Thursday, January 31, 2008

Norm!

Have you ever, or are you currently, a regular at any restaurant, gym, or other place? If you have never been a regular, it might be an interesting social experiment for yourself this year. Although I am a firm believer in trying new things and going new places, it might be a good idea to have a home base place. It doesn't have to be a bar. I'm not necessarily suggesting that we all become like Norm on Cheers. But it sure is nice to have a place "where everybody knows your name."

I remember some regulars from my waitressing days. Twenty years later, however, I remember the weird ones the most: The Oatmeal Man, The Fly, Crazy Charlie.






Having a public home base has it's advantages.
You have a great place to meet up with friends.
You are likely to get special deals or services.
If you keep going long enough, something interesting is bound to happen.
You get to say, "I'll have the usual."


How do you become a regular?

Obviously the first step would be going to that place regularly.
Behaving well, with kindness and good tipping will help the staff remember you.
Not being high maintenance helps too.

Do you have any tips or stories about becoming a regular?
Where are you a regular?

6 comments:

Precariousgirl said...

Hello all!

I am a regular at a little neighborhood "redneck" bar called Sonny's located on Generals Hwy in Crownsville, Md. I have been going there for approximately 12 years.

It is nice to have a place to go to where you know everyone. That away when you go out "alone" you are never really alone and you will still have a good time while you are out.

Sonny's bar has a mix of nationalities, ages, and types of people that frequent the bar regularly. The regulars are outgoing and very friendly. They always make sure to make any newcomers feel welcome.

The bar only has one bartender that tends bar from open to close 7 days a week. Her name is Sonny. She always has your drink on the bar for as soon as you walk in the door.

Whenever I have a bad day that is the first place that I go to unwind. It is strange to say but Sonny tells me that she thinks of me as her daughter. She even tells me every time I leave " I Love you. Please Be careful."

I sit back and think that others may view this a weird but after 12 years Sonny has seen me go through many ups and downs in my life and she has always been right there pushing me to move forward with my life. It is great to have some one positive in my life. Oh and I forgot to mention the drinks are really cheap too :)

MarkEC said...

My place is the Golden Sports Bar in Ellicott City. I joined a pool league there many years ago, and as my game improved, I started playing in a few tournaments on other nights. As Precariousgirl says, its nice to have a place you can go to alone and know there will be people there who know you and will welcome seeing you. Some nights when my daughter is with her mom, I just go there to get dinner so I don't have to cook and clean up. :-) And the food and drinks are pretty cheap there too! Oh.. they have live music on the weekends, tends to be an older crowd most of the time.

AM Kingsfield said...

Wow! What great stories! We should do a little blogger favorites tour.

I hope to hear more stories - like the library regular. My curiosity is piqued.

I guess my Cheers is TJ Elliott's, who I had the privilege of writing an article about in the print edition of Suburban Scene this month. They are packed on Band Nights.

Ava said...

Favorites tour sounds like a good idea. But if y'all come to the library, you have to "whisper."
Not much to say about that, but it's a good place for quiet time, and I love all those windows. They might know my name, but I still have to show my card. It's more for loners, and I don't go there as much as I used to. I'm just not one to go to a bar by myself.

Mike said...

Hey All, I got to go with AVO,

Even though I have an unsurpassable memory of barstools, I very seldom if ever spend much time on them, nor do I go to your typical "watering hole" type establishments. I'd be more inclined to patronize a Damon's or an Appleby's where they also serve good food and N/A beverages in a very relaxed atm.

Having become a cigar afficianado one of my regular spots is Titan Cigar. They have a built in lounge and theatre size flat screen TV. First I lounge with a tall coffee at Caribou and then finish it and the eve with a high end cigar (AVO) over at Titan. Cigar tokers are some of the most friendly people you'd ever want to meet too. David and Ezra the proprietors, are very friendly. ( Even moreso if you purchase some of their product line or lease a humidor in their lounge.) Suprisingly, there have even been a few ladies who come enjoy cigars too. No need for a bartender either - a computer card activated dispensing machine if you want to pair your stoagie with some equally high end scotch or burbon -- except I don't drink.

Mike said...

AM and AVO,

Whats with the Library ? I'm sure you both are not referring to the AACo public library. Those folks who have the Sputnick Cafe' as their regular place, I'm afraid will be out of luck. Its obviously not mine because I am lucky Mike and intend to keep it that way.