Who’s Who: Mark Zecher, General Manager at Oceanic

Who’s Who of Wilmington Today: Meet Mark Zecher, General Manager at Oceanic

“Oceanic is supporting local fresh seafood, cooked simply, and presented with warm Carolina hospitality, And, of course, we have the best view of the ocean in all of North Carolina!” – Mark Zecher

Get to know Mark Zecher, General Manager at Oceanic

Where are you from?

I grew up in Sudus, New York, a small town outside of Rochester. I met my wife in Long Island, New York, and we started our family up there.

How did you end up in Wilmington?

My wife and I had decided that we did not want to burn our retirement money paying such high real estate tax and the overall cost of living on Long Island. My wife’s mother moved to Leland, so we were exposed to the area when we came to visit and fell in love with the area. We ended up purchasing a lot in St. James Plantation and planned on eventually building our retirement home there. When the pandemic hit, like many others, we decided it was a good time to get out of New York. I was offered an opportunity with a very stable, family-owned restaurant group, LM Restaurants, in a very unstable time. I started as general manager of Oceanic restaurant in November of 2020.

What is your favorite part about living in the area?

Better weather, beautiful beaches and Southern hospitality.

What are three words that describe you?

High integrity, work ethic, passionate

What is your average workday like?

Lots of moving parts! Lots of people interaction: a staff of 150 employees, 700 to 1,400 guests daily, vendors, private event guests, main office staff and town officials, to name a few! Repairs and maintenance, cleanliness, sanitation. The biggest part of my job is motivating and supporting our team and always striving to make the operation better at Oceanic.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I am very passionate about food, wine and mixology, so I enjoy that part of my job and exploring new dishes and drinks for our menu. The most enjoyable part of my job is winning . . . ordering properly, building a good team and putting them in the position to succeed then executing the plan and ultimately making our guests happy!

What is the most difficult part of your job?

I am a people person and enjoy making things happen. The part of my job that I find difficult is all the back-end office work. I would much rather be moving around the restaurants and interacting with our guests.

What has working at Oceanic done for you?

I have always been an owner/operator of restaurants. I owned my own waterfront restaurant back in Long Island. Working for a larger, family-owned restaurant group has taught me more about processes and systems and how to utilize other departments and support teams in the company.

Do you have any goals in your job and what will you do to achieve them?

I just received the award for General Manager of the Year and the company Flow Through Profit Award from LM Restaurants for 2021. My goal is to continue making how we run our business even better at Oceanic and ensure we are satisfying our guests on every occasion.

Fun Facts

Favorite movie? Shawshank Redemption

Embarrassing moment? I was at our GM conference in Pompano Beach, Florida. A woman got onto the elevator with me, we said hello and I learned she was with LM Restaurants. She said her name was Tonya. I had been emailing with a Tonya from the main office about my travel arrangements so I complimented her on a great job with that. She explained that she was not that Tonya. I asked what her position was with the company, and she said “I’m the new chief operating officer!” Embarrassing, but we had a good laugh!

What superpower do you wish you had? Healing the sick. Health is everything

Favorite song? “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem” by Kenny Chesney

Pet peeve? Littering

Favorite Mantra? “Sales without profit is like eating soup with a fork. You will keep busy but you stay hungry.”

Oceanic
703 Lumina Ave S, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
(910) 256-5551
www.oceanicrestaurant.com