Opened by Mary Baldwin in the 1925, the Marigold Restaurant was a popular location in the tourist quarter of Niagara Falls. The restaurant was originally located at 219 Second Street, but quickly expanded into the adjacent building in 1938. After the expansion a major renovation of the new building occurred, transforming the first floor into a dining room, the second floor into a banquet hall, and the third floor into "employee quarters." Another expansion occurred in 1940, when a 4' x 16' addition was addded to the back of the building. A sister location in New Orleans was also opened in 1933, allowing Mrs. Baldwain to continue operations after the Niagara Falls tourist season ended in the Falls. The restaurant closed in 1956 following Baldwin's retirement.

The restaurant was emblematic of the relationship White businesses had with Black labor and culture, which they often sought to "mine" for financial gain. Following in the footsteps of the city's hotel industry, African Americans were hired as kitchen staff to recreate the dishes of the South. At the same time they were barred both from eating in the dining rooms and working as waiters/waitresses. It also used images of a Black woman dressed in stereotypical "mammy" outfits in their advertisements. According to Crystal Boling Barton, the likeness of her Great Aunt Ellen Robinson, an employee of the restaurant, was printed onto its dishes and cookbook without her permission. Robinson took Baldwin to court over this issue, but ultimately lost this battle. Nonetheless, it represents the interest of Whites to maintain subservient images of African Americans, reminiscent of the antibellum days. Additionally, like the factories in the city, the restaurant also actively brought Black labor up from the south. A number of employees like Pristell Anders came from Louisiana having worked at the New Orleans location. With all of this said, by the 1940s some of these barriers began to come down, allowing Black diners and hosting events for the African American community in its banquet space.