OPA extends Ortt Companies contract

(Aug. 4, 2021) At the request of General Manager John Viola, the Ocean Pines Board recently approved a fourth year on the Matt Ortt Companies’ food and beverage management contract.
 
The Ortt Companies, led by co-founders Matt Ortt and Ralph DeAngelus, originally signed a two-year management contract in 2017. Two years later, the Ocean Pines Board approved a three-year contract extension with incentives to trigger a fourth and fifth year.
 
The agreement is for the company, which also operates several independent restaurants in the Ocean City area, to run Ocean Pines' Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Clubhouse Bar and Grille. 
 
COVID-19 had a negative impact on food and beverage revenue during the last fiscal year, but the Ortt Companies still managed close to the target of $130,000 operating favorability that would have automatically triggered a fourth year.
 
Viola said the Ortt Companies finished roughly $119,000 positive to budget overall during that time. Those numbers include federal grants given through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). 
 
“With the PPP, the Matt Ortt Company was basically $11,000 short of the automatic trigger. However, they provided a lot of [community] service during COVID. They provided low-price family meals and delivery, [and] they were open the full year,” Viola said.
 
“They kept the entire team engaged and on the payroll, which is what PPP is for,” he continued. “And that’s important, because a lot of restaurants now … are trying to open up and they can’t get good people.”
 
DeAngelus added that, because of the way the company navigated through COVID, “The industry’s number-one issue wasn’t ours.”
 
“We kept our core staff around, and we didn’t ever have to close because of a shortage of people,” he said.
 
Viola said the Ortt Companies also donated family meals to Ocean Pines Police, the Volunteer Fire Department, and the nursing staff at Atlantic General Hospital, and he highlighted positive trends for both overall revenue and banquet revenue during the current fiscal year. Several times this summer, the Ortt Companies have set single-day and weekend-long sales records at the Yacht Club and Beach Club.
 
Prior to the pandemic, the Ortt Companies were credited for rehabilitating the image of Ocean Pines’ food and beverage operations, now known for having vastly improved customer service and food quality. 
 
DeAngelus said he likes to go back to a town hall meeting four years ago, when he and company leadership made a promise to several hundred Ocean Piners in attendance.
 
“I told them, we’re going to make this your family and neighborhood destination again – the place to go for family and friends, so that they wouldn’t have to leave the area to have a really good time, with great food and drinks and a stellar entertainment lineup,” he said. “Obviously, we’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished, and we feel like we’ve held true to our promise. 
 
“We also couldn’t be more grateful for the support that the Ocean Pines community has given us, and we can’t wait to continue working hard to give Ocean Piners the best possible experience at all three of our restaurants here,” DeAngelus added.