Franchising

Surf Bagel promotes VP to president

Photo: Surf Bagel

July 23, 2024

Delaware-based Surf Bagel has promoted Matt Patton from vice president to president, where he will continue to play a major role in the day-to-day operations of the existing stores. His main focus, however, is leading the team through expansion, said Scott Kammerer, CEO of SoDel Concepts, the brand's parent company.

"Matt knows all aspects of our operations. He is also well-versed in renovations and town and county codes," Kammerer said in a company press release. "Matt's background and experience makes him the perfect person to grow Surf Bagel."

Patton grew up in South Carolina, where he developed an early interest in cooking. At 13, he became a dishwasher in a fine-dining restaurant in his hometown of Columbia. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Florida and continued to work in restaurants as a server and bartender throughout his time at the university. After college, he took a job with a national restaurant franchise in Atlanta, working his way up to GM in eight months and moving to Baltimore to further his career as a corporate restaurant manager.

In 2013, Patton joined SoDel Concepts and worked in Fenwick Island, Delaware, as a general manager before serving as director of operations for five years. From 2019 to 2022, he was VP of construction for SoDel Concepts, where his duties included permitting, architectural planning, vendor coordination and interior buildout for five restaurants.

With Surf Bagel entering a growth phase in 2022, Patton was named vice president of the brand. By June of 2023, two additional stores had been added to the Surf Bagel brand, doubling in size from two to four properties in under eight months.