Pensacola's Coach-N-Four Steakhouse's history almost long as Snowball Derby

There's rubber burning and steaks sizzling off of Pine Forest Road this week.

The rubber comes from the west side of Pine Forest Road at Five Flags Speedway for the 56th running of the Snowball Derby. The steaks are right across the street at Coach-N-Four Steakhouse, a family-run restaurant that hasn't been around as long as the race but is still one of the most enduring restaurants in Pensacola.

And this week, they're busy. A few race fans showed up 20 minutes before the restaurant opened on Thursday, but rather than leave they sat on the Coach-N-Four porch waiting.

In the expansive yard of the eatery, there is a flock of RVs on the property. Those belong to race fans who have set up for the week, often sitting in lawn chairs outside chatting with other fans. Coach-N-Four began letting RVers use a portion of the property a few years back.

"This is our busiest time of year," said Donna Guilford, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Greg. "(Race folks) love walking across the street and not having to get in the car and go down the road to find someplace good to eat. They know we have good food and they come back every year."

Donna's parents, Joyce and Bill Compton, opened the cozy-and-charming restaurant in 1979. The Guilfords purchased the Coach-N-Four a few years later. The Guilford's daughter, Rebecca Thrower, is the restaurant general manager. Someday, she'll most likely take over the restaurant her grandparents opened and she was largely raised in.

"I always said that I don't have blood running in my veins, I have Coach-N-Four steak sauce," Thrower said. "I've been here my whole life." (That includes in the womb - her mother was pregnant with her and still running the restaurant until her doctor came in and saw her moving tables and told her to take it easy.)

When she was only 3 years old, little Rachel began seating guests. She started working as a cashier when she was only 9. The couple's son, Phillip, likewise spent much of his childhood at the restaurant.

Rachel is well accustomed to the loud roaring sounds blaring across the street during race week. Rachel calls the sound "a lullaby" now, she's become that used to it. Her parents, who live behind the restaurant property, see it differently. At least Mom does.

"You have no idea how loud it gets," Donna said. "I'm not going to sleep well this week."

The big race: Auto Racing: Pro Trucks, Pure Stocks and Sportsmen kick off Snowball Derby Thursday at 5 Flags

Husband and co-owner Greg Guilford spends much of race week outside on the golf cart, making sure race fans don't park in the restaurant's parking lot - the RV setup is separate. Often, he's just chatting with the race fans camped out there.

(Reporter note: I approached a few fellas out by the RVs, asking them to comment on Coach-N-Four. One said he would, but he was a little biased. Then I found out it was Greg.)

"I just come out here and visit with them and we have an adult beverage or two," he said. "I've been doing this for about 10 or 12 years (he's referring to the RV camping) and these guys come every year."

He's talking about brothers Bill and David Youngs of Lillian, Alabama.

"We get a steak the first night every year," Bill Youngs said of Coach-N-Four during race week. "The waitresses, the food, the service - it's all good."

So good that Nancy and Dana Cofer were still waiting for the restaurant to open, even though they had eaten there just four days earlier.

"I've been coming here for the last 20-25 years," Dana Cofer said. "We come here all the time. The food's really good and the staff is friendly."

His wife, Nancy, agreed.

"It's been here forever and it's always dependable,'' she said. "It's one of our favorite restaurants, for sure."

Dependable and consistency are part of the restaurant's success. There have been some changes - the staff switched from flannel and denim to black shirts and denim a while back. But the same original wood structure, wood floor, wood tables and expertly cooked steaks and other dishes, remain.

The family knows that keeping a restaurant afloat isn't easy - they even tried branching out years back and opened Coach-N-Four restaurants in other towns, including Crestview, but those closed without the family's daily oversight.

The original remains.

"I think our success has to do with the people in the area," Donna Guilford said. "They knew we are family-owned and they know they can get great food and service.

"We have families that have come here for decades," she said. "Children who used to come in with their parents now come with their own children. I think we are ingrained in the community. We've made sure we know the people around the block. We have friends from here that we met long ago this area was so built up."

Coach-N-Four Steakhouse is located at 7445 Pine Forest Road. Hours are 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Go to Coach N Four Steakhouse | Quality Food Since 1979 for more details.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Snowball Derby week the busiest of year for Coach-N-Four Steakhouse