Tommy Bahama CEO: How a $200M Wholesale Brand Became a $600M Lifestyle Business

Quick Facts

Tommy Bahama grew from $200 million in wholesale revenue to more than $600 million, now operating 80% direct-to-consumer
Women’s apparel surpassed $200 million in sales last year and continues to grow double digits
The brand’s 29 restaurants and bars posted $118.7 million in sales last year, a 9.4% increase and a 13th straight year of growth

Tommy Bahama CEO Doug Wood has spent 25 years remaking a brand that once relied on department stores to sell camp shirts. Today, the company operates more than 160 stores, 29 restaurants and bars, and a growing resort business built around one idea: hospitality first.

Wood joined the company in 2001 as chief operating officer. When he arrived, a single product, the camp shirt, made up roughly 80% of sales and wholesale accounts drove the business. That product now accounts for about 5% of revenue.

The Wholesale Exit

The 2008 recession forced the first major shift. Department stores cut orders, and Wood watched e-commerce sales rise. He made a decision to stop depending on wholesale partners. “We made a hard pivot to shift our resources to our own stores. We took control of the brand and the messaging,” Wood told Retail Brew.

The company moved from 80% wholesale and 20% retail to the inverse. Today, 80% of revenue is direct-to-consumer. E-commerce accounts for 25% of that total. Restaurants drive another 20%.

Women’s Apparel as a Growth Engine

Five years ago, apparel sales split 70% men’s and 30% women’s. Wood identified the gap and pushed hard to close it. “We realized we had a huge opportunity to speak to women and build that,” he said. “It has been incredibly successful for us and is the fastest growing part of our apparel business.”

Women’s sales crossed $200 million last year and are still growing double digits in 2026. Wood’s stated goal is direct: “We think women’s can be as big if not bigger than men’s.”

Restaurants as a Differentiator

The first Tommy Bahama restaurant opened in 1996 in Naples, Florida, by accident. The founders, Tony Margolis and Bob Emfield, took over a vacant restaurant space next to their first retail shop. “They brought some friends in that did know about restaurants and launched it, and it was wildly successful right from the get go,” said Rob Goldberg, EVP of resorts, restaurants, and bars for Tommy Bahama Group.

Tommy Bahama is the only apparel manufacturer to own and operate its restaurants as an in-house division. That distinction matters to Wood. “We are in the hospitality business. That has allowed us to become a real lifestyle brand,” he said.

The 29 locations posted $118.7 million in combined sales last year, up 9.4%, according to Technomic Top 500 data. That marks a 13th consecutive year of sales growth, excluding 2020.

The Marlin Bar Rollout

Tommy Bahama is scaling a second restaurant format called the Marlin Bar. The concept uses a fast-casual model where customers order at the counter. The ninth Marlin Bar opened in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. New locations opened in Oklahoma and Texas in 2024, with Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Hawaii planned for 2025.

The company is targeting four to five new Marlin Bar openings per year. Wood described the format as a way to serve customers who do not have time for a full sit-down meal. “People are in a hurry these days and don’t always want to spend hours dining out somewhere,” said Arturo Coronel, Regional Marlin Bar Manager.

Retail and Dining as One System

The restaurants and stores feed each other. On busy weekends, customers waiting for a table walk into the adjacent shop, drinks in hand. Holiday shoppers at mall locations stop in for food between stores. Goldberg noted the dynamic plainly: “Chardonnay is definitely a shopping lubricant.”

Oxford Industries Chairman Tom Chubb credits Wood with keeping the brand moving. “Doug has never been about standing still and status quo, but evolving with the consumer while staying relevant to the Tommy Bahama island lifestyle,” Chubb said.