Marlow's Tavern and Sterling Culinary Management have crossed $2 million raised for charity, a cumulative figure built over 28 years of an annual golf tournament and related fundraising efforts.

The milestone landed at the 28th Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, at Country Club of Roswell in Georgia. Proceeds go to Sterling Futures Foundation, the philanthropic arm tied to the restaurant group's operations.

The event format is a four-person scramble, followed by an after-party, awards, and a silent auction. Golfers came from the roster of Sterling's team members, business partners, and restaurant guests — a fundraising base the company has cultivated since the tournament began nearly three decades ago.

Where the money goes

The $2 million supports Sterling Futures Foundation's work with local organizations across the communities where Sterling operates. Named beneficiaries include:

• Special Olympics of Georgia
• Habitat for Humanity
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
• Giving Kitchen

Giving Kitchen is a notably operator-relevant recipient — the Atlanta nonprofit provides crisis assistance to food-service workers facing illness, injury, or other emergencies, so the fundraising loops back into the industry's own labor pool.

The other beneficiaries lean toward the communities that surround the restaurants themselves, which fits the company's framing of the event.

What does this change for the operator?

For a multi-concept group like Sterling — whose portfolio includes the Marlow's Tavern brand and the Woodall — a 28-year charity tradition functions as community marketing that money can't easily buy. Roughly speaking, $2 million over 28 years averages out north of $70,000 per year, a meaningful sum drawn largely from partners and guests rather than corporate margin.

That's the mechanism worth watching: the tournament monetizes relationships the restaurants already have — vendors, regulars, staff — without touching food cost or labor percentage. It's a fundraising model that runs parallel to the P&L rather than through it.

The company itself describes the goal in plain terms: having a good time while giving back to the communities that have supported its restaurants and businesses.

Sterling hasn't signaled any change to the format, and the tournament's 29th edition would be expected to continue the same playbook — scramble, auction, after-party — with the cumulative total now building past the $2 million mark.