Chef Matt Delle is making a splash. The owner of Roast Farm to Table Sandwich Market, in Southern Pines, Matt is slated to unveil a new restaurant, Coast Seafood Shack & Country Kitchen, in Vass. Located on US-1 Business, Coast is opening in May. The establishment is about 12 minutes from Roast.
Matt’s currently in the process of getting things prepped for customers.
“We’re making some color changes,” Matt, who has more than 30 years in the restaurant field, said. “There’s kitchen equipment coming in.”
The decision to start Coast sprung from a proposition he couldn’t resist.
“I had a great opportunity that was presented to me,” Matt said. “I bought the real estate.”
Not having to pay rent is an attractive option in today’s market.
“It’s time to pay myself,” Matt said.
In addition, the chance to offer seafood to the clientele was enticing for Matt, who’s spent most of his career in fine dining.
“I have an extensive seafood background,” he said. “I’ve worked for some great seafood chefs. I love seafood.”
People in the region also have an appetite for what comes from the sea. Matt specifically referenced Calabash cooking.
“A lot of people in the South like a particular type of seafood,” Matt, a graduate of Widener University, Scottsdale Culinary School – Le Cordon Bleu, the French Culinary School, in New York, and the Philadelphia Wine School, said.
Among items prepared in the Calabash style are shrimp, oysters, clams, crabs and fish. A gourd, calabash is common in the Carolinas.
Roast, in Tyler’s Ridge Shopping Center, opened in November 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Being able to survive with limitations was tough.
“We started construction right before the pandemic,” Matt said.
Offering drive-thru service was key in getting past the unforeseen obstacles. Once things returned to normal, Roast became a go-to destination for diners.
“It’s exceeded expectations,” Matt said. “It’s doubled, if not tripled. And we’re still getting new people.”
Location has helped spur the growth.
“This community is so unique,” Matt said. “Word-of-mouth marketing and forming relationships with your guests are important.”
During the slower months of January and February, Roast was open from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. For March through December, hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“I put in six days a week, about 12 hours per day,” Matt said. “But I love it.”
Success at Roast means he won’t mess with a good thing when it comes to staffing for the Vass venture.
“I’m very pleased with the staff I have now (at Roast),” Matt said. “I’ll be looking for a whole new staff (for Coast).”
Along with a different crew and menu, Coast will have other features not currently found at Roast, including live music.
“We had that, initially, at Roast. In that area, it was pretty much saturated,” Matt said. “We’ll test it.”
Given his accomplishments, it’s clear Matt suffers from no shortage of creativity. Surprisingly, though, the name of his latest enterprise (Coast) came from the real estate world.
“The people that sold it to me offered it,” Matt said. “It’s great.”
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel reporter Dave Lukow. Dave has been honored as both a lyricist and screenwriter. Among other publications he’s contributed to are the Buffalo News, JD Journal, Beckett Hockey, Seminole Player’s Life, Poker Pro, Walmart World, and All In.
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