Fastest 50: SoDel Concepts

Photo by Eric Crossan

SoDel Concepts
Location: Rehoboth Beach
SodelConcepts.com

SoDel Concepts is a multifaceted, award-winning hospitality group. We own 11 coastal restaurants in Delaware, including a wedding and event venue, The Clubhouse at Baywood; a food service management company that provides concessions at Sports at the Beach, The DE Turf, and the Dover Downs NASCAR event; and a hospitality consulting company.

What have been the biggest obstacles your company has faced over the past three years, and how did you overcome them?
Taking over the catering at Dover Downs, we provided 6,000 meals in 72 hours. The challenge was to staff an event of this scale appropriately, while keeping all of our restaurants running up to our high standard. We think we accomplished that, since then we were asked to continue to provide food service there for the next three years.

Looking back, what’s the biggest mistake you made and what would you do differently if you could?
The biggest mistake that I made was bearing the brunt of our biggest project to date. Building a restaurant is stressful, I tried to make every decision myself, and be there every day to see things through. That was a mistake. If I could go back and do it again, I would definitely rely more on our team.

What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned over the past three years?
Share the burden of a growing business. I boast that the most talented people in Sussex County work at SoDel Concepts. I’ve learned to get out of the way, and let them do what they do best. It is my job to provide people with the tools and the space to do just that.