Age: 36
Title: Director of Operations
Workplace: SoDel Concepts
Just about any Delawarean who has vacationed in Rehoboth Beach over the last five years has probably eaten at a restaurant where Matt Patton had an influence on the structure, decor or menu. As director of operations for SoDel Concepts, Patton oversees Bluecoast Rehoboth, Matt’s Fish Camp Lewes, Fish On, Plate Catering, and Meals on Wheels. Add to those Patton’s work with Plate Catering, Matt’s Homemade Soda Co., hospitality consulting firm Haley/Kammerer, and hospitality management company Highwater Management, and you’ve got a guy who has come a long way from his humble beginnings as a dishwasher in Columbia, South Carolina.
Patton has served as an integral part of SoDel Cares, the charitable arm of SoDel Concepts. In 2018, SoDel Cares donated just over $110,000 in grants to local organizations that assist children, at-risk youth and adults and the elderly in the Delaware beach communities. In 2017, Patton also co-chaired the SoDel Cares Annual fundraiser, which raised about 80 percent of the grant money SoDel Concepts gives away for 2018.
