May 8, 2017

Meet Sean Morceau of Common Ground Allston

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Morceau.

Sean, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Charlestown. I was fortunate to gain a position as a student intern with the Office of The State Comptroller directly after I graduated from Boston Latin Academy in 1991. I gained a full-time position as a contract analyst after four years. In 2000 the account from which my position was paid was written out of the upcoming fiscal budget and no comparable account existed. I was subsequently laid off. I chose to not make a lateral move from the executive to the state level. I took a period of time off to pursue music. I quickly began to miss participating in formal work but knew that I had no desire to return to an office environment after completing several temp positions. A friend who also happens to be a chef jokingly suggested I apply at the local Uno’s based upon the tagline for their street side signage which stated: “Have fun making money.”

I talked my way in to the job with no prior service experience. I started as a server and finished after 4 years as the bar manager. From there the journey has taken me through 2 stints as a server/bartender at Not Your Average Joe’s in Watertown. Time as a server/bartender/shift supervisor at Margarita’s in Waltham. Time spent as a manager for a private catering company. I was part of the opening staff at what is now Papagayo’s on West Street. I was also part of the opening staff at Canary Square in Jamaica Plain.

I was fortunate to then gain my first full-time management position with the Somers Pubs Group. I am eternally grateful to the late, great John Joe Somers for giving me that chance. I worked at The Green Dragon Tavern and Durty Nelly’s for a little over a year. Ultimately my goal was to achieve a position as a General Manager. Which I did, here at Common Ground.

There are so many small stories within all this as to how I got here. The most wonderful part of service industry is that every day is an adventure. And I’d like to think that I took advantage of every one that was put in my path. The short answer would be to say that I always respected the process. My individual success is the perpetuation of the process by which my staff maintain their livelihood. By that I hope to build a reputation of which I can be proud.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The most difficult aspect has always been maintaining perspective. It is inevitable in pockets of time to find one’s self looking at the gig as merely tables and chairs, plates and ingredients. Rediscovering the value within the process is always rediscovering my own passion for food and drink.

Common Ground Allston – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I like to say that “All roads meet at Common Ground”. We are as unique venue as any I have ever seen. We like to think we can go toe-to-toe with any craft beer bar in the city. We’ve met a sweet spot within the craft cocktail culture that is the zeitgeist of modern American bars. Beverage Manager Ryan Piercy’s barrel-aged cocktail program has been a coup. We’re an entertainment destination. We do high volume evening entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. Our 90’s dance night on Fridays has been going strong for over 10 years. We still find the time to offer a comfortable environment to a host of customers, some of whom have been patrons for decades. The quality of our food has skyrocketed with the promotion of Nick McAlley to Kitchen Manager. I’m very proud of the relationships we have built in my almost 3 years as general manager. I will be most proud of our upcoming patio renovation. I believe that will be an experience which sets us apart from most bars in the city.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We were contacted by Allied Integrated Management to assist in the promotion for the release of Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War during our weekly Thursday trivia prior to the film’s release. To be sought out by them, and be attached to a process of that magnitude in even so small a way, was gratifying. It allowed me a brief opportunity to step outside the process.

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