Loco South Boston: Soul Medicine

Written by Stephanie Morrissey

It was a perfect summer day. I was at my parents floating in the pool with my brothers girlfriend and mom. One of those days you couldn’t tell which was more crystal blue the water or the sky. I checked my phone & realized it was 230 pm, time to get ready for work. I popped out of the pool put my black tank on, jeans, and cool kicks (the only enforced dress code at work: sneakers MUST be legit). Although I would have enjoyed floating a bit longer, I was legitimately excited for work. I wrote about my experience working at Loco South Boston about 1 year ago, and I want to take a second to follow up…

What if I told you there is a place that is full of happiness, laughter, good music, genuine kind people, tacos, oysters, and tequila? A place when you walk in, you feel at home? Its called Loco, and it lives amidst the eclectic strange vibe on West Broadway in South Boston.

Often I hear people talk about dreading Monday mornings already longing for Friday. I can’t say I don’t understand, because I once felt the same when I worked 9-5 in a cubicle. I believe our society thinks life needs to look at certain way, we need to have a certain job/position, or status. We put so much pressure on ourselves and chase goals & usually we forget the simplicity of it all. We are meant to feel happy, free, and alive. No amount of money can give that to you- only connections and experiences can. For me and so many others Loco is a place to feel free.

Running my own business , it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or get caught up in it all. But as soon as I walk in the doors of “work” at Loco I feel a weight off my chest, smile across my face, and the deepest sense of happiness to see my co-workers or more accurately my family.

Switching over shifts is always the best because we have more numbers-  its like a family party when all the cousins get together. if you walk around the corner you’ll see about 10 of us hugging, the boys torturing each other, books being exchanged, showcasing shift snacks, and so much damn laughter and smiles. The kitchen people will come out & they smile at our attempt of speaking Spanish. The truth is, the language of Loco is laughter & everyone on staff there speaks it fluently and genuinely.

if I could figure out a way of measuring “cool” Loco’s staff as a whole would kill it. I’m obviously the least cool for even thinking that, but you get it- our family is legit. We have teachers, nurses, comedians, real estate agents, wood workers, bad ass moms, health workers, designers, artists, trainers, nutritionists, bloggers, historians, tattoo artists, counselors in training, ice skaters, musicians, and some of the most caring, genuine, down to earth people I have ever met. Throughout a shift you will hear conversations between us on a wide range of topics— everyone has a different perspective and a unique gift they bring.  And as much as we care about each other, it translates to everyone who walks into the doors at any given time.

You don’t have to search for the key to happiness in books. Close your computer, throw on some comfy clothes, call your bestie and come to Loco. Good food, love, and laughter is guarenteed.

P.S. Loco is hosting a special Labor Day Brunch on Monday, September 5th! Brunch will be available from 10:00AM-3:00PM and the band Conscious Reggae will be playing live at Loco from 11:00AM-3:00PM. Executive Chef Matt Drummond will be serving up unique and signature brunch dishes and Bar Dude Will Falaro will be stirring up a cocktails and margaritas all day. Let’s keep summer going!