on the post, as well as 179 reactions and 75 shares.

The page’s admin has commented frequently, thanking commenters for their support.

People began to post pictures they had taken with Lisenby during their stay, letters they had sent to Marriott representatives and information about how to contact the general manager of the hotel, Massimo Santangelo. Threats to boycott Marriott, withhold patronage at the bar, protest and even give up timeshares ensued.

One commenter compared the suspension to kicking Batman out of Gotham.

Christi Wagner, whose husband has frequented PBJ’s for 20 years, posted a picture of a sign her 7-year-old son made in protest and taped to a table at the Marriott’s pool. Her sister-in-law, Sara Wagner Robb, posted a similar photo.

“He was really wanting a (nonalcoholic) drink from Pool Bar Jim’s, too,” Wagner said of her son. “It was on his beach wish list, but we are boycotting until Jim is back.”

She also said she noticed that lines at the bar were shorter.

Ed Kinney, Global Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications for Marriott Vacations Worldwide, said the bar was open and operating.

“People are always looking for something fresh and cool to drink,” he said. “That’s one of the things we continue to offer.”

When asked if business had declined at the bar due to Lisenby’s absence, Kinney said he couldn’t imagine any business on the island slowing down during the Fourth of July.

Kinney said he could not comment on Lisenby’s absence, whether he had been suspended and if and when he would return to the bar as an associate of a Marriott operation.

The Island Packet called the front desk at the Marriott Grande Ocean Resort on Friday. When asked if Lisenby was working at the bar, the Marriott representative hung up.

In regard to the claims and comments made on Facebook, Kinney said social media often stirs “speculation and innuendo.”

“As you can imagine, social media can create a lot of misinformation,” he said.

Haines, the visitor from Georgia, said she never saw or heard anything to imply a sour relationship between Lisenby and Marriott, but that what she had heard recently was “disappointing and surprising.”

“He’s been here for forever ... he’s an institution,” she said. “I hate to see the island lose its culture.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2016 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Longtime bartender at Pool Bar Jim’s gone from Hilton Head resort, but why?."