Owner, Summer Salts Beach Grill

You could say April Willett Fels fell in love with the restaurant business simply because it’s what brought her husband, John, into her life. Together for 20 years and married for 10, the couple decided to go into business for themselves six years ago, opening Summer Salts Beach Grill in Bethany Beach.
April says her staff and customers feel like family, as they’ve seen her own family grow to include four kids and watched the business evolve, including a renovation last fall. When the pandemic changed how the restaurant industry operated, the couple turned their focus to helping the community with meal and monetary donations instead of worrying about their own bottom line.
For April, it’s all about “the village” that supports her family. And when it comes to owning your own restaurant, she says it’s about being the boss 24/7 and treating your employees well. “You have to be all in or all out.”