Milton’s Alex Morris, 52, is the unofficial director of downtown Boston’s summertime: She heads up operations for The Barking Crab, welcoming tourists, weary workers, and locals to the city seafood shack. She grew up in the South End, so she understands the significance and warmth of foolproof urban hangouts. We talked about her favorite bar, her least favorite vegetable, and her most famous customer.
Let’s talk about your job. What do you do?
I’m the director of operations for The Barking Crab, and I make sure that everything runs smoothly. I kind of just keep it the way it is.
If you were to describe The Barking Crab — say, to World Cup visitors — what would you tell them?
We tell everybody, whether you’re coming from overseas or if you’re coming from down the street, that we’re Boston’s only urban clam shack. That’s our brand. That’s our identity. You feel like you’re on summer vacation, whether you come in January or in July. We try to bring a little bit of summer to the middle of the city.
What happens inside during the winter?
It’s an awesome question. We’re open year-round and have an inside dining room, which in the summer is the air-conditioned portion of a restaurant, and we’re generally open just on the weekends. It has 60 seats inside. We have a wood-burning fireplace. It’s the coziest place you will ever be, anywhere in Boston. It’s nice and warm and inviting, and the wood-burning fireplace is something that is unique to our building. I encourage everybody to have beer and a chowder in the winter.
How did you get into this line of work?
My mom has worked there since 1989. It was Neptune Lobster Company, selling retail lobsters to the public, and then it had a seasonal restaurant. The restaurant was only open in the summer, and then it closed in the winter. I started when I was in high school. I used to sell lobsters retail, and I would work there in the summer.
In high school, my hopes and dreams were to be a stockbroker. I got my degree in finance at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. I worked for NASDAQ for a hot minute, and it was really great, actually. It was really fun. The headquarters was on K Street.
I was working long hours, and I decided I needed something else. So, I actually went and lived in Barcelona, Spain, for a year, and then I decided to change careers altogether. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I worked with my dad in construction, rental properties, and got my real estate license.
I came back and helped my mom in the office, because my mom still works at The Barking Crab — she’s the accountant. She might be the real salty story. She saw the federal courthouse be built, for instance. People from the federal courthouse would come into the bar after work, and she really was front lines at that point.
Then, I started working as a manager day to day, and I saw a lot of room for improvement, and the owners are really super people. I brought ideas to them and became the director of operations in 2010.
How has the Boston food scene changed since you started?
One very noticeable difference is that people don’t drink as much as they used to. They used to come in and slam drinks, and beer was a big thing. I could guess for a million reasons, but people don’t drink as much as they used to, which is fine.
The restaurant scene overall I think has evolved a lot. Boston has a lot more restaurants, and there’s a lot of creativity out there. I think a lot of people do things that are super creative, and I embrace that, being a Bostonian. I think that that is awesome. We’re not trying to be that, though. We’re trying to be like the neighborhood place.
When growing up, there was the Franklin Cafe on Shawmut Avenue. We would order drinks by color: “I’ll have something pink!” They knew you. It was a neighborhood place. It was very comfortable. You could dress up and go, or you didn’t have to dress up. It was a great experience, no matter what.
Then there was a cafe where Barbara Lynch put The Butcher Shop. It was called Mildred’s Cafe. It was a coffee place where people would meet after work. I went there summers after high school, when I wasn’t quite 21. You could meet and hang out there.
I want to be that neighborhood place. I want you to be dressed up and come celebrate with us. I want you to come in your flip-flops and shorts and come and just hang out. You bring your vibe: You want to hang out and celebrate? Great; we’re here for you. You want to sit by yourself at the bar? We’re also here for you.
How has the clientele changed? Are there more tourists?
It really has changed. The hybrid work environment really did alter it a lot, because Fridays used to be the big drinking day. People would come after work on Fridays, but now you see a lot of people come after work on Thursday.
I have seen a lot of changes with regards to the Seaport neighborhood in the past 15 years. It’s developed into not just offices and working people. It’s a neighborhood now. You do see a lot of people who are regulars who live nearby and can walk to us.
Who’s your most memorable customer? It can be a celebrity, a local character, whomever. Who sticks out in your mind?
I love when I see chefs come and sit at the bar. They’re quiet. I don’t want to name names, but they tag us, or they’ll post something. I feel that’s so respectful; to come in and sit at the bar and not tell everybody you’re coming, and you kind of fly under the radar. We’re not going to exploit anybody, because I think that people want to come and sort of be anonymous about it. That’s why I almost hate naming names, because I don’t want to.
I’ll name a celebrity who’s come in a couple times, and he was so nice: David Ortiz. He’s very low-key. Nothing about his aura is low-key, so you’re just like, “Oh my God!” And he’s so nice, just a really regular human who is highly recognizable. Just a nice person. I have a lot of respect for people who come in and just act like a normal human being.
What would he order?
I don’t remember. I tried not to hover too close to him. I tried to make him not feel weird about being at a restaurant.
What about you? When you’re not working, where do you like to eat?
I love the neighborhood places. Franklin is still one of my favorites. They have endured. I love a neighborhood place, and I’m coming from the point of view of growing up in the city. El Centro: My parents go there once a week, probably. And Delux Cafe is also another place — you see my theme here, right? I’m walking into somewhere where, if you’ve been there 20 years ago, and you go now, you’re going to be like: “Oh yeah. I love this place. It feels the same as 20 years ago.” The familiarity of a neighborhood place makes me feel so warm inside.
What about in Milton, where you live now? Do you have any favorite neighborhood places there?
We have Novara and Abby Park, which are great places. They do a really nice job. Novara has a great bar, and you feel perfectly comfortable. I’m a person who likes to sit and people-watch, and I’m perfectly comfortable by myself. They accommodate people who are on their own really well. They also have a huge television, so you can just zoom out and watch old movies.
What Boston restaurant do you miss the most?
Mildred’s is one. I really think that The Butcher Shop did a nice job tying into the neighborhood there. I think it’s such a funny thing. You read all these things where people are like, “Oh no! I love that place! I can’t believe they closed!” and I just want to tell people: “Go there if you love that place. Go, and go often. Spend your money.”
Lobster rolls: mayo or butter?
I’m a butter person.
Food that you cannot stand?
I can’t stand eggplant. It has a funny texture. People are going to come at me for that, but I still think it’s mushy. I don’t know how to make eggplant better.
No need! What do you do when you’re not working?
You’ll probably find me at a softball game. My kids are in the thick of summer softball.
Interview was edited and condensed.
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.