# Are you a regular at any restaurant?



## StickPig (Feb 8, 2008)

I curious how people become a "regular." 

Is it the food, the service, the atmosphere, or some combination?

I think that for my family, it is mostly the service. We've become regulars at a little deli. We have lunch there every Sunday. They know us by name, and treat us exceptionally well. There is nothing especially remarkable about this deli except how we are treated.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

Every "how to succeed" article recommends that you become a regular at a restaurant if you take clients to lunch. 

My trouble is that here in Los Angeles there are so many restaurants that we rarely eat twice at any one of them. Plus there is always the new "hot" place and the great restaurants we ate at last week are out of business! :icon_smile_big: Well a few of them anyway!


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## dplenty99 (Mar 12, 2005)

I am boring when comes to dining, and prefer going to a "safe" place. In St.louis, I often accompany my fiance to Cafe Provencal-a small French restaurant. Check it out. You can take a date there only plunk down $60. The service is incredible as is the food. Even if they don't remember me when I come in, they sure act like they do.


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## rgrossicone (Jan 27, 2008)

I'm a regular at Monte's Venetian Room here in Brooklyn.

The day I was born, way back when gasoline cost an arm and a leg and the city was reeling from a summer blackout (no, not 2004, 1977) my grandparents and parents (well, my dad, my mom was busy) had a feast there. the place had been around since 1910, and my grandparents would occasionally have Sunday dinner there in the 50's and 60's. So, fast foward to 2003, I just moved to Brooklyn, directly from University, and asked my mom where I should go to try good Italian (mostly it was at grandmas). She suggested Monte's on Carroll St. I went, and instantly remembered the few occasions my dad took us there as kids. It was delicious. Needless to say, I would go about once a month (it was walkable from my apt) and I got to know Frank, the waiter. In 2006, I had my weddings rehearsal dinner there, with 40 of my closest friends and family. We have been back at least a dozen times since, and I am always greeted with a hug from Frank, and free cheesecake and coffee. When my daughter is born in June, I plan on taking the family out (my wife apparently has other plans) to Monte's for dinner, and continuing a family tradition...being a regular there.


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## bjorn240 (Jan 8, 2008)

I'm a regular at a sushi place on 93rd and Amsterdam. So much so that the host said hello to me on the subway a few weeks ago.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

I am a regular at a couple of places here. It is always nice to be known, from the valet who knows me by name and parks me right by the door to the manager that usually buys my table a round, to the bartender that knows if a good bottle of port was just opened, that I am always up to a glass of it.

Andy, I think those articles are correct. It is always impressive to have a business meeting where you are known.


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

I have a couple places I go to where i'm recognized. Neither is a very high end place, though. Mr. Budget forbids high end restaurants on any sort of regular basis.


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## cdcro (Jan 23, 2008)

We have a small asian restaurant near our house that we go to at least once per week. By the time we sit down our soup is on the table and the chef is preparing our sushi.


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## KenR (Jun 22, 2005)

Umberto's of New Hyde Park, NY. Some of the waiters shake my hand and know my name.


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

Cdcro. I know that feeling. I have to be careful that they don't do that at my favorite Mexican restaurant. Sometimes I don't want the nacho. (Although the nacho is GREAT and I get it at least half the time.)


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## samblau (Apr 2, 2005)

When I worked downtown I was a regular at takahachi tribeca...the last time I went in the chef sent me over chopped toro wrapped in shiso leaf...it was awesome


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

I'm a regular at several restaurants near where I work. As I've gotten older, I find that I like the familiarity and taste of the local restaurants more than chains.


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## zarathustra (Aug 24, 2006)

restaurants - no. I am a known quantity at a couple of pubs near where i live. It actually is quite nice... i never pay for drinks. I just leave a nice tip.


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## globetrotter (Dec 30, 2004)

I have been a regular at several places over the years. for me, it was actually driven by quality of food. at one place, it was a 6 table family run place, and I had parties there twice, once for my wife's birthday and once for my son't birth. the owner and his family knew us very well, and gave us fanstastic service.


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## SuitUP (Feb 8, 2008)

My dads a regular at a Italian BYOB restaurant near his house. The foods actually very good. Its more upscale than most BYOB places I have been to. Its cost around $60 for an appetizer and two entrees. They know him very well over there and none of the waitresses (most are attractive) mind that he flirts with them. His gf finds it amusing also.

As for myself, Monday's a group of us go to an upscale seafood place for drinks and bar food, before 6:30 bar food is like 1/3 price. I am trying to get together a group for actually eating the full menu but only 4 of us can afford it and Monday's everyone and their brother show up so...


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Does KFC count!? :icon_smile_big:

Yes of course it's great to be a regular. It's great to hear how things are going and what's happening with the people who work there. And the free stuff is a nice touch from an emotional perspective, as opposed to being a financial perk.



Wayfarer said:


> Andy, I think those articles are correct. It is always impressive to have a business meeting where you are known.


I think it depends on your ego and your line of business (very normal in entertainment and PR, for example). However, I find it a little embarrassing when the staff make a fuss in front of business colleagues, or even friends. I don't want to make a show. It feels a little cheap and unnecessarily flamboyant. I just want the people with me to enjoy the food & atmosphere in a place I know to be good, without superfluous fuss.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Rossini said:


> I think it depends on your ego and your line of business (very normal in entertainment and PR, for example). However, I find it a little embarrassing when the staff make a fuss in front of business colleagues, or even friends. I don't want to make a show. It feels a little cheap and unnecessarily flamboyant. I just want the people with me to enjoy the food & atmosphere in a place I know to be good, without superfluous fuss.


I think you are reading into what I posted. I do not believe I indicated a "fuss" should be made to fulfill one's ego.

The internet is just the oddest form of communication.


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## noble (May 22, 2007)

*Yes and it's a good idea to be.*

My wife and I eat out once or twice each day so it's nice to go someplace where we feel welcomed and comfortable. It's nice that the staff know us by name and we can respond with their names......when we invite guests, business or social, being addressed by our titles and last names at the door is a great conductor of confidence relayed to those accompagnying us and always being able to obtain a private dining room is a big plus.

When we bring our children the staff will be patient with them and normally brings our sons some extra cakes or chocolates.

In exchange we treat everyone with an equal respect and tip very well but it's not a good idea to become too personal...this can lead to misunderstandings and unwanted solicitations from the waitresses (for me, not my wife) and I am speaking from empirical experience.

None of this makes us feel important: my wife and I are both rather shy so don't like unwarranted attention but it is nice to feel "at home" since we dine out so often.

noble


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## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Wayfarer said:


> I think you are reading into what I posted. I do not believe I indicated a "fuss" should be made to fulfill one's ego.
> 
> The internet is just the oddest form of communication.


It sure is. So, yes and no to your comment :icon_smile:, they're just my own thoughts prompted by yours - In my experience, I find that it's not impressive (or necessarily desireable) to have a business meeting where I am known for those reasons stated. It's a personal thing. It's different on a social or personal level because there is no big desire to "impress".


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## Mookie (Dec 10, 2007)

Go to the restaurant quite a bit, preferably on slower nights, and make sure to talk to the staff. Tip well. It especially helps if the owner is around a lot. Make friends with this person at all costs.

Unless it has huge turnover, you'll be known soon enough.

Andy- I don't know if you go out to the westside often, but I'm a regular at Campagnola Trattoria on Westwood Blvd. just past Ohio. The owner, Carlo, works in front every day, and is great to talk to. He's also got an amazing memory, and remembered me even after I had left town for a year.

He's a lifesaver too-I managed to get, without reservations, a table for 15 on a Friday night once. Food is good too.


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## damon54 (Dec 12, 2007)

Being a regular is usually a great aide to getting tables.

Make an effort to remember the staffs name at the restaurants you like & they will likely endeavor to do the same.


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## dragon (Jan 28, 2006)

Regular at 2 chinese restaurants. go there about 3 times a week for lunch and the other on teh weekends for about 10 years now.


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## medwards (Feb 6, 2005)

While it has never been my intent to be a regular at a particular dining establishment, living and working in the same area for almost thirty years has made that almost inevitable. While there are aspects to this familiarity that are both enjoyable and comforting, it can also be something of a rut. Consequently, I find that I have to make a special effort to break this pattern and experience new and different establishments. In so doing, I find those old standbys all the more pleasurable.


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

There is a Japanese restaurant that I frequent. No matter what or how much I eat and drink, he charges me the same modest amount after pretending to do some additions in his head. Needless to say, no bills, no receipts and paid in cash...


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## Beachcomber (Apr 6, 2008)

I am a regular at Loeb's in Washington, DC. Not sure if it counts as a restaraunt, but it's the best Jewish deli in town and my favorite lunch spot. The place has a real attitude and carries all the authentic stuff like Dr. Brown's cel-ray soda, halvah, joyva chocholate covered jelle, Utz chips, etc. Everyone I take her loves it. It's about $30 for a lunch for two and located on 15th & I Sts., NW by the White House.


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## mr2600 (Mar 2, 2008)

Great topic, i think its so important if you find a good restaurant its worth going over and over.

How you find one? Food, service and price are first, all three need to be right. 

If all the are correct then soon after a couple of visits they will remember your name and would even shave off something off the bill and the rest is history.

As Andy said for business its the most important, i have 3 restaurants i rotate with all around the local area, since i have lunch with a client nearly every day its so important, and since we are there so often it becomes less like going to a restaurant and like going to a friend. It becomes an excellent experience and it makes the food that much better.

Here in Sydney my options are a italian/lebanese, Thai and a chinese. All are excellent and nothing beats being a 'regular'.


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## Mr. H (Aug 27, 2007)

Andy said:


> Every "how to succeed" article recommends that you become a regular at a restaurant if you take clients to lunch.


I think it's actually gone a step further than that. While it's certainly nice to take a client to a restaurant where you're well known and treated to excellent service, I think it's just as important to be well acquainted with a variety of restaurants which do a number of different cuisines well. This way, you're always prepared should your lunch or dinner guest have particular tastes or dietary restrictions. If you're a regular at the local fine steakhouse, chances are a vegetarian guest is going to be limited to something off of the salad menu or perhaps one or two pasta dishes thrown in as more of an accommodation than a true specialty of the house. To play it safe, in addition to your regular haunt, it wouldn't hurt to get recommendations on the better Italian and Asian establishments in your area and visit them on occasion - in the interest of quality control, of course! They can generally please the carnivore, the pescavore, the vegan and the vegetarian without making anyone feel ill at ease or an exceptional case.


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## BPH (Mar 19, 2007)

I frequent a nice local Italian restaurant. 

I like the ambience and the food but the biggest plus is that when I haven't made a booking and want to eat out at 8pm on a Saturday evening I can still walk in with a party of four and get the first available table regardless of the number of people waiting - counts for a lot.


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## baloogafish (Oct 4, 2007)

@ a couple of the restuarants I go to twice a month, several of the waiters know the family's names, favorite foods, drinks, etc. I think even though you're a regular @ a restaurant, it's tough to keep eating there without buying the same food.


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

The Gourmet, near my house (a 5-minute walk) with a Cheers kind-of atmosphere at the bar and an interesting and usually quite good menu; 

Steve & Cookies, about a 30-minute drive, and arguably the best restaurant on the Jersey shore. I generally eat there about once a week when I'm in the US; 

The Highlander in Prague, just around the corner from my apartment. A strange name for a Czech restaurant, I will admit, but it is so named because they not only serve outstanding Bohemian food, but remarkable aged black angus steaks; 

The Grand Europe lobby bar in St. Petersburg, Russia. I go there for high tea about once a week. This is one of the great European hotels, a striking example of Art Nouveau.


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## The Other Andy (Jan 9, 2008)

Once I find a place I like I go there over and over. However, since my son was born, I'm mostly a "regular" at the Irish Pub down the street after he goes to bed. Does that count?


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## Roikins (Mar 22, 2007)

Yep, I have about 5-6 "casual" places and about 2-3 fancier places in DC, so I get treated better by getting free drinks or desserts/appetizers. It's not difficult to become a regular, but it's worth it... just pop by every other week or once a month, and do your best to strike up a conversation with the people working there so they remember you.


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## radix023 (May 3, 2007)

I've got about three that I attend nearly weekly. It's mostly down to convenience.

I rate restaurants by five criteria:
1) quality of food
2) value of meal (what you get for what you pay)
3) quality of service (did your glass empty, did you have to wait for your bill)
4) scenery (sometimes the wait staff but at the best it's the other diners)
5) distance/convenience (includes time to get food after ordering)

That said, my three are:
The White House: classic diner, prices reasonable, staff friendly, always a newspaper if you are solo, very close to work
Panahar: Bangladeshi buffet. I eat vegetarian when I go here. I've been at least twice a month for two years+. Mirzha, the owner is a great guy and will chat news when he's not really busy.
Chipotle: I go to lunch with a group from work once a week and this is their Thursday, which is the day of week that works for me. Between three of us we will empty a bottle of smoked Tabasco. (when will they sell it in the big bottle?)

I do have a long and extensive list of restaurants but I find that convenience (time mostly) and cost keep some places less frequent than others. Going to go check out the Watershed for the first time today. (chowhounds is a good forum to dig up tips in if you're looking to discover new restaurants)


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## cowboyjack (May 18, 2008)

Yup.

I would argue that there is NO fine dining within a 150 mile radius worth really worrying about. But, there is...

A small mom and pop diner where they make the traditional New Mexican fare of my childhood. I feel like Norm on Cheers as they literally call my name when I walk in and I never have to even order, the breakfast of my dreams quickly emerges as I read my morning paper in peace and luxurious bliss.

A small mom and pop old-fashioned red sauce Italian place my wife and I go weekly where mom, dad, the kids and their spouses all work and show off pictures of the grandkids.

I get to Jean George in NYC about twice a year, amazing food, but honestly I don't think they know my name at all.


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## AJLP (Oct 12, 2007)

I'm a regular at a little bar and grill within walking distance. If my wife works late I take the kids there. If she goes to bed early I take myself there for a snck and some refreshment. The place has been around for a while. It's comfortable.

Also I stop by a taco truck that has set up shop in a parking lot next to our Mexican consulate. I love the food and they are getting to know me which is always nice.

I am a teacher so there is no need for me to foster a relationship for impressing clients. I just go where I feel comfortable and/or where I really like the food!


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## fitzwright (May 2, 2008)

Definitely. Madison is a good food town for a small city. I'm not going to suggest that it can compete with LA or NYC, but we have some excellent restaurants.

My fiancee and I are regulars at Glass Nickel Pizza which is just down the block.

Our other regular place is The Weary Traveler, a comfortable pub-like place that serves fantastic food and drink. They have an eclectic menu including things like Vegan Chili and Hungarian Goulash. Not only do we know some of the staff and the owner now, we also know a lot of the other regulars from the neighborhood. It's a great place to relax and enjoy a pint with friends, or have a date with a nice dinner and glass of wine.

Here's to *local* restaurants! Keep supporting them!


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

While in college, my fiancee and I were regulars at Mad Greek in Bristol, TN. While its not fancy or upscale, it has the best pizza/calzones I have ever had. I am even considering it for my rehersal dinner. It was nice to walk in and usually get the same waitress who would know pretty close to exactly what we wanted each time. When I moved back home I was a regular at Kozmin Bluz in St. Augustine, FL. Good microbrews and a great atmosphere.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

cowboyjack said:


> Yup.
> 
> I would argue that there is NO fine dining within a 150 mile radius worth really worrying about. But, there is...


Well...150 miles should put you into Phoenix, so unless you are willing to write off places like The Phoenician, I think you might want to reconsider that statement. Even Tucson has some places that are fairly acceptable, from The Ventana Room (Zagat, Best in the Southwest, Wine Spectator Excellence Award) to The Gold Room, to Janos to Acacias. I am not saying any of these are going to compete against Jean Georges, but I think your condemnation of all of Phoenix and Tucson is a bit of an exaggeration.


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## Pulledpork (Jun 3, 2008)

3 Doors Down and The Heathman in Portland.


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