Cameron Hadfield Is Always Ready For The Next Opportunity

Cameron Hadfield’s career has been anything but linear. He’s experienced in hospitality, HVAC repairs, facilities management, ergonomics and corporate property management, and now he is co-owner of two restaurants, where his breadth of knowledge has come in handy. 

Hadfield is a Cape Cod native, born and raised in Harwich. He graduated from Harwich High School in 2010, a few years before the town regionalized its schools with Chatham. 

He became a parent at the age of 16 and decided to stay in the area to continue his education. After graduating high school, he attended Cape Cod Community College, earning an associate’s degree in liberal arts and sciences. 

With a dream of becoming an architect, Hadfield headed to Boston. After beginning classes at Wentworth Institute of Technology, he ran some projections and decided architecture wasn’t the right field for where he was in his life. He switched into the facilities management track and graduated with a bachelor’s of science in facilities planning and management and a minor in business management. To him, this was a more “boots on the ground” approach, which he loved. 

He learned skills in finance, business, accounting, architecture and design. 

“I always tell people, I’m dangerous enough in all of the trades to get killed,” he said with a laugh. This well-rounded education would benefit him in the long run.

 While his decade of work in Boston was focused on facilities management and property management of life science labs, he also chose to seek out volunteer opportunities. 

In 2015, he became an advocate for young parents at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he worked for young parents’ rights at the local and state levels. In 2016, he was a young parent policy fellow for the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy.

Looking back at this time in his life, Hadfield reflected on his reasoning for prioritizing this work.

“To be frank, when he was a year or two old, I wasn’t around as much as I should’ve been,” he said of his son. “I think in some ways, giving back in that capacity helped me wear the mantle of fatherhood a little stronger, a little better, [and with] a little more honor.” 

He says he is extremely fortunate to have the relationship with his son that he has now. These days, his son, who is turning 16 this year, will sometimes pick up shifts at the restaurants Hadfield co-owns. His relationship was also a huge factor in his return to Cape Cod. 

Like most corporate workers, Hadfield worked from home when COVID-19 hit. He quickly found roots in Orleans, purchased a home and moved back to the Cape. 

When offices began to reopen, his commute to his Cambridge property management job became arduous and left him unfulfilled and apathetic. 

Back on Cape Cod full time, he decided to revisit what he had grown up doing — serving. He began working at the Chatham Squire freshman year of high school, along with most of his family members. Off and on, he ended up working there for a little over 14 years. Throughout this time, Hadfield, his brother Tyler and his aunt Karen would talk about opening their own restaurant. 

“You know when you joke about something, but it’s more than a joke if the opportunity arises?” he said. 

After some daydreaming and aimlessly scrolling on LoopNet, a commercial real estate app, he noticed the old Nauset Beach Club Restaurant for sale, which at that time was a breakfast spot known as Toast to the Coast. 

Hadfield, Tyler and Karen decided to make their vision a reality, opening The Rail in the summer of 2021. 

“I wanted to hang out with my brother more, so I came back and got a restaurant,” said Hadfield jokingly. 

Tyler took over operations in the kitchen, while Hadfield managed the front of house and business aspects. In their second year, they tried serving dinner as well as breakfast. 

Then, in early 2023, the owner of The Barley Neck asked Tyler if he was interested in coming on as the head chef. Tyler and Hadfield made the decision to start this venture as a unit, making it work with mornings at The Rail and nights at The Barley Neck. Nine months later, the brothers came on as the full management team for The Barley Neck.

Two years into managing two restaurants, Hadfield says he finally feels like they are finding their rhythm as well as using the restaurants to give back to the community through food donation, event sponsorships and hosting. It was hard work, and it still is, but the brothers enjoyed getting established. Their sister, Rebecca Hadfield, is now the general manager of The Rail, which frees them up to focus on The Barley Neck as well as other ventures. 

“We’re always poking around,” said Hadfield. “I still look on LoopNet.” 

Along with his quest to find more projects, Hadfield will take on a community position as the chair of the Orleans Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He has been a member since 2022 and is looking to take on more of a leadership role. 

“It’s a good opportunity for me to keep growing and learning and flexing a different muscle,” he said. “There’s a real benefit and pleasure in organizing people around a common goal.” 

Hadfield believes he will always be looking for new ventures. He was always a kid who changed his mind when it came to what he wanted to be when he grew up. To this day he continues to dream about new opportunities. Whether it’s more restaurants, consulting or a totally new opportunity, his doors are not closed, but he knows he’ll continue his professional partnership with his brother. 

“Food is one of the only constants in the world forever — sitting with someone and eating is such a special thing,” he said. “When you say ‘what's next or what changes and why I think this is more fulfilling than my previous lives?’ I think that's one of the reasons.” 

The Barley Neck is open year round, while The Rail is open seasonally.