i see posts here about how people are so mortified when they are acknowledged as being a regular customer somewhere that they never return. cowards. the employees at taco bell treat me like a celebrity. like royalty. i am their strange little pet customer who gets traded along as staff comes and goes. they know my car before i even speak in the drive-thru speaker. today i was 2 hours late and she ran over and squealed that she "thought i'd left them!" and that she "made my order with extra love!" and you what, she did
it's funny that this is getting notes again, because last night i went to the thai place in my neighborhood. it's run by a family and during covid times i ate there literally almost every day. later i cut back on eating out so much and hadn't been there in two years but last night we went and ate inside for the first time ever and the owner ran over to say hello and ask how i was, and repeated our old regular order. it was sweet. it's so easy to feel like you are an island, but stuff like this reminds you that you are part of a community.
Being a regular is fucking awesome. I've only had that status a few times, but I always feel kind of honored. These people see humans all day every day, and they remembered me?! And not for something bad (as far as I can tell)! I'm flattered af!
It was my childhood dream to be a regular at a coffee shop and now not only am I a regular, I'm friends with every person that works there and I've hosted an event there. I bring them pastries, draw them things, and go on snack runs for them on busy days!
Not only am I a regular there, I'm also a regular at a DIFFERENT coffee shop, where one of the baristas gives me $1 chais and I tip handsomely. I always ask about her band and compliment her new hair style.
I'm ALSO a regular at a bakery simply because they love my dog. We (my dog and I) are featured on one of their merch shirts.
Become a regular! Make friends! It's the best thing!
