The Grand Marlin–“An Experience between Time and Tide”
Chef Gregg McCarthy at the Grand Marlin will tell anyone who cares to know that the only way to cook is with natural gas. For the restaurant’s first four years, though, he worked his culinary magic using propane because natural gas was not yet available on Pensacola Beach.
In March of 2012 all that changed when Gulf Breeze Natural Gas, having brought a pipeline under Santa Rosa Sound from the Gulf Breeze peninsula to the island, turned on the meter at The Grand Marlin and the restaurant became the first natural gas customer on Pensacola Beach.
“They are really enjoying cooking with natural gas,” said Ashley Tyler, marketing director for Gulf Breeze Natural Gas. “Their equipment is staying cleaner than it did with propane, which means there is a lot less maintenance. And they don’t have to worry if they’re going to run out of gas as they did with the propane tanks. The natural gas is always there.”
For the management of the Grand Marlin the greatest benefit is the reduced energy cost.
“When we made the proposal to them,” Ashley said, “we projected that they could reduce their energy cost by 30% if they converted to natural gas. They’ve actually seen a little more than 30% savings.”
An Experience between Time and Tide
With views of Santa Rosa Sound and sunsets over Pensacola Bay, the Grand Marlin offers a tranquil, relaxed atmosphere where patrons can enjoy the most memorable dining experience on the Gulf Coast.
The dining room features the area’s best-stocked, most tempting oyster bar where the finest oysters, from Apalachicola and East Bay to more exotic locales, are shucked to order. It’s a perfect place for a quick lunch, to meet friends for the daily happy hour, or to sample the specialty baked oysters. They also offer a full-bar and an intriguing 80-plus bottle wine list chosen to compliment any dish while presenting exceptional value.
Whether it’s a romantic destination, a dinner with friends or a place for a family-friendly gathering, the Grand Marlin’s comfortable dining, delectable food, and courteous and attentive staff make your meal one to remember–an experience between time and tide, an experience like no other.
PBS “Great Chef” Gregg McCarthy 
With a lifelong passion for great tasting food, Chef Gregg, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, sees the seafood offerings of the Gulf Coast as an opportunity and a challenge. The opportunity is to take the finest, freshest seafood the ocean’s waters have to offer. The challenge is to use his culinary skills to create innovative and tantalizing dishes. Chef Gregg is more than up to the challenge.
With a distinguished career that includes cooking at the Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington D.C. , he was also sous chef at the Buckhead Diner in Atlanta and the Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas.
Winner of numerous awards and featured in PBS’s Great Chefs series, Chef Gregg has been a guest chef at New York’s James Beard House, one of the highest honors a chef can receive.
Before coming to the Grand Marlin, Chef Gregg was corporate executive chef at Atlanta’s Ray’s Restaurants, including Ray’s on the River, Ray’s Killer Creek and Ray’s In the City.
This is one of a series featuring the great businesses that are customers of Gulf Breeze Natural Gas. We are pleased to shine the spotlight on them, and we wish them continuing success!
Gulf Breeze Natural Gas is a service of the City of Gulf Breeze. The utility provides natural gas on the peninsula from the south end of the Pensacola Bay Bridge to Shannon Road in the Holley-Navarre area. On Pensacola Beach the utility is currently able to hook up customers from the Commercial Core Area, east to Portofino Resort and west to Palm Beach Club, and is expanding its capacity continually. For more information, call customer service at 934-5108.