Michael DeGano

General Manager

Michael DeGano is the general manager of The Original.

A valued member of Sage Hospitality, DeGano has been a member of the Sage Restaurant Concepts team since 2017, with 20 years of management and hospitality expertise under his belt. DeGano draws on a lifetime of appreciation for dining to create a gathering place for the Lower Downtown Denver neighborhood.

His outlook on management takes inspiration from his own experiences rising through the industry ranks. “I like to mentor and coach my staff towards excellence, without getting in the way of their talents and creativities,” he says. Leading by example, he appreciates personal responsibility and empowers others to take charge with confidence. DeGano’s innate skills in community-building harken back to his New Jersey upbringing among a large Italian family that regularly gathered around abundantly filled tables. Early industry inspirations came from his aunt and uncle, who owned a neighborhood eatery with rich local connections at which regular patrons became like extended family.

Uprooting for the West Coast to attend the University of San Francisco, DeGano started his own restaurant career by bartending and serving between classes at a local family-owned restaurant that valued his input and allowed him to contribute ideas. This formative experience set him on a path towards hospitality leadership after he graduated, including a 20-year tenure with Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants during which DeGano managed Tulio and Sazerac in Seattle, Poste Brasserie in Washington, D.C., and served as director of operations for the company for seven years.

DeGano currently lives in the Ballpark neighborhood of Lower Downtown (LoDo) Denver with his husband. In their spare time—whether traveling or staying local—they love to dine, drink, and meet new people at inspiring restaurants and bars.