Come late August or early September, Seal Beach’s long-standing sports bar and venue, Glory Days, will be under new ownership when entertainment industry veteran Marni Gaylord takes the reins and rebrands the establishment to the eponymous Marni’s, a neighborhood gathering place where folks can simply have fun.
“The reason I’m opening [Marni’s] is I literally just want to party at my place every day. That’s the philosophy of the restaurant,” Gaylord tells What Now Orange County. “I come from a time like in the 90s where we had fun, and places aren’t fun anymore. I want to make a place where people know they can come and watch a game, enjoy themselves, and root on their team.”
To help make this dream a reality, Gaylord will extend business hours – as it currently closes at 11:00 pm – while keeping the doors open Monday through Sunday. Likewise, she’ll revamp both the beverage and the food programs, effectively elevating the entire experience to the next level.
As Gaylord explains, she still intends to “keep it comfort food, but make it the most quality comfort food on the planet,” much of which will be inspired by her extensive travels and opportunities to eat at “some of the best restaurants everywhere.”
For example, a new slate of pizza options will take cues from Spago and Michael’s of Long Beach, with Dal Rae cited as another source of influence for the menu. Similarly, the bar’s emphasis will be on craft cocktails made from fresh orange and grapefruit juice squeezed in-house, as well as lemon and lime juice for the margaritas. Photogenic, shareable tiki drinks will also play a starring role.
“The Lapu Lapu is going to be our big drink there because that is what I drank when I went to UCLA,” Gaylord says. “It’s a big ol’ bowl with big ol’ straws and an excellent picture-taking opportunity for our younger people who like to use social media.”
It’s worth noting that Gaylord wants to retain the same “feel” of the space – and most importantly the “fabulous” rock wall – while bringing in some “surf vibes” and keeping it “authentic to Seal Beach.” As such, the restaurant might close for around a week or so during renovations, but without interrupting football season, of course.
When asked if she’s trying to recapture the glory days of Glory Days, Gaylord laughs before demurring and saying the phrase’s sentiment “basically talks about people reliving their glory days,” adding, “I don’t want people to relive them, I want them to live them now.”
