A cable guide for improving performance and longevity of a dispenser actuator for remotely operating a dispensing unit with a flexible cable connected between a valve of the dispensing unit and the actuator. The cable opens or closes the valve by manipulating the actuator adjacent the discharge end of the tube. The guide is positioned within the actuator in physical contact with the cable. The guide may comprise a thin arched body extending upward from a leading edge to a peak and downward to a trailing edge. The cable can slide over the guide as the actuator operates the valve. The guide prevents the cable from bending with a small bend radius, e.g., smaller than five or ten or even twenty times a diameter of the cable as the actuator operates the valve.