How to become a regular anywhere

Everyone wants to be a regular somewhere — greeted by name, handed the usual, kept a table on a busy night. Few realise how simple it is to become one.

Go back. Not often, necessarily — but return, and return to the same faces. Recognition is built on repetition, and a place remembers the guest who chose it twice.

Be easy to host. Book ahead, arrive when you said, tip like you mean it, and say thank you to the person who isn't your waiter. Kindness is remembered longer than orders.

And let them look after you. The regular's real privilege isn't the free dessert — it's the trust to say 'surprise me' and know you're in good hands.