DJ Hill finds success in focusing on customer experience

DJ Hill, the owner of Lefty’s Alley and Eats, said it’s interesting how some people end up developing a business based on their own personal needs. In 2012, Hill and Chad Moore and their young kids were in Park City, Utah, looking for something to do when they came across an arcade, and thought to themselves, “Wouldn’t that be a great thing to bring to the Lewes/Rehoboth area?” Now, 10 years later, it’s an idea that has really taken hold.

DJ grew up in Mercersburg, Pa., and went to high school at Mercersburg Academy. He not only got a great education there, but he also met his wife, Sabrina Derrickson. After they both graduated from college, they moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for an advertising agency. While Washington was an exciting place to live at that point in their lives, they decided it was not where they wanted to raise their family and moved to Delaware to begin their next chapter. 

DJ went to work for his in-laws, who were in the hospitality industry, and started off managing the Atlantis Inn in downtown Rehoboth Beach. DJ quickly figured out that the hospitality industry had a simple business model.

“When you boil it all down, if you focus on one thing – the guest experience – everything else will fall into place,” he said.

He also said it’s critically important to surround yourself with people who share that same philosophy. 

While he enjoyed the hospitality business, what really excited him was being able to create something new, designing a facility from the ground up, building it and staffing it with a great team. He did that first with the Holiday Inn Express in Rehoboth (now the Beach Boutique Hotel), a Hampton Inn in Easton, Md., and then a second Holiday Inn Express in Bethany Beach. 

When the real estate bubble burst in 2008-09, the hotel industry went through a period of retrenchment, and there wasn’t the appetite for people to build new facilities for a while. That led DJ to think about where he wanted to take his career next, as he looked for a new business opportunity that he could create and grow. With the many second and vacation homes in the area, he spotted a need to offer those owners a specialized property management business. As a result, he developed Home Watch Concierge, eventually growing the business to where it was serving about 70 clients. DJ got an offer to sell that business, which he did, and he was off to the races thinking about the next business he could create. 

It was that trip to Park City with the Moore family that led DJ to his next business venture. He liked the idea of an entertainment business that focused on young families and kids. And because many of the young families that were moving here came from larger metropolitan areas, he believed the business should have more of an urban feel, rather than a beachy atmosphere. Planning for Lefty’s started in 2012, and the doors opened in 2016. In 2024, he bought out his partner Chad Moore and became the sole owner.

“Our operating principle with Lefty’s is based on what I learned from the hotel industry – focus on a great experience,” Hill said.

And that’s what he and his team of 67 full- and part-time employees do each day. Contrary to the pessimism some people focus on when talking about the younger generation, DJ has had a much different experience with his team. His people love coming to work every day, and they are always thinking about how to improve the customer experience. DJ doesn’t pay as much attention to the financials as he does the customer, as he believes that ultimately translates into a healthy financial statement. And similar to a menu in the restaurant business, Lefty’s maintains its staples but continually looks to add new entertainment offerings. 

Never one to rest on his laurels, DJ is now under construction for a second location in Newark. With his new partner, Gary Foley, who is also his manager, DJ likes being able to see the fruits of his labor in not only expanding the business but also creating opportunities for some of the people who have worked so hard to help bring success to Lefty’s.

If he could go back in time and give his 18-year-old self some advice, he would say not to worry as much about taking risks.

“Trust your gut instincts in the business world, and if you fail at something, use it as a learning experience to help with your next venture,” he said.

DJ also acknowledges that if you can find your perfect life partner, which he has been fortunate to do, it will make a big difference in your ultimate success.