For 31 years, this restaurant has been family-owned success story in Flagler Beach
FLAGLER BEACH — When Tony and Carolyn Marlow arrived in Flagler Beach in 1992, it was just for a short vacation with family, a visit that somehow turned into more than three decades at the helm of one of the destination’s most beloved beachside restaurants.
“We were going to Las Vegas,” said Tony, 75, patriarch of the Golden Lion Café, an oceanfront fixture along State Road A1A since the couple opened its doors 31 years ago come October. “Carolyn’s sister lived here, so we decided to stop for a vacation before we went.”
At the time, Tony had been working as a craps dealer in the casinos on the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts, an occupation he expected to continue in Las Vegas.
Instead, the couple embarked on an even bigger gamble, starting a beachfront eatery in what then could be accurately called the sleepy destination of Flagler Beach.
“Everyone told us we were making a mistake,” Tony said, surveying the restaurant’s beachy outdoor dining area on a recent afternoon at a table with his wife and their son, Christopher, 32, who also is a partner in the business. “Carolyn was terrified. We had never done anything like this.”
The Marlows dubbed the restaurant the Golden Lion, as a nod to a London pub that had been operated by Tony’s father, Joe.
Although the initial concept was British fare such as fish-and-chips, the couple soon melded that with Caribbean influences in dining and décor that they fondly recalled from Saint Kitts.
They also pushed against some initial bureaucratic resistance to transform the operation into an outdoor experience, with live music and patio seating. It was revolutionary in a beach town that wasn’t yet on the map for many tourists, Carolyn said.
“When we started, you could have gone out on the middle of A1A and sat down on it and nobody would come by,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine now.”
Not a restaurant, 'it’s a family'
More than three decades later, the formula has endured, as the restaurant has expanded at the corner of A1A and North 5th Street, less than a mile north of the intersection of A1A and State Road 100.
There’s a rooftop deck that offers breathtaking ocean views, as well as a tiki bar, raw bar and outdoor stage that offers a busy schedule of area musicians that perform amid the colorful deck chairs and tables on the sandy patio. A gift shop offers everything from T-shirts and flip-flops to ukuleles and bottles of the restaurant's signature sauces.
Over the years, the restaurant has earned numerous spots on Top 10 lists of Florida beach bars.
Such endorsements are echoed by the crowd of regulars at the outdoor bar on a recent afternoon.
“This isn’t a restaurant, it’s a family,” said Mike Taylor, 73, of Flagler Beach, nursing an icy bottle of Michelob Ultra. “I’ve been coming here for about a dozen years. It’s an extremely comfortable place to come. The bartenders are top-notch, the owners are top-notch. You can talk to people, look out at the ocean.”
One barstool away sits another Mike, another longtime regular, nodding enthusiastically.
“It’s a close-knit group of people who come here,” said Mike Pikiel, 71, who moved to Palm Coast from Worcester, Mass., about a decade ago. “You can go anywhere on the beach for a drink, but here, everyone is friends.”
The secret to inspiring such loyalty? Tony Marlow doesn’t consider it a secret at all.
“There’s really no secret,” he said. “It’s just common sense. You treat people the way you’d like to be treated.”
‘Sticklers for quality’
In addition to that mindset, the family’s commitment to quality is reflected in the Golden Lion’s longtime success, said Costa Magoulas, dean of the College of Hospitality and Culinary Management at Daytona State College.
“I’ve talked to them, and they are sticklers for quality,” Magoulas said. “Obviously, you can see that.
“Why has the restaurant survived all these years? It’s not because you just throw stuff together. You’re concerned about the quality of the food and how it’s prepared, how it’s presented on the plate. They’ve kept up with the times. And, of course, it’s a great location across from the ocean.”
The family’s philosophy also has led to the growth of the business, including a second restaurant, the Green Lion Café, that operated from 2017-2022 inside the clubhouse at city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Club in Palm Coast.
Earlier this year, the Marlow family moved the staff from that now-shuttered restaurant to open the new Next Door Beach Bistro. As the name suggests, the new restaurant is literally next door to the Golden Lion just to the north on A1A.
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It's an American bistro with a French twist showcasing dishes such as mussels and fries, salmon tartare, filet mignon carpaccio, seafood pot pie and a seafood tower.
In addition to employing roughly 175 workers in the two restaurants, the Marlow family also continues to produce and sell its two lines of Golden Lion-branded seafood sauces, Key Lime Tartar Sauce and Datil Pepper Cocktail Sauce.
For the past decade, the Marlows have donated 50% of profits from sauce sales to support area food banks, an initiative that has provided more than 50,000 meals to those in need, according to the family.
Marketing the sauces, incorporating a charitable component and opening the new restaurants are among the ideas that came from Christopher Marlow as he stepped into a leadership role in the family business in recent years.
More: Propelling family businesses into the future
Carolyn calls her son’s involvement the “best thing that ever happened” to the family business.
“He would see things from a different angle,” she said. “He took us into the next generation.”
Another generation waiting in the wings?
A graduate of the Stetson University Enterprise Center in 2012, Christopher credits the program with providing him with the business and communication tools to seriously consider the prospect of taking over the family business.
At the same time, the Golden Lion always has been at the center of his life, he said.
“The school bus would drop me off here and I’d do my homework at Table 1,” he said. “But I was probably at Stetson when I realized the restaurant business was my passion. When you grow up in a family restaurant, it’s always part of your life. Eventually, you realize how much it means to you.”
Soon, the family’s legacy will be introduced to Christopher’s 2-year-old son Mason, the family said.
“He’ll be the fourth generation,” Christopher said, smiling. “He’ll be part-time at first.”
If you go
WHAT: Golden Lion Cafe
WHERE: 501 N. Ocean Shore Blvd., Flagler Beach
HOURS: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
ONLINE: goldenlioncafe.us
CALL: 386-439-3004
Timeline: 1992
When the Golden Lion Cafe opened its doors in 1992, here’s a snapshot of what else was happening in the world:
Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida causing massive amounts of damage as a Category 5 storm.
President George H.W. Bush signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The United States and the United Nations intervened to try to end famine and civil war in Somalia with Operation Restore Hope.
Mafia boss John Gotti was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering.
The cable television network “Cartoon Network” was established by the Turner Broadcasting System.
The largest shopping mall in the United States, the Mall of America, opened its doors in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Ross Perot announced he would run as an independent in the presidential race against Bill Clinton and President Bush.
The Euro Disney theme park opened in France.
Made Just Right: About this series
The Daytona Beach News-Journal is spotlighting area businesses that have been around long enough to be an important part of our collective history. If you are the owner of a business that has been in operation for at least 25 years, or if you want to nominate a business for recognition, please contact reporter Jim Abbott at jim.abbott@news-jrnl.com Be sure to include your name, phone number and a little bit about the history of the business.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Restaurant has been a Flagler Beach fixture for 31 years
