Mike Dickinson: Stepping Up to the Plate
Mike Dickinson doesn’t lack initiative. After reading about restaurateur Matt Haley in a newspaper in mid-2005, he asked a mutual friend for Haley’s cell number. “I cold-called him,” recalls Dickinson, who was working for Grotto Pizza at the time. “I said, ‘You don’t know me, but I work in restaurants, and I want to work for you.’”
It was the right move. Haley, who’d clawed his way from a prison cell to restaurant kitchens, appreciated gumption. The men met at 8:30 a.m. at the old Books and Coffee, where the gregarious Haley often held court. Dickinson, who had to be at work by 9 a.m., wore his Grotto uniform and nametag.
It was the Friday before Memorial Day 2005, and the two men kept in touch. By September, Dickinson was a manager at Bluecoast Seafood Grill and Raw Bar in Bethany Beach, the flagship restaurant in Haley’s SoDel Concepts hospitality group.
Haley, who died in 2014, knew Dickinson had the right stuff. Today the 44-year-old is president of SoDel Concepts, which has grown from three to 20 restaurants — and counting. It’s a hefty responsibility, but in many respects, Dickinson has prepared for the role for most of his life.
From health care to hospitality
Dickinson grew up in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. His mother was a middle school English instructor, and his father taught high school AP British literature. Dickinson, the oldest of their two sons, gravitated toward science. “It’s just how my brain is wired,” he says. However, both he and brother Andrew pursued the arts. Dickinson played trumpet, bass and —because he was strong — the tuba. Andrew is now SoDel Concepts’ art director.
Dickinson intended to be a doctor, but in the 1990s, he saw that health insurance was negatively impacting the profession. So, he studied biomedical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was also on the football team. Between practice, classes and studying, Dickinson’s schedule was packed from 8 a.m. until midnight. Since he didn’t plan to go pro, he questioned his decision to play ball. What’s more, working in a lab with test tubes wasn’t fulfilling.
Dickinson transferred to Muhlenberg College, which had an arrangement with a Philadelphia medical school. He would be admitted if he maintained his nearly perfect grade point average and passed the Medical College Admission Test. But while taking the MCATs, Dickinson waffled over one question so long that he voided his scores and left the room. “I’ll take a break for a year,” he told himself. “I’ll go down to the beach, wait tables and see what happens.”
From pizza to upscale dining
Dickinson’s father had family in Bethany Beach and had spent summers on the Delaware coast. In 2000, the family purchased a Bethany home, and Dickinson and his brother contributed to the mortgage payments. His parents supported Mike’s decision to take a year off. “They said, ‘The only thing you can’t do is go into public education.’ They’ve doubled down on that; it’s very difficult,” he notes.
They likely knew the conscientious Dickinson, who always worked during spring break, would do well in any industry. Indeed, he excelled at Grotto, recalls Jeff Gosnear, the pizza chain’s president. “He was a hardworking, dedicated person, who earned the respect of his employees and accolades from our customers,” Gosnear says. “He truly understands and loves the hospitality business.”
Dickinson’s general manager suggested that he enter Grotto’s management-training program, and the steady paycheck appealed to Dickinson, who had student loan payments. He became the general manager of the Dewey Beach location with the goal of becoming an executive like Gosnear, whom he admires.
Then he spotted the article on Haley, who had won back the Blue-coast building after a partnership soured. The photo showed Haley hugging his teammates after placing the winning auction bid. “I think I’d like to work for someone like that,” Dickinson told himself.
From GM to VP
Matt Haley was a force of nature who didn’t suffer fools. “He said: ‘Good is the enemy of great,’ and ‘Everything matters,’” Dickinson says. “He would yell because his expectation of us wasn’t aligning with what we were delivering. He saw more in us than we did in ourselves.”
Dickinson was in his 20s and ready to prove himself. “He was young, confident but also open and eager to learn,” recalls Scott Kammerer, Haley’s friend and righthand man. “Mike was like a sponge, learning all he could.”
Dickinson worked at Bluecoast, NorthEast Seafood Kitchen and Fish On, the three eateries then in Haley’s portfolio. Dickinson also helped open Catch 54 while covering shifts at Bluecoast and NorthEast.
By 2014, Dickinson was the director of operations. “Assistants think a shift at a time, general managers think a week or two ahead at a time, but the DO thinks six to eight weeks at a time,” he explains. The DO also understands the business. “You know what you’re talking about because you’ve done it, and people have seen you do it,” he says.
Dickinson leads by example, says Alan Levin, SoDel Concepts’ senior advisor. “He never asks anyone to do anything he wouldn’t,” Levin says. “I’ve watched him bus tables, serve food, and pick up trash around the restaurant, even though others were hired to do those tasks.”
Dickinson’s knowledge of SoDel Concepts was invaluable in August 2014, when Haley died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in India. The longtime employees were determined to keep SoDel running smoothly despite their grief. Kammerer became president and CEO, and Dickinson was vice president of operations.
In 2020, the team faced what Kammerer calls the “most trying time in the restaurant industry.” Dickinson proved an asset as Delmarva restaurants navigated Covid-19 restrictions. In 2021, he became SoDel’s vice president, and in 2022 he was named president.
“He is dedicated to his work, great with people and has high standards,” Kammerer says. “He has the courage to hold people accountable.”
From past to future
Dickinson was interested in medicine because he wanted to help people, and hospitality provides the same opportunity, he maintains. He’s had stellar role models. For instance, Haley was committed to philanthropy. In 2014, shortly before he died, the James Beard Foundation named Haley the humanitarian of the year. Kammerer founded SoDel Cares in Haley’s honor.
By observing Kammerer in the years after Haley’s death, Dickinson discovered that success means little if you don’t lift others. “Everybody can be happy. Everybody can be successful. Everybody can be great,” Dickinson says. “And we’ll be more successful if we can make more people successful around us.”
Most would agree that SoDel Concepts is doing well. Ever the strategists, Kammerer—now CEO—and Dickinson have a plan for the next five years. They won’t reveal the details other than mention the continued expansion of Surf Bagel, which SoDel purchased in 2021. The concept now has four locations.
A volunteer on several boards, Dickinson isn’t nervous about representing SoDel in the community. “I believe in what we’re doing,” he says. “I believe in developing people who serve beautiful, simple food and making the world a better place. And whatever the company needs me to do — if it’s writing a budget, analyzing profit and loss, or waiting tables for 20 minutes when everyone is jammed — I have no problem doing any of it.”
Learn more about SoDel Concepts at www.sodelconcepts.com
