A carefully planned facelift consisting of changes in color, lightness, décor and theme has just been completed at Marmalade Cafe Malibu—the first real change in the look of the popular local cafe since it first opened in 1992.
In an interview, Selwyn Yosslowitz, the energetic and hands-on co-owner and co-founder of Marmalade, said he decided to proceed with the facelift for Marmalade Cafe Malibu after signing a new lease with Malibu Country Mart six months ago. He said his No. 1 customer complaint about the restaurant was that it was too dark and “looked like a bowling alley.” He wanted the new look to have “the vibe of Malibu” and look “brighter,” yet “not be too radical.”
One of Marmalade’s managers located Heidi Jaeger, a Malibu resident and project director at Pepperdine University, who has a passion for art and architecture and knowledge of old Malibu black-and-white photos. Jaeger took on the Marmalade redecorating project. She then brought in co-designer Jennifer Sleeper-White after a chance meeting in Agoura Hills. The two have been working on the design since June.
“People might resist change; they might not want Marmalade to be different,” said Sleeper-White, “but I think it’s okay to give it a facelift—not a change, but an improvement. When we first met with Selwyn [Yosslowitz], he gave us his ‘four Cs’ directive: clean, crisp, cozy and charming.”
Yosslowitz is pleased with the results, and said early feedback from customers has been very positive. “’We love it!’” Yossowitz said they’ve been telling him. “It’s not over-decorated. It’s not tacky. It’s warm and authentic—kind of a retro French seaside cafe.”
The new décor includes colorful boat bumpers, framed black and white Life magazine covers with beach scenes, signal flags, vintage Malibu photos, antique sunglasses and bathing suits, straw beach hats, flip-flops and bathing caps.
“We’re showing a slice of Malibu—the part that’s about family and fun,” Jaeger said. “It’s an Americana feel. We want people to feel comfortable. It’s fun and not fussy, yet still playful with that element of surprise.”
“We’re bringing the past to the present and the present to the past,” Sleeper-White added.
The remodel took place during closing hours so as not to disrupt business. All of Marmalade’s old décor, including dozens of botanical prints, was donated to Pepperdine University and sold to the public last Friday. All proceeds went to Associated Women for Pepperdine (AWP) headed by Tami Williamson, going toward scholarships for men and women.
Yosslowitz obviously knows what he’s doing when it comes to being successful in the restaurant business. On June 9 of this year, he was given the 20th annual Elizabeth Burns Lifetime Achievement Award at a special dinner in Santa Monica by the California Restaurant Association’s Los Angeles chapter.
Malibu was Marmalade Café’s second location. The first Marmalade opened in Santa Monica in 1989 in a shopping center owned by Malibu’s Steve Soboroff. Soboroff, who also owned Malibu Country Mart at that time, liked the restaurant so much that he convinced Yosslowitz to open a second location here.
Shortly after Marmalade’s opening, Malibu experienced a major fire and a major flood, where Yosslowitz really got to know the community. “We fed all the firemen,” he recalled.
The “local community feel” of Marmalade is something Yosslowitz takes pride in.
“Our customer goes to the shoe repair and the dry cleaner, and then comes in here for a bite,” he said. “We’re as relevant today as we were in 1992. But our food evolves, and you always have to think of creative ways of staying alive. The 12,000 population base of Malibu is who we cater to.”
There are now seven Marmalade Cafes in Southern California. The company has 500 employees, including 60 in Malibu. Yosslowitz said most of his employees here are very long-term, including several who began working when the restaurant opened. He’s community-minded about hiring local high school students, and said his manager Jeff is a Malibu local “who used to come here as a kid with his parents.” Twenty-five years ago, Yosslowitz began offering his employees medical benefits and a 401(k) plan.
He makes a deal with his employees.
“I’ll make sure you have jobs and you make sure the customer comes back,” he tells them.
