Poseidon on the Beach

As the owner of the beachfront Poseidon Restaurant and the adjacent Del Mar Motel, Tom Ranglas, has seen his dream come true. As a Greek immigrant who did not speak English, Ranglas symbolizes the American dream: With hard work and dedication, a person can achieve anything. Ranglas was living with his mother in El Cajon and was looking for a coffee shop to buy there but thought everything was too expensive. "One day, in 1968, a real estate agent told me to get into his car, and he would take me somewhere. We arrived in Del Mar, and I saw the restaurant on the beach called The Fire Pit," Ranglas said. The owners wanted $48,500.00 just for the business, not the property. It was a lot of money for young Ranglas, but he thought the place was beautiful. So, he borrowed money from his mother and then had to pay the rest over the next five years.