Yesterday I invited my daughters out to lunch.
We had a great time too. Good food. Good conversation.
Loads of laughs. They’re great.
The food was is good, but the Japanese
Despite these facts, this particular restaurant remains at the top of our list for dining out.
Why?
Regularity.
Not the daily bathroom regularity! (though that’s good too)
I’m talking about being a regular someplace.
My dad was a regular. He would walk down the street to his
favorite Greek restaurant daily. Sometimes for a full meal, sometimes for the soup of the day and his infamous 1/2 cup of coffee. (it’s important to have a “thing”. Liberace had sparkly suits,
Elvis had sideburns, Muhammud Ali was “The Greatest”.
cold before he could drink it all!)
All the waitresses knew him for this.
Pity the new hire who would pour him a full cup of coffee and receive the stare of doom!
I joined him there often before his passing. By then I had become a regular too by association.
It’s a special feeling when the staff all knows your name and greets you with a smile.
It’s nice when the chef just made a new batch of rice pudding and
gives you a free sample. It’s nice when they remember your birthday with free dessert and candles and singing.
You’re treated so much better when you’re a regular, a familiar
face (you gotta be nice though…not the customer from hell).
My daughters and I are regulars now. At the Hibatch restaurant. I’m passing on the tradition.
Letting them experience the perks and the added enjoyment that come from
taking a personal interest in other people, hard working people, the staff.
We were going every Friday for a month or so last year. Now we go just
once or twice a month, but we’re still considered regulars. It’s like
catch up day now.
“So how did your trip to New York go? And she pulls
out her phone to show pictures. “What have you been doing? she asks.
Taking an interest in those around you, showing your appreciation
for the things they do, creates a synergy that goes far beyond
the surface politeness. It creates an entirely new experience
for all parties. It makes everyone’s day that much nicer, brighter.
It makes dining out something much more than mere food.
It makes dining out, a joyous experience. An event to look forward to.
Instead of spreading yourself out among all the businesses in your area, consider focusing on the few, rather than the many.
Could you take time to have a personal conversation with the owner, clerk or server?
Questions are a great way to start. Everyone loves to share their opinion.
“What would YOU recommend?”
That’s a great way to start.
Compliments are wonderful too. “I love that necklace!”
“That’s a really cool tattoo. Is there a special meaning behind it?”
You could be famous! A celebrity.
Not world famous like the Kardashians. But famous in your own small slice of the world. It feels great and takes so little to
If you remember the long-running old TV show, “Cheers”, you could be
Life is better, funner, as a celebrity!
“Bene Vivere!”
Bob
(The Elder)
