Vicky Dodds, beloved manager at Tampa’s Skipper’s Smokehouse, is retiring after 44 years

On a hot and humid Wednesday afternoon, Vicky Dodds is in between food deliveries and distributor meetings, but she makes the time to stop and give attention to the six cats that call Skipper’s Smokehouse home. It’s been her home as well for the last 44 years, a legacy that will come to a bittersweet end when she retires at the end of this month. The beloved Tampa music venue and restaurant is celebrating her with a retirement party on Sunday, June 30 during the no-cover acoustic brunch that is open to the public.

Dodds has been with Skipper’s since 1980, when she graduated from the nearby University of South Florida with a degree in psychology and got a job in the kitchen to make ends meet. Though she never pursued a career in psychology, she feels her knowledge in the field has been beneficial to her decades in the hospitality industry. She’s done most everything in the place, including bartending and serving as a day manager, but she eventually found her true passion as the catering manager, a role in which she has truly become a shining star.

She’s been on television several times, including serving Adam Richman smoked alligator ribs on “Man vs Food” and on Fox 13 showcasing the restaurant’s famous blackened grouper reuben. The refried wings are Dodds’ personal favorite menu item, with the smoked fish spread coming in at a close second. As far as some of her favorite performers who have graced The Skipperdome’s famous stage, reggae singer Pato Banton and American “cult” band Red Elvises stand out in her mind.

One of Dodds’ favorite occasions that she’s catered is The Stone Crab Fest, an event with around 1,500 attendees held at the Port Tampa of Tampa Bay, but of course she has countless fond memories of catering for special events on site at Skipper’s. She’s been a part of so many regular’s big days, from baby showers to birthdays and, as comes with the territory of being a generational business, memorial services. Her late husband’s memorial service was even held on site, and her good friend Blake, who wrote tributes for both her wedding and the memorial, will speak at her upcoming retirement party.

Dodds has undoubtedly been a huge part of what makes Skipper’s so special and inclusive to such a diverse crowd, from shaggy-haired Dead Heads to Lightning players and everyone in between. She is proud to have had the chance to watch multiple generations of customers go from being children to bringing in their own kids down the road. In fact, there are infant footprints that greet patrons on the way into The Dome that belong to Frankie, who is currently working there as a busboy.

In a newsletter, Skipper’s Smokehouse said that the news of Dodds’ retirement comes with mixed emotions, adding that Dodds has been par of the literal foundation of the venue from the very beginning

“Vicky embodies the values of loyalty, hard work, integrity, and excellence. Her leadership has helped shaped the multi-decade success of Skipper’s and touched the lives of countless employees and customers alike,” the newsletter said.

What’s next for this beloved Tampa hospitality legend? She plans on spending more time with family but will still return one day a week to reprise her role as “cat momma” and feed the fur babies when no one else is around. She recently acquired a passport and aspires to find a way to put it to use for a well-deserved vacation. One thing is absolutely certain, she has left an indelible mark on the Skipper’s family and is retiring with an entire community cheering her on.

The retirement party for longtime Skipper’s employee Vicky Dodds is on Sunday, June 30 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. and will feature an acoustic brunch headlined by The Sunset Bridge Duo with support from Anika Sky.

UPDATED 07/07/24 12:02 p.m. Updated with comments from a Skipper’s newsletter.

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This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2024.