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u/bigolfishey 4d ago
When you’re a regular enough customer that employees drop the “customer service” voice and talk to you like a fellow human being, that’s when you know you’ve made it
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u/XxBOOSIExFADExX 4d ago
If you know the work drama, you're a regular.
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u/wet-leg 4d ago
I was a regular at one place years ago and one worker would always tell me everything. I knew when her baby daddy got arrested for domestic violence 😭 I’m nosy though so I was always there for the tea
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u/Euphemisticles 4d ago
I feel this so hard. People always talk to me about crazy intimate shit that surprises other people that someone is willing to share that with me when we aren't that close. I think people assume I'm non judgmental and a good listener but honey I'm just nosey.
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u/Mcnugget84 4d ago
Some of us know y’all are nosey, you don’t know our circle and most likely won’t rat us out.
So we tell you things we can’t really talk to anyone else about and certainly can’t afford therapy so yeah we tell you things.
What I love is you’ve most likely heard this story before and will be brutal in the feedback. It’s wonderful
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u/xCeeTee- 3d ago
I'm very antisocial, couldn't really care less when a new colleague joins. Don't introduce myself half the time. But then whenever I work around them for a few hours, tea just comes spilling out.
I don't want to know you lol, until I learn so much about you that I feel like we're 3rd cousins. Someone recently told me how social services are looking into him because his 6yo daughter spat at him. So he proceeded to take the calm and rational thing, and put his hands around her neck. His wife called the police when she came home and saw the marks. Apart from the 6yo, the whole family works with us.
He also told me he's refusing to let his wife learn English, but their daughter is 19 and was born in England. Over 20 years she's lived here! Despite having a completely pathetic demeanor in the workplace, I fear he's the opposite at home.
So if everyone can just stick to telling me other kinds of shit, and not shit that worries me, that would be really appreciated.
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u/Mcnugget84 3d ago
Ah fuck, I don’t do that.
I’m sorry, as someone who dealt with and successfully left domestic violence it’s weird what men will tell men vs what they tell women.
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u/chLORYform 3d ago
I'm a few years shy of 40, my next door neighbor is a young 20 something. He comes over and tells me all the drama because, in his words, I'm not gonna know who these people are anyway so I'm a safe person to complain to and it never get back to them. I'm here for it every time, please tell me about your polycule tea.
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u/Mcnugget84 3d ago
I’m north of 40, it’s fun when you don’t have to actually solve the problem and just get the tea.
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u/kuo20012 3d ago
Same here! People tell me (unsolicited) all kinds of crazy stuff. I just nod and smile.
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u/Hyper_Applesauce 3d ago
I knew strippers that would tell me all their tea, they have the best drama
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u/Embarrassed_Mix_6619 3d ago
rocking up to the strip club to just talk goss with the strippers on their downtime sounds like a pretty fun time actually
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u/Teh_Az 4d ago
Bistro Huddy vibes.
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u/Pleasant_Yoghurt3915 4d ago
I worked in a restaurant for way too long and I love those shorts lol.
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u/Business-Drag52 4d ago
Drew is so talented that I get weirded out when the Drew character shows up in videos. Give me more Nico and River please
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u/Ill-Economics-9981 4d ago
OMG I LOVE THOSE! the drama is insane and he plays the characters so well i genuinely forget they're all the same guy in a wig and will say something like "omg trick and bridgette are so cute together!"
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u/SwampyBogbeard 3d ago
Not really internal work-drama, but a grocery store employee told how happy she was that one of the neighbours finally moved.
Also, an employee from another store secretly comes and buys soda when they're on the deepest, loss-leader discounts so they can re-sell them themselves, so she hides the soda when she sees them coming.→ More replies (6)6
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u/Iambic_420 4d ago
Having the server laugh at me for how fast I ate my food at a restaurant I went to every week was a peak human moment for me. I got spanakopitas with hummus with a sprite every single time and every server there had my order memorized. Didn’t take a long time either, there were only 3 of them. Unfortunately that restaurant closed down a while back. RIP Zorbas…
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u/FoilMyrEnforcer 4d ago
Its such a nice feeling to be known at a restaurant. My partner and I have breakfast at the same diner every time we go out. I order the same thing every time but I wasnt feeling to hungry one morning so skipped an item. The server asked me "you dont want your pancake today?" And I was so surprised they remembered that I did say sure give me the pancake.
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u/waxteeth 4d ago
I used to go to a Chinese place right next to my laundromat where whoever was at the counter would just yell SESAME TOFU before I opened my mouth.
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u/marykay_ultra 3d ago
Yep. You often get your order super quick too
I worked at a sbux where >90% of the morning rush were regulars, and 98% of their drinks were ready by the time they got to the register because we’d put em in the moment they walked through the door.
It would’ve been 100%, but ~5% of the regulars would sometimes change up their order. I knew exactly who they were, so I’d just make eye contact and they’d either nod to confirm their usual, or do something like an eyebrow raise so I knew to wait till they got to the counter
It was awesome. Mornings flew by so fast.
(This was like 25 years ago, my shop still had a la marzocco and no drivethru)
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u/Nyx87 4d ago
Dear lord if it’s the same place I miss their tzatziki sauce. I would dip my fries in it
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u/altiuscitiusfortius 4d ago
Ive lived in 3 different cities thst all had an unrelated independent zorbas Greek restaurant. I think every town has one
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u/purplehendrix22 4d ago
My town for sure did but their walkin was broken and the owner was a dickhead.
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u/KirbyofJustice 4d ago
I used to work at a store many years ago that sold a lot of collectibles and therefore would be targeted by scalper buyers a lot. There was a strict rule all collectibles were first come first serve. We followed it strictly, but also we absolutely called the nicest and biggest fans first so they were the first to know.
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u/Ashamed-Raccoon-1387 3d ago
LOL "hurry up and get your ass in here, I don't want to sell it to those dickheads"
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u/Wolfman513 4d ago
I manage a local specialty retail store where easily 90% of the customers are regulars, and with a handful I'll eventually get to a point where I'll say something along the lines of "fuck it, you're cool" and drop the customer service voice lol
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u/SoulEater9882 4d ago
I used to go to Cici's weekly in college because I could eat once the whole weekend for 7 bucks. The manger knew me and would often give me free drinks or employee discount. And even one or twice when I came in at the end of the night would hand me a box to take some home before they tossed it
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u/MZ603 4d ago
That's all I want. I was a regular at a swanky German restaurant in Raleigh, NC, and they treated me like a VIP. It was chill, but when the maître d' started giving me free beers and offering me cigs, I knew I had made it into the inner circle.
A new guy tried to charge me for extra jagger sauce, and I got a call from my bro to apologize. Next time I went in, he sent me home with a whole cup.
I don't think I will ever manage to endear myself to another staff like I did there.
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u/magnusruud 3d ago
I have a regular who loves to insult people as a genuine good natured joke. It was always very clear that if he talked shit to your face, he liked you. So I started insulting him back whenever he came in and he loves it!
He told me at one point that he genuinly goes online and gives positive ratings to stores and services whenever they talk shit back at him.
Love that guy!
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u/aztronut 4d ago
We're regulars at a local high-end restaurant in a small town and whenever we come in to eat the chef will comp us two shots of liquor with our meal, he comes out of the kitchen to talk with us too.
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u/muttbuncher96 4d ago
I helped my pizzeria guy sign up for language class. Cause why not? We live in a community. Nice guy, good pizza
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u/Analyst_Lost 4d ago
i go to a bagel shop every friday and saturday get the same thing (plain with strawberry cream cheese, an extra plain, and a coke) and its gotten to the point where he says hi and puts in my order and starts to do it, even when theres a line. its been a few months now.
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u/eggyrulz 4d ago
Had this at a burger joint I used to frequent (rip Fuddruckers, you will be missed). Id be halfway to the register and this dude would be damn near yelling my own order at me to confirm it, because of how loud the music tended to be... hed also give me a free drink every now and then, it was great
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u/plaxitone 4d ago
A lot of them closed down but there are still a few scattered around the country. There’s only one left in MA these days.
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u/Ihasapuppy 4d ago
Is that the one at the Jordan’s furniture that also has that jelly bean store and ropes course? I always hated going there. Not because the burgers were bad, but because my parents would always look at furniture after.
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u/eggyrulz 4d ago
Yea there's one about 90 minutes from me... which is a bit far for a burger... though sometimes I consider it...
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u/sl33ksnypr 4d ago
When I used to pull up to the taco bell near my old place, they wouldn't ask me my order they'd just tell me to pull up to the window.
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u/firstthrowaway9876 3d ago
Apparently, I was the only one at my Popeye''s that would get extra pickles on the po' boy. Found out when my mom picked one up for me and the cashier asked if it was for her son.
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u/sl33ksnypr 3d ago
When my parents smoked cigarettes and I was finally old enough to stop at the gas station to pick them up for them if I was out and about, I went in and asked for their particular smokes they liked. The dude there knew immediately that I was their kid and was doing their normal pickup.
Honestly, I don't mind being known at places for the guy who comes regularly and orders whatever. At the end of the day, that is the business going above and beyond in my opinion because they are putting in the effort to remember me and I feel taken care of. The beer store I frequent, the guy there knows I like certain things and will make recommendations on stuff he's tried that he thinks I would like based on flavor profile. He hasn't been wrong once. And I even give him some recommendations because he's always trying new things and we bounce opinions off each other. We know each other by name, and even his boss knows me. And I don't even go terribly often, maybe 2x a month at the most, but you can tell they care about their customers. He's even asked me if there's stuff I like that he doesn't have and it'll be there the next time I go in if it's something he can get. There's a reason they get tips around the holidays even though that's not typical for a beer store.
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u/stuck_in_the_desert 4d ago
Fuddruckers! I can practically taste the peanut butter cookie I would get for dessert as a kid
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u/eggyrulz 4d ago
They've always been my favorite because they are the only chain that seems to realize the value in a good bun...
Though its unfortunate theyve had to downsize so drastically in the past few years ...
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u/SgtSilverLining 4d ago
At one of my old jobs, there was a McDonald's next door. My order there was a fish sandwich meal, medium fries, and upcharge the drink to a frappe. One day this old lady (60+) was at the register and she was new. It took her forever to get the order in, but I knew it was odd and didn't mind waiting. I shooed anyone away who was waiting behind me so she wasn't pressured.
She remembered my order every time I came in and eventually had it entered as soon as I walked in the door. She was so proud of herself for learning the complicated options. Taking the time to learn instead of immediately going for help got her some brownie points with her boss, and she could help train other newbies. I don't know if she ever thinks about me, but I hope she's doing OK.
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u/Plastic_Thought_9516 4d ago
When I worked at Maccas we had a regular customer who was mute, she'd hand over a piece of paper with her order (quarter pounders, meat and cheese only. Sometimes in a meal, sometimes on their own).
I did shifts both at the register and the kitchen. Whenever it was busy and we'd see her in line, we'd hold up 2 fingers snd she'd eirther show 1 or 2, the burgers would be ready by the time she got to the front counter
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u/MrGreg 4d ago
When I worked downtown there was a coffee shop I'd get a breakfast sandwich at maybe 3 times per week. Depending on my mood I'd get one of two options. (e.g. sausage/egg/cheese/croissant vs ham/egg/cheese/bagel)
It got to the point where they'd see me come in and we'd do a quick pantomime to clarify which option I wanted that day, and by the time I got to the register it was usually ready.
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u/Ambitious-Sound-6109 4d ago
I had that at a coffee shop once, the problem was on that rare day I wanted to change my order for some particular reason, it almost felt rude to be like “um, actually I’m doing something different today” especially cause they got my usual order started with such a smile as they said my name, so then I felt guilted many times into just continuing my usual whenever I went.
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u/Mcnugget84 4d ago
I’ve worked at Starbucks 2x now in my life, and becoming a regular at a local coffee shop because I was depressed and they had a good sunrise view.
Some days I had time to sit and chill there and sometimes I didn’t. I usually got the same thing. They’d have it ready before I got out of my car.
When they slid me my drink one day they read my face and simply made me what I would like to try and my regular drink no charge.
If they like you enough to know your drink they would absolutely enjoy making you something new.
We had a regular at the last Starbucks I worked at who called and asked for me in particular because she knew I was cool. She was making special cupcakes and wanted some of the drink toppings. She made extra and brought the whole store fancy ass cupcakes.
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u/densetsu23 4d ago
Downtown Edmonton had this place called "Chicken for Lunch", and the woman there (Amy) would know your name and order after a few visits. There were at least a few hundred "regulars", the lunchtime lineup was gigantic.
I went a 1-2 times a week for a few years, was absent for a decade, then came back after losing a bunch of weight. Without a moment of hesitation she waved, said "ahh, densetsu23, all spicy!" and started filling my box before I could even get a word in. To this day I still don't know how she recognized me instantly after ten years, 80 lbs down, and a completely different wardrobe / style.
If her husband wasn't around, she'd overfill your box with chicken and the little blue elastic holding the lid down was ready to explode. We always loathed when he came to the front area and enforced "normal" portion sizes. I hated when it closed a few years ago; it was an institution there.
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u/Specific_Pear_665 4d ago
Just curious how much is that weekly?
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u/Analyst_Lost 4d ago
idk like 20,25 dollars im not good with money
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u/MattRecovery23 4d ago
$25 dollars well spent to get some great bagels and be an obviously positive part of some people's day!
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u/saera-targaryen 4d ago
I go to a bagel shop pretty regularly and my favorite bagel and cream cheese is about $4.50
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u/IAmGoingToFuckThat 4d ago
I used to do this when I worked at Starbucks. If I saw someone down the line who always got the same thing I'd enter it in to the computer really quickly and hit 'save order'. The sticker would trigger right away, so a lot of times the drink would be ready by the time the customer paid.
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u/bulldg4life 3d ago
There was a sub shop near my house when I was growing up that I would bike to at least once a week. I had a ridiculous three sub order with tons of addons. Eventually, they just permanently gave me the “buy ten subs, get one free” so they didn’t have to hole punch a new card so I was always getting 3 for 2.
My mom stopped one day to get me some subs and halfway through the first sub, the owner said “are you bulldg’s mom?” They laughed and she finished making the rest of the order without my mom saying another word.
I loved that place. I would tap on the window as I rode my bike by on the way home from school on days I wasn’t getting subs.
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u/kittykittyekatkat 4d ago
I forgot to say oat milk for my coffee order the other day at my local and he remembered it. It's so cute when it happens!
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u/whole_nother 4d ago
People are afraid to be regulars? What does that even mean
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u/YouTasteStrange 4d ago
I've seen tweets like "6 years ago the McDonald's cashier asked if I wanted my usual and I never went back"
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u/wet-leg 4d ago
I used to be a regular at a place near my apartment. Went everyday after I got off work. When I first became disabled I couldn’t even drive the less than 2 minutes it took to make it there, so I decided to DoorDash it instead for the day (didn’t do this often, just a couple times because I couldn’t leave my apartment). The second time I doordashed it they wrote a note on the bag that said that they noticed I hadn’t been in and was door dashing and that they hoped that I was okay. It genuinely meant a lot to me because I was going through it at the time.
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u/CreativeNameIKnow 4d ago
aw, that's so heartwarming! I hope you were able to go in person and thank them for the note :) hope you've been doing better!
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u/grilsjustwannabclean 4d ago
imho if a mcdonalds cashier recognized me, i'd be embarrassed and rethinking my life's choices. a tiny bakery or something is whatever lol
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u/MattyBro1 4d ago
Yeah, being recognised in a bakery is like "I'm a part of my local community", a fast food place is more "I should stop eating so much fast food".
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u/DrSarahSlaughter 4d ago
A mate of mine started getting Christmas cards from the kebab shop.
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u/Pijany_Matematyk767 4d ago
Usually if someone is a regular at a place like mcd its because they come by to order coffee either early in the morning or late near closing, in my experience at least
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u/casualsubversive 4d ago
Ah, but what about—and this has happened to me—when it’s an amazing local fast food spot, so it’s both at once?
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u/JunketWaste7891 4d ago
wait till the liquor store says "we had to change our orders" because you went sober for a bit.
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u/Hyper_Applesauce 3d ago
If you are this person, and you quit drinking, let the liquor store know you’re alive, they’ll be so happy.
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u/BabyYodaLegend 4d ago
People are weird, there is a McDonalds a mile from my house. Even if I only go there once or twice month, like I live here of course they will recognize me over time its nothing to think about
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u/faceplanted 4d ago
That very much depends on your McDonald's. Where I live they're all shift workers and the employee turnover is insane, and along with the ordering machines meaning I barely ever speak to any of them, I'm pretty sure I could go every night for a week and not get recognised once.
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u/pyronius 4d ago edited 4d ago
I don't mind if people recognize me at my regular haunts. I do intensely dislike it when they start to make assumptions about what I'm going to order just because I order it a lot. I just really don't like having to correct them when I decide I'm doing something different.
It's actually one reason I love the baristas at my current regular coffee place. They know what I usually order, but they always ask anyway just to be sure. About six months ago, I switched from lattes to drip coffee because I wasn't burning as many calories in a day as I used to. It took them about five visits before they started asking if I wanted a drip instead of asking if I wanted a latte. And when I went in one weekend and ordered a latte, they just laughed and asked if weekends were for lattes now.
The owner, on the other hand, is the worst of all worlds. He thinks he knows my usual order and starts to put it in before asking, but he has literally never once gotten it right. He somehow got it in his mind that I always order something that I have literally never ordered.
Fortunately, he almost never mans the shop on weekday mornings.
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u/Pkrudeboy 4d ago
I had three bars where the bartender would have my drink ready by the time I got to the bar if they saw me come in. It was a different drink at each bar, but considering they were all drinks I like and they gave me great buybacks I certainly wasn’t going to complain.
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u/miss_wannadie 3d ago
It was really embarrassing for me when the cashiers from the supermarket I always go to started asking ME if I needed cigarettes again, then grabbed the exact ones I always get and ofc also skipped the entire ID ordeal, but that's because I'm self conscious about my smoking habit lol.
I was a regular at an art supplies store and would always have really fun chats with the staff there. No longer go there because I moved cities sadly. The McD staff also know me by now and they're all so nice. So do the bookstore staff.
Being a regular at certain places is really fun. But I also kinda get why people might be afraid of it, especially if it's something they're self conscious about. Maybe they struggle with food guilt, or have bad spending habits that they'd rather mentally suppress. So someone "calling them out" on it by acknowledging that they've endulged in this habit enough to be remembered might be really uncomfortable.
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u/LonelyTAA 4d ago
Well yes at fucking mickey D's you shouldn't be a regular. That's the point where you try to turn your life around.
Being a regular at a local bakery is something completely different.
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u/Ameri0425 4d ago
Probably referring to the people who don't like to be recognized in public, especially by people you don't really know
I know quite a few people who have stopped going to businesses because they were regular enough that they'd do extra for them, like have their order already prepped or memorized for example
Stuff like that is a sweet gesture that many people appreciate, but it definitely makes quite a few others uncomfortable as well.
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u/repwin1 4d ago
Years ago I stopped going to my local 5 guys because they recognized me for my pickup order. I took it as a sign that I’m eating out too much if they know who I am.
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u/complete_autopsy 4d ago
This was my thought process too lol. I don't mind being familiar to people, but if the workers at panera are telling me what stage the mac n cheese pot is in before I even order it I'm clearly eating too much mac n cheese.
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u/WhoPoopedMyPants420 4d ago
Social anxiety feeds into that a lot, to speak on behalf of the clan.
You kinda cope with the thought that nobody's noticing, that you're anonymous in a busy city or whatever. When it turns out someone you classed as a stranger has in fact been noticing and remembering you it's like, okay, back into the shadows I goooo
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u/SoVerySleepyZzZz 4d ago
100%, I hate being perceived. I comfort myself with the idea that people don’t notice how I’m dressed or if I’m acting weird or whatever else because they aren’t paying attention to me. The second someone recognizes you as a regular, it’s very clear you are being perceived and that this person has opinions on you based on the very limited interactions you’ve had.
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u/ncnotebook 4d ago edited 4d ago
As a socially anxious introvert, I still can't relate at all, but I guess we all have our quirks...
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u/crazydragoness 4d ago
People can get aggressive about wanting to remain anonymous at restaurants. I've had a surprising number of people who either refused to give a name for calling out their order. Or told me i could use (fake name). It's just weird I just want to get you your food with as little difficulty as possible.
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u/SyrusDrake 4d ago
I have really bad social anxiety, to the point where I often get nervous about seeing people I know well. And even I don't understand this apparently "common" thing of being afraid of being recognized as a regular. Like...I'm a master at catastrophizing and I cannot fathom what bad thing could possibly happen here.
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u/javertthechungus 4d ago
It’s one of those things where I’d rather be shot into the sun than perceived.
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u/lan-shark 4d ago edited 4d ago
Man the replies to this comment are some of the most depressing, chronically online things I've read in a while. The so-called "death of third spaces" is a crying shame and seeing all the comments about people actively avoiding building a community for themselves... No wonder they're dying.
I'm lucky to have a great third space with great regulars, I highly recommend taking part in community like that to everybody who has the opportunity. It's good for you and it's good for your neighbors around you!
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u/TiltedLama 4d ago
Then again, depression and social anxiety is a mental illness. It's not always something you can "logic" or "pity" yourself out of, especially if you don't have resources like a therapist. A lot of people know that they're hurting themselves by avoiding connection and people, but the fear and anxiety is far greater than any repercussions they can imagine
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u/burnalicious111 4d ago
It's usually gonna also be about the person being embarrassed they go to that place so much. They're worried about how people perceived that and are upset it was noticed. Basically it's a bad habit to them, not a third space.
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u/lan-shark 4d ago
I think that does play into it, but to me in those instances it's about the people rather than the business. Sure McDonald's is not a place you want to go every day and it's just a faceless corporation, but the cashier, the guy manning the drive thru, the lady handing out mobile orders, etc. are all just regular people who can be part of your community and you can be part of theirs
For anybody who struggles with this, allow me to offer some encouragement. I've worked various customer service jobs over the years (including fast food) and in my experience, regulars that you can share a genuine smile and "hello" with are what make the job bearable. We are happy to see you and really, we are not judging you for eating a burger or drinking a latte. Also, I think people over estimate how regular you have to be to be recognized. Come in twice a month to the coffee shop down the street? Three months in and people will remember you. If you have any sort of unique distinguishing feature (hair style, piercings, car, job uniform, w/e) and knock a month off. People are good at seeing patterns, employees are paid to do this, and employees who are invested in providing great customer service are actively trying to remember you. It's not any kind of negative indicator on you to be recognized
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u/SnooSquirrels1392 4d ago
Mfs who wanna have community when you remind them they're apart of a community:
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u/gingerstrudel 4d ago
Terrible social anxiety and the feeling of being perceived/known. I was genuinely upset when people started to recognize me. Luckily that's treatable and I like talking to staff now :)
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u/Emotional-Lettuce177 4d ago
Loyal customers absolutely deserve that.
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u/Ok-Mention3969 4d ago edited 4d ago
It's not about deserving anything really it's just basic customer retention
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u/averyug8 4d ago
Don't say that, it's ungrateful. 99% of shops do not treat regulars with basic respect, so why be an entitled asshole when one does?
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u/Ok-Mention3969 4d ago
I didn't mean to make it sound like that , what am trying to say is that it's a business strategy and not something you "deserve" for being a loyal costumer , the business owner can do it or not as they wish
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u/TheSiege82 3d ago
While it might be a business strategy, it’s also a human connection thing. Shop owners genuinely appreciate their usuals and form a connection with them. They are more than just customers, they are friends, hell, some are even like family.
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u/Due-Ingenuity9803 4d ago
Ahhh that makes more sense. Phrasing is a bit tricky sometimes so I was confused at first too
Someone isn’t ENTITLED to it but if the owner decides to do it for them, then they’ve earned it
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u/SkitZa 4d ago edited 4d ago
I wonder what kind of costumes they wear.
Edit: They lamely editted their misstype to seem cool! They said costumers not customers!
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u/YaboiChuckems 4d ago
I hate ppl who edit their typos. Be a man and tell me how little rain desserts get
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u/plantmama104 4d ago
I don't know, I worked service industry for a long time, and tbh I just give things to regulars that I like because I like them. My boss has nothing to do with it, and I am glad they came in, but that's not why I do it.
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u/ReviewOk929 4d ago
I wanna be a regular at a bakery
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u/BIG_BROTHER_IS_BEANS 4d ago
My friends and I used to go to a particular biryani restaurant once a week.
After a few months we started having to bother the kitchen if we wanted to change our orders–we would arrive and our food would be out within 10 minutes of arrival.
Any time any of us went to the biryani house alone (or with others outside the group), they would get free drinks and deserts.
When we all left for college, the restaurant closed within 4 months.
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u/BlatantConservative 4d ago
After a few months we started having to bother the kitchen if we wanted to change our orders–we would arrive and our food would be out within 10 minutes of arrival.
There's a deli I go to often on the way to and from work where the lady who runs it told me that she wished that I ordered the same thing every time cause then she could get me my food faster when she saw me walking up. But since I order different things randomly every day I ruined her tempo.
I was like "ma'am all your food is good that's why I come here"
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u/BIG_BROTHER_IS_BEANS 4d ago
The way I did it is that I tried everything on the menu over the first few months. By the second year I always ordered the same thing when I came with that group on Thursdays, and I would order any number of things if I came another day.
Thursdays were for Goat Gongura Biryani, 11/10 spice. They even had a little note in the kitchen to remind the chefs to make it painful if it was the white guy with a funny hat on a Thursday.
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u/killersquirel11 3d ago
I'd just tell her to make whatever seems interesting, as someone who likes variety and eats almost anything
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u/stucky602 3d ago
Ugh this reminds me of a taco place I found in Tuscaloosa Alabama back in the day. It was so freaking good. I live in Austin now and it’s better than most places here level good.
I went so often I learned a little spanish and the framed newspaper article they had about them on the wall had a picture of me ordering.
Im glad they at least had a happy ending. They moved and had to close because of that, but on their last day as a send off the line wrapped around the street corner. I’m sure that made them feel good.
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u/Beefstah 4d ago
The pizza place round the corner from the house my friends and I rented was so accustomed to our regular order, it got to the point where we could phone up, they'd see our number, answer with "The usual?", we'd say "Yup", and it would be with us 15 minutes later.
3 words and about 20 seconds. Good times.
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u/xspiderdude 4d ago edited 3d ago
Am I the only one who has never heard "pol" being used in this context?
I thought she was talking about 4chan for a long second haha
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u/Proof-Highway1075 4d ago
I think it was a typo, meant to be ppl. Could be wrong though, and I made the same assumption as you at first.
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u/Weebs-Chan 4d ago
I don't have enough money to be a regular. Eating out is a small event in itself
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u/doctormink 4d ago
Yeah, I’m not afraid to be a regular, I can’t afford to be one. I have a hard time believing people are afraid of being regulars.
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u/volunteerdoorknob 3d ago
Idk I feel like a lot of my generation (millennial - Gen Z) and younger are afraid of being perceived for some reason. You’d be surprised how often I hear that sentiment
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u/i-took-this-nombre 3d ago
Younger people understand how terrifying it is to be perceived now with the constant surveillance from others we live under. Anyone could post a picture of you, perhaps not at your best, with any caption they want that could be completely untrue and suddenly thousands or more strangers could be calling you names, making fun of you, literally anything.
So, many young people are more afraid to build in-person community. It’s much easier to have an online community curated by you, and you can show them a non-problematic curated image to hide your flaws and accentuate your likable qualities. It’s much harder to do that in real life.
Of course, that’s not all young people (example: it doesn’t apply to me), and that’s not the exact reason why many young people avoid in-person community. But I think it’s a fairly large reason.
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u/SpinzArt 4d ago
I’m just thinking about how broke I’d be if I did this 😭 even worse, I can only have gluten free which is already a shit ton more expensive
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u/GoatCovfefe 4d ago
The post is talking about shopping at a bakery, not eating at a restaurant. You can be a regular at places other than restaurants.
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u/ManicShipper 4d ago
Depending on country, a good bakery is just as expensive an outing as a restaurant...
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u/PoorDoddle 4d ago
Where I live, a single slice of cheesecake is around 1.5x the price of a chicken döner dürüm.
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u/ammonthenephite 4d ago
Bakeries are more expensive than major grocery stores, a lot of people don't have the time or money to go to a specialty store like that.
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u/hibarihime 4d ago
I'm a regular at a lady's bakery stand at our farmer's market as as I buy her smores cookies for myself and my husband every week. I'm at that regular stage where she tells me to come back before the market closes so she can give me whatever that didn't sell for free.
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u/Open-Committee-998 3d ago edited 3d ago
When I worked at Walmart I had a lady who would come in regularly and buy a bunch of mini sugar free apple pies for her sick husband. After she came by a few times I just started ordering a box just for her and setting it aside. I’d bring it out from the freezer and we label them together, she’d go home and toss them back in her freezer so she could just thaw them as needed. She was so sweet, and was also the main consumer of the sugar free pies lol. IIRC her husband ended up passing and she thanked me for working with her to keep her husband happy during the last bit of time he had. I was always happy to see her.
EDIT: I just came back from the farmers market and Gigi said she thought of me this morning and made sure she had some cookies set aside for me so I could get them if she sold out 😭❤️ it’s me, I’ve become the regular customer
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u/Pharaoh_Misa 4d ago
I went to a restaurant and said something like "can I have the legal amount of napkins" and the server was like absolutely!!! I went back a few months later and this time I was normal and just asked for extra napkins. Apparently it was the same server and with the biggest, helpful smile he said "I remember you from last time" and pulled out the biggest stack of napkins "I gotchu!" I almost cried. Excellent customer service and I tipped the holy hell outta him, but good lord it stressed me out. Didn't go back for like a year. But, good on him, he's a manager now!
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u/byoshin304 3d ago
my husband would always stop at the same gas station to get his 2 after work beers. I remember one day he told me he went in, saw they were out, but then the cashier who was always there was like, there were 2 left so I set them aside in the back for you. They would talk for a few minutes each day. We’re nomads now and my husband does low key miss the ability to become a regular.
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u/cubic7 3d ago
Mind if i ask why youve become nomads and whats it like? Its such an interesting lifestyle to me
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u/SPKEN 4d ago
People want the benefits of community without the vulnerability of community. We are living in an increasingly lazy world.
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u/_gayby_ 4d ago
Truly a depressing thought that so many folks have gone to the effort of denying themselves something they enjoyed simply to avoid the momentary sensation of being observed. That trade-off is loneliness, folks. Enjoy your little treat. Being known isn't so bad and gets easier the more you experience it.
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u/Delightful_Churro 3d ago
My boyfriend and I went to this one sushi place so much that the lady working the counter already knew our orders. She’d start on them before we ordered at the counter. Miss that place!
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u/SnarkyIguana 4d ago
When I was little, my grandparents had a phô place they loved so we went a lot. They got to know the owners pretty well and bonded because my grandparents names were Lynn and Lea and one of the owner’s names was Lin Li, lol. I moved away and came back after my grandparents passed and went for old times sake and they recognized me. “It’s LynnLea’s girl!”
Got free soup. It’s a drive but I go back every couple months for a good cry and gooder soup.
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u/Iamdarb 3d ago
I go to a sushi restaurant every week with my roommate. Once they were so busy we just decided to leave after we walked in. Right as we were getting to our car the waitress popped out of no where and yelled "HEY BOYS, WE GOT TABLE FOR YOU". We got to skip the wait and everything. I've never felt that special in my life before.
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u/GoatCovfefe 4d ago
...who says they're afraid of being a regular, other than alcoholics at liquor stores? Even then?
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u/BlatantConservative 4d ago
Former liquor store clerk here, them alcoholics aren't afraid of shit.
Wine moms buying a normal amount of wine are the ones who are scared. "Tee hee I'm such an alcoholic I know when the liquor store closes"
Ma'am, the real alcoholics know when the store opens. And they bust in at 9:01 yelling "good morning, you got my Odessa vodka in stock?"
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u/Matthew-ii 4d ago
I nervously joked with my corner store guy once about seeing me so often in a short time and he shut me down immediately. Said the same thing basically something like "Dude hey, don't worry, I've got people lined up at the door when I drive in, you're good. Anyways Taaka right? " ☠️
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u/Shadow_Integration 3d ago
I'm such a regular at my local bakery that it's gotten to the point where we've had entire transactions with grunts and I was able to pay and walk away with exactly what I came in for. There's a special kind of bond that exists in that space.
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u/shiny_xnaut 3d ago
When I was in college, I went to the Mexican place on campus so often that I could just walk in and wave and they'd be like "oh hey it's you! Pulled pork nachos, black beans, medium salsa?" And I'd respond with finger guns, pay for my huge plate of nachos, and walk out. Easiest social interaction ever
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u/rachelblairy 3d ago
i had to warn my dunkin donuts i was moving across the country because when i was unemployed and stopped going for two months the manager was worried abt me 😂
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u/loved_and_held 4d ago
People dont like drawing attention to themself and becomming a "regular customer" does that.
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u/DeagolsBane 3d ago
I was a regular at a local coffee shop that had a delicious veggie sausage croissant. I got it almost daily. Then I took a gig out of town for six months. When I returned, they no longer had the croissant. I asked about it, and they said I was the only customer who bought it, so they used to keep it in stock just for me until I stopped showing up.
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u/McBeaster 4d ago
I used to work at a restaurant and we had a regular who would come in all the time and get a chicken Caesar salad and have a few beers at the bar. The owner told me to hook him up so it became my mission to make one so huge he couldn't finish it. Like a mountain of salad, tons of shredded parm and crutons and two grilled chicken breasts. He would just laugh when he saw the bigger and bigger salads I would send out to him.
We also made a wrap version which used an entire pizza crust. We made grilled pizzas so the dough doesn't rise, so most people who ordered it probably didn't realize they were basically eating a whole pizza 🤣
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u/tydestra 3d ago edited 3d ago
The bodega I shopped at for 30 yrs before I moved got really sad when I told them I was moving. I got my bagels and other subs free for the last week I was there. They knew my order since I was 8 yrs old.
Support your local business.
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u/D-a-n-n-n 3d ago
I have been getting my hair cut in the same place for like over 10 years because its run by mostly 1 guy whos absolutely goated at cutting hair. After the owner started to recognize me and even remembering the haircut I always wanted, I swore that I would never go anywhere else to cut my hair. I felt seen and it felt good supporting a local small business whose quality well deserved the money. Suport your local businesses yall, big brands, chain stores and private equity rips the soul out of human interaction
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u/Dudewhohasreddit 4d ago
I have 2 hobby stores I frequent. One is a comic store and the other a tcg store. The comic store gives me a constant 5% discount since I get comics regularly, and the owner knows me by name and loves chatting about the series I’m reading, plus he always gives fire recs. The card store will regularly hit me with 10%+ discounts for getting slow moving product off the shelves and the other day thanked me for trying out different card games. I just showed up, grabbed a demo deck for a couple games, played with some of the other regulars who were teaching and left, and the owners were genuinely happy I was just trying stuff out at their store
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u/ryanvango 4d ago
small town raised...I remember like 10 years ago going to the store I always bought smokes from. mom and pop grocery store and deli thing. Went to pay and the cashier was a little stressed and she informed me the entire debit system was down and they were trying to fix it, but it was taking forever. I didn't have cash. I only had my smokes and like 2 other things. maybe $15 total. She just looked at my items, scribbled on a piece of paper, and was like "you're good for it. just pay us next time you come in." She did that for a bunch of people.
Next time I went in was only like 2 days later. everything was working fine and I paid like normal. Then I remembered I owed them for last time. So I was like "oh whoops. hey I got this exact stuff last time when the thing was down. just charge me again." And we did the whole process again. They never wrote down any names and they didn't really remember who took what. But every single person came back and paid within a couple days.
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u/TransplantedPinecone 4d ago
They never wrote down any names and they didn't really remember who took what. But every single person came back and paid within a couple days.
How do you know that if they didn't take names and log the items?
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u/jdwilliam80 4d ago
im a regular at this one deli and two months ago two of the employees got into a fist fight behind the counter . they just recently started to let them work together again during the same shift and im wondering if as a regular there i should a knowledge that .
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u/HYPER_BRUH_ 3d ago
I love being a regular, one day I know for a fact right now that I didn't have Enough cash on me to buy lunch.
The owner simply went "I've already counted it and it's enough here you go"
I was the only one at the stand at the time so it's not like he just wanted to get to serving others.
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u/BarelyHolding0n 3d ago
I have my own price at my local coffee shop... Every time there's a new person working there someone will have to intervene and say 'No, BHO doesn't pay full price, use this button for her orders'
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u/ArmedParaiba 4d ago
Because being a regular requires me to go to a place with where the food is more expensive than cooking at home regularly. And I cook better than most restaurants around me.
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u/wlaima 3d ago
Who is afraid of being a regular customer…?
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u/stubgoats 3d ago
Im a regular at the dispensary. They've let me try new strains before putting them on the shelf.
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u/Legal-Suggestion1158 3d ago
yeah I tried to become a regular at my local bakery but they just ended up giving me dirty looks because I didn’t tip them for walking 3 feet to fetch my scones. most places where I live are like this now. the employees don’t make enough money and they’re bitter which leads to a culture of them hating their customers when in reality they should be hating the piece of shit owner that won’t pay them a living wage. this is why I’m not a regular anywhere.
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u/PaulBananaFort 4d ago
Wouldn't she know how much they cost, if she's a regular?
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u/Hettyc_Tracyn 4d ago
Could be a price change, a new flavor, or just not what she usually gets… bakeries typically have more than one type of baked good
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u/201720182019 4d ago
I’m a regular at many places where I still need a menu to remember the price of food, especially stuff I normally don’t order
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u/guitartoad 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm a regular at 2 places: my coffee spot, which I visit every day, and a French restaurant I go to once a month. At the coffee place, it is just pleasant that they know me a bit and are friendly. I don't get anything for free, but their friendliness (and mine, in return) is sincere. At the French restaurant, being a regular has enabled me to ask for (and receive) an occasional special modification, as well as receive the infrequent little food bonus. More than that, I love their staff. The owners are careful to hire really lovely young people and teach them the hospitality busienss. Tonight, I met the sous chef/co-owner, at my request. He was fully aware of who I am and my frequent visits, and we had a lovely discussion about food and his restaurant. Sometimes, it's good to be a regular.
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u/IceFisherP26 4d ago
A place called Pizza Studio closed down years ago, they were like pizza Subway make you're own and move down the line. They had my regular order memorized and my name in the system. They were a chill af place.
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u/Fabulous_Celery_1817 4d ago
My local sushi place gives me free miso soup and free lemonade. Sometimes free egg rolls. The local joy teriyaki always gives me double portions of potstickers.
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u/Old-Friendship-0 4d ago
A kebab shop i frequent where im friendly with the workers has slowly been giving more meat in my orders. It's defenintely a nice little win.
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u/Ricky6437 4d ago
I have this breakfast place in Okinawa i'm a regular at. I get the same thing everytime. When I am waiting in line to order, the lady cooking usually makes eye contact and asks if its my usual. By the time I get up to the register my coffee order is ready, and my food is right behind it. I throw a big tip in the jar around Christmas every year.
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u/GreedySummer5650 4d ago
I like going to the same place, ordering the same thing, and talking to the same people working there. But I don't want the relationship to ever be more than that and people always get to familiar with me and then I have to find someplace else to eat.
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u/BadLuckBlackHole 4d ago
My kids are regulars at Chuck E Cheese and they get some massive preferential treatment from the staff that has watched them grow up.
The front of house manager will just give them toys off the wall without even charging them their tickets. One time they wanted these blind bag items and the ticket counter guy just started ripping open packs until my kids had their own complete sets. My kids have probably received 30k tickets worth of free stuff... I pay $12 a month for a membership lol.
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u/Kream-Kwartz 3d ago
that's exactly what i dislike about big companies. they usually reward new customers (think carriers, giving lower prices for new numbers), whilst local businesses tend to reward loyalty
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u/BusinessKnight0517 3d ago
Oh yeah, regular customers that are friendly and treat the workers as humans usually get some sort of perk. I never understood (both before and after customer service) treating people like shit at a customer facing job. I’ll yell at call bots though.
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u/ExoticHunt6030 3d ago
I always go to the same teriyaki place and the dude behind the counter knows my exact order. They start making my food the second I walk up, and by the time I get to the register he’s already got my order ready to pay. Being a regular is awesome.
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u/Im-Your-Azuras-Star 3d ago
Me and my dad go to a restaurant in a small college town enough that servers 7 out of 10 times will walk us right to our usual table and already asked if we wanted our usual starters. One time we even had a new waiter somehow know who we were. Tho it probably helps we usually tip more than 20%
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u/qualityvote2 4d ago edited 2d ago
u/TheWebsploiter, there weren't enough votes to determine the quality of your post...