Matt Morton is the director of restaurant development at The Brigantine Restaurants, a San Diego-based collective. “Over the past 55 years The Brigantine Restaurants have grown to 21 restaurants across 15 physical locations throughout San Diego County.” Learn about Matt Morton…
Hometown: San Diego, CA
First job: Oddly enough, my first full-time job was as a live-in nanny for a family living on the East Coast. I spent two summers between the ages of 15 and 16, living with a family in Cape Cod and caring for their three young children.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in CA: Anything with my wife and kids. We have four kids ranging in age from 14 to 7 years old, so most of our free time is spent at some sort of youth sporting event. When a rare weekend arises when we have no sports, we love spending time on the water.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: Hands down, my kids. I have always loved children and being a dad is, without a doubt, the greatest and most rewarding accomplishment of my life. My wife and I have three beautiful girls, aged 14, 12 and 10 and a lucky little 7-year-old boy. We absolutely love spending time with them and watching them grow.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: For as long as I can remember, I have had a particular goal of becoming a Navy pilot. That goal was dealt a blow during my senior year of high school when I was denied admission to the US Naval Academy. While devastated at the time, I kept my head down, kept working and eventually was admitted to the Naval Academy, leading to my ultimate goal of becoming a Navy pilot.
Someone who inspires you and why: I know this is cheating, but I have two, and they are cut from the same cloth. My dad, Mike Sr. and my brother, Mike Jr. Between the two of them, they have been at the helm of The Brigantine Restaurants for 55 years. They both have a tireless work ethic and an instinct for business and finance and are grounded in honesty and integrity. My dad was always my role model growing up and someone I sought to emulate. While my dad is still around, I now look to Mike Jr. as the example of the man I strive to be.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Work hard, and don’t be afraid to roll your sleeves up and do the same work you are asking others to do. Pay attention all the time and never stop learning and getting better. Treat everyone with kindness, dignity and respect. In the restaurant business, that may seem like a no-brainer with the customers (who provide your livelihood), but it’s equally important for your fellow employees.
Favorite quote: It’s sort of a long one, but I first heard it in college and it has inspired me throughout my life:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ––Theodore Roosevelt
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I attended the United States Naval Academy and served 10 years on active duty in the United States Navy as a combat-decorated F/A-18 fighter pilot. I flew primarily off aircraft carriers but have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I continued to serve as a Naval Reservist for 15 more years and am presently a US Navy Captain.
What makes someone fabulous: Someone who is honest, humble, kind and independent.