Matt Patton promoted to vice president of Surf Bagel

Scott Kammerer recently announced that Matt Patton has been promoted to vice president of Surf Bagel.

“Matt’s background and experience make him the perfect person to grow Surf Bagel,” said Kammerer. “Matt knows all aspects of our operations – he’s overseen the construction of three of our restaurants. He is also well-versed in renovations, and town and county codes.”

As a child in South Carolina, Patton developed an early interest in cooking. When he was 14, he became a dishwasher in a fine-dining restaurant in Columbia, S.C., his hometown.

While earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida, Patton continued to work in restaurants as a server and bartender.

After college, Patton took a job with a national restaurant franchise in Atlanta and worked his way up to store general manager in just eight months. He moved to Baltimore to further his career as a corporate restaurant manager.

Patton joined SoDel in 2013 as general manager of Catch 54 in Fenwick Island. In 2015, Patton became a director of operations, overseeing the daily operations of three restaurants. In 2021, he was promoted to vice president of construction. His duties included architectural planning, permitting, vendor coordination, progress reporting and interior buildout.

Patton will serve as vice president of Surf Bagel with Wes Books serving as director of operations. Jen Bradour, Joe Charles and John Sapienza are all corporate chefs for the brand, and DJ Forcucci was named administrative director. Longtime employees Karen Johnson and Liz Vitella will continue to help grow the brand, with Johnson as merchandise manager and Vitella as marketing specialist, along with Katie Frederick.

For information, go to surfbagel.com.