Patton promoted to director of operations at SoDel Concepts

Scott Kammerer, president and CEO of SoDel Concepts in Rehoboth Beach, recently announced the promotion of Matt Patton to director of operations. SoDel Concepts owns and operates eight restaurants, Plate Catering and the food truck Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen. The SoDel Concepts family also includes hospitality management and consulting divisions, and artisanal lines of sea salt seasonings and sodas.

“Having a dedicated and detail-oriented team member like Matt allows us to continue to grow our company,” Kammerer said. “He’s an incredible asset, and he brings valuable skills and experience to the management team.”

Patton, who grew up in Columbia, S.C., has been cooking since he was 6 years old. At 14, he got a job washing dishes at Amadeus, the town’s fine-dining icon. While going to high school and the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Patton continued working in restaurants. He’s been a line cook, a fry and grill cook, a bartender and a catering server.

“After college, I wanted to be a restaurant manager, but I had no managerial experience,” he said. So he got a job at a franchise restaurant where he worked his way up to general manager in eight months. Continuing in management in the franchise business eventually brought him to Baltimore. Shortly after his move to Baltimore, Patton made the jump to the independent restaurant scene in Rehoboth.

In April 2013, he became the general manager of Catch 54, one of SoDel Concepts’ eight restaurants, and in September 2013, he moved to Fish On in Lewes, where great leadership was needed for many new projects that were being initiated there. While general manager at Fish On, Patton assisted with operations for Plate Catering, the catering arm of SoDel Concepts. He was also a key player in getting the Meals on Wheels program up and running out of Fish On. During that time, Matt Haley came up with the idea for Matt’s Homemade Sodas, and Patton became a managing partner in the artisanal soda business.

Of Patton's years with the company, Kammerer said, “As a general manager, Matt has helped our business grow in creative and exciting new ways. We know he will continue to do that as a manager at the next level.”

As director of operations, Patton oversees Fish On, Plate Catering and Lupo Italian Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach. “It’s very fulfilling to work for a fast-growing company whose priorities and passions are so in line with my own: creating beautiful, simple, food, giving back to the community and providing development opportunities to the people we work with,” he said.

For more information on SoDel Concepts, visit sodelconcepts.com.