Four friends who met through a business training program have turned their bond into a working restaurant partnership in Norfolk's East Beach neighborhood. Magnolia & Marlin, tucked just off Shore Drive, is the product of Dr. Angela Reddix and her husband Carl Reddix teaming up with Tony and Tara McGee to open a Southern-inspired dining room that's already drawing crowds.
According to 13News Now, the four owners connected through a program Reddix runs for women in business, with Tara McGee having been one of her students. That relationship eventually grew into Faithful Four, the entity the partners formed to run the restaurant together — and, per the same report, Reddix has called it the group's first business endeavor. It also marks her personal first foray into the restaurant industry, as WTKR reports that Magnolia & Marlin is the first joint venture between the two couples and Reddix's first restaurant venture overall.
A Partnership Built on Different Strengths
The owners believe their differing skill sets are part of what made the opening work, according to 13News Now. Tony McGee told the station the partners' give-and-take has been good because they know their strong suits, while Reddix said shared values along with different skill sets helped bring the group together in the first place.
Before the doors opened, the partners also spent time building relationships in the neighborhood itself. WTKR reports the group made numerous presentations to the local HOA and Civic League as they worked through the process, and at the time of that report, the restaurant was still interviewing candidates to round out its staff and was awaiting approval of its ABC license.
What's on the Menu
Magnolia & Marlin describes its own food as Southern-inspired dishes meeting a modern coastal atmosphere, per the restaurant's own website. The kitchen, the site says, leans into Southern heritage and coastal abundance, and the menu according to 13News Now includes cornbread, shrimp and grits, catfish and an artichoke dip made with collard greens. Sticky ribs have emerged as one of the restaurant's top sellers, the station reports, alongside the mac and cheese and other Southern staples the spot has become known for.
WTKR similarly describes the menu as elevated Southern and seafood fare, pointing to cornbread, greens and fried catfish among the options. The restaurant's site adds that curated playlists and live performances bring a soulful coastal energy to the dining room, which it says was built as a true gathering place for the East Beach and Ocean View community. Per the restaurant's website, the dining room welcomes guests age 12 and older, and reservations are encouraged.
Business Has Been Strong, and Neighbors Are Taking Note
Business has been strong since the restaurant opened, according to the WTKR report, and 13News Now notes Magnolia & Marlin is currently open Thursday through Tuesday. Nearby business owners expect the restaurant to bring in more foot traffic, with one telling WTKR they hope it draws people from outside the immediate area.
The location itself carries personal weight for Reddix. 13News Now reports the restaurant sits near the former site of City Beach in East Beach, which was a public beach for Norfolk's Black community, and Reddix has said her grandmother used to take her there because it was the only beach they could go to.
A Norfolk native, Reddix has built a career around training minority entrepreneurs, according to WAVY. That same program is what originally brought the four Magnolia & Marlin partners together, long before cornbread and sticky ribs were on a shared menu.
