黑料社入口

The fourth generation of family ownership is committed to upholding the same standards of excellence Lee鈥檚 Inlet Kitchen has modeled for the last 77 years.

The Murrells Inlet spot is one of the longest running restaurants in the Grand Strand offering local, fresh seafood.

黑料社入口

The oyster industry is part of SC's culture. Murrells Inlet locals are helping keep them alive

• By Sazie Eagan sazie.eagan@myhorrynews.com

While owners Dexter and Kelly Dorman have retired, they are keeping the business in the family as their daughters Ashton Dubose and Adrian Dorman take the reins of the restaurant at 4460 U.S. Highway 17 Business.

鈥淲e have people that have been coming literally since we opened. They were infants and now they bring in their great-great grandchildren. So it's a really nice legacy and it's a really unique thing, too,鈥� Dorman said.

Lee鈥檚 Inlet Kitchen鈥檚 business practices are unique, but strategic and have kept the business thriving since the sisters鈥� great grandparents established the seafood restaurant in 1948.

The sisters鈥� childhood home was right behind the restaurant, and Dubose remembers her five-year-old self meandering across the parking lot, away from the babysitter, to hang out with her mom and waitresses at Lee鈥檚. Her seafood-smelling dad in the kitchen would get a quick "hello" before she returned to the dining area.

Growing up around the restaurant has made the transition easier, but Dubose said there was a lot to learn about managing a kitchen.

The values of work ethic, quality and consistency that Dexter Dorman instilled in his daughters remain at the core of their mission.

鈥淥ur dad taught us that if he doesn鈥檛 like the way it tastes then it doesn鈥檛 go out. He鈥檚 very picky about that,鈥� Dubose said. Dorman added they do not purchase frozen or imported seafood.

The grouper and other specialty fish come right from Murrells Inlet vendors Seven Seas and Harrelson鈥檚 Seafood Market.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e actually our age. I grew up with both those boys and, you know, we take care of each other and I know they have the same principles we do. So, I know they鈥檙e going to bring in the best of the best, and even though we have to pay a little more for it, that鈥檚 worth it,鈥� Dubose said.

There has been one change to the menu: Scallops are now only available as a side rather than a main dish because they are too expensive to purchase locally.

鈥淚 can get them in from Asia all day long, but I am not confident they are actually selling scallops and not, say, cut shark fin. I like knowing where it all comes from,鈥� Dubose said.

Flounder is difficult to get in bulk in the immediate local area because of overfishing, so Dubose branches out to Garland Fulcher Seafood in Oriental, North Carolina.

Another problem posed by the growing population is northerners' expectations for seafood. Dubose said some patrons are critical of the crab cakes because the crab meat is shredded, not lump-style.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the same amount of crab meat that you would use in lump, it is just a shredded consistency so it鈥檚 just different,鈥� Dubose said, adding the recipes used at Lee鈥檚 are the same as they were in 1948.

Tywon Deas has worked in Lee鈥檚 kitchen for 20 years and said the kitchen staff are proud to work with fresh ingredients.

鈥淲e really take pride in making our food. It鈥檚 not something we just throw on a plate. Other restaurants I鈥檝e been in, their kitchens are not like ours. It鈥檚 just clean and that is good for the customers as well,鈥� Deas said.

However, keeping things old school can be challenging at times. Standard practice at Lee鈥檚 is to hand-peel and prep 150-200 pounds of shrimp, sourced from McClellanville, before each shift. Another time-consuming preparation is peeling and slicing three and a half bus tubs worth of onions for the homemade onion rings.

Dubose said Bubba Smalls鈥� (of the Bubba鈥檚 Love Shak namesake) sisters Cookie and Trish Smalls are long-time employees at Lee鈥檚, and Smalls' nephew was recently hired as a fry cook.

鈥淭hat family just embodies hard work. It is just amazing how clean and efficient they are and how much they care,鈥� Dubose said. 鈥淐ookie still does the onions. She can knock it out so fast and they are perfect. Her area is immaculately clean all night long. She sweeps and cleans all night long. I will never find anybody else like that.鈥�

Dubose and Dorman both said the relationships between owners and employees are very familial at Lee鈥檚. Many members of the kitchen staff worked there for decades and some waitresses retired after 50 years.

Deas said he is confident in the sisters鈥� assuming their new roles.

鈥淭hey come from a strong family. Their parents are strong and they learned a lot from them,鈥� Deas said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been here since they were children and they know a lot about this place. If anybody is going to do it the right way, it鈥檚 going to be them.鈥�

Dubose said there is a mutual respect between herself and the kitchen staff because the staff can appreciate the sisters' desire to keep the restaurant going the same way it has been run for 77 years rather than adhering to corporate principles.

Dorman added every job at the restaurant is valuable and they want to be managers that help make a difference rather than monitor and criticize.

鈥淲e鈥檝e jumped back there and washed dishes, she鈥檚 done the fry cook line. And I may or may not be doing salads tonight,鈥� Dorman said with a laugh.

Customers frequently suggest to Dorman they open on Sundays and expand business hours to include lunch service. However, she said closing Sunday benefits the staff.

鈥淚t鈥檚 nice having that Sunday off because you just know you鈥檙e going to have that break. You can rest and reset, especially in the middle of summer when it is so busy,鈥� Dorman said.

As for lunch service, that would require a lengthy shift for those in the kitchen or doubling the kitchen staff.

The hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and they close for holidays including Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and the Fourth of July.

鈥淧eople are just totally blown away that we are closed on the Fourth of July, but we want to enjoy the holidays, too,鈥� Dorman said, adding that they do open the Sunday before the Fourth.

Back in the day, the sisters鈥� mother would throw a Fourth of July party for everyone, including staff, to park their cars on a lot they owned and watch the boat parade.

鈥淢y mom was like, 鈥楲et鈥檚 all be together鈥� which I feel like that says a lot because on their day off, we still got together to have fun,鈥� Dubose said.

The big Fourth of July party became a bit of an undertaking over the years, but they do host an end-of-summer party.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like everybody can breathe, we finished,鈥� Dorman said.

Deas said the owners have always cared for and valued their employees.

鈥淭hey treat them with respect as if they are not just employees, but part of the family and that goes a long way. That鈥檚 why I have been here so long and a lot of other employees as well,鈥� Deas said.

Operating shorter hours, using expensive local seafood vendors and prioritizing employees鈥� happiness may not be the commercial business model found along the Marshwalk, but it is Lee鈥檚 Inlet Kitchen鈥檚 recipe for success.