Regulars

In some bars, "regulars" are the people who you depend on day in and day out to fill up your tip jar. In some cases, regulars can be your bread and butter. Regulars are the people who come in each shift, like clockwork and usually order the same thing each time. It's always a good thing to remember a regular's name and their drink. I'm not really good with remembering names, but I can remember faces and drinks. I also remember if you are a good tipper or a shitty one. If you are a regular who comes in and takes care of me every round, guess what? I am going to remember your face, drink AND name. I enjoy making my good regulars feel special. In my book, they have earned that type of treatment and deserve it each and every time they come into my bar.

Every now and then, I have a regular who I wish wasn't a regular. These are the peeps who expect you to drop everything you are doing in order to help them (just because they come in all the time) and then DON'T tip. Or maybe they are just demanding, high maintenance and a little on the rude side. I have no problem with giving my "good" regulars a lot of extra love and attention when they come in because they take such good care of me and are a pleasure to serve. But why should I go out of my way to take care of someone who doesn't take care of me and is a royal pain in my ass? It's mindboggling to me when those types of regulars come in and EXPECT that special type of service.

If you are good to me, I will always take special care of you. If you are demanding, high maintenance and are a lousy tipper, I wont go out of my way to take care of you. Granted, I always aim to give a consistent level of good customer service, but the "good" regulars get special treatment. They've earned it in my book.

Lesson: Take care of your bartenders and we will take care of you. Aim to be a "good" regular.