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Like many teenagers who worked in restaurants, Sam Petrella didn’t think much of his stints as a server or line cook. Those were just jobs, not the beginning of a career in the multibillion dollar restaurant industry. That is until he enrolled in the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hotel and Restaurant Management bachelor’s degree program at the Universities at Shady Grove, embarking on a journey that would land him in the driver’s seat of a local brewery’s successful “Ale Bus” venture.
As a student in the UMES program at USG, Petrella was provided with the experience and skills to navigate the broad spectrum of sectors within the hospitality field. Students in the program learn from experienced faculty and industry experts in order to prepare them to enter management positions in lodging, restaurant, travel, attractions, meeting and convention and food service industries.
During Petrella’s senior year, his capstone project gave him the opportunity to create a proposal for local restaurateur who was seeking a business extension for his restaurant Dogfish Head Alehouse. Petrella, with two other classmates, was responsible for researching the company’s business philosophy, understanding its business goals, and developing a proposal that would be presented to a board of judges engaged by USG.
“This program asks for more than good grades,” Petrella said. “We had to prove that we were ready and able for some real-life application.”
His proposal, which built on Dogfish Head Alehouse’s fledgling ideas of a food truck/tourism vessel, scored him high marks in his program. And just months later, it also earned him a call from Dogfish Head Alehouse with a job. The company hired Petrella to serve as a restaurant manager and a full-time contractor to launch the Dogfish Head Ale Bus.
It took three months to find a bus, retrofit its design and develop the business model for the undertaking. Petrella also took classes to earn a Commercial Driver License to drive the bus during events.
Sam’s experience and knowledge, gleaned from the UMES program, combined with his business skills and entrepreneurial passion allowed him to spearhead the bus project successfully, said Joe Hospital, an owner of Dogfish Head Alehouse.
“Sam took an idea that didn’t have any model -- there’s no precedence for what he was doing – and built the bus out of our and his imagination,” Hospital said. “He has done a great job in making this a great, viable business enterprise.”
UMES hotel/restaurant students aspire to move up the ranks of major companies and others have plans for entrepreneurial ventures, said Susan Callahan, chef and faculty at USG.
“Our challenge as faculty is to help students figure out what they want to do and help groom them with the skills and provide the experiences that will help them reach their goals,” Callahan said. “That’s the beauty of our program. Because of our size and structure, we get to know our students very well and we can identify what they need to succeed.”
Throughout Petrella’s experience at USG, from start to finish, he said he has gained a rich understanding of the complexities of owning a business and the passion to succeed with his long-term plans to open his own restaurant.
“In the restaurant industry you have to be a paralegal, an accountant and a chef, which all are three things that I didn’t think I was going to be doing,” Petrella said. “On top of that, you have to manage the day-to-day of a restaurant. It demands a lot, but I know that’s what I want to do.”