I'm A Regular Customer This is What I Get

What makes someone a regular customer? how many visits over what period of time? Does price of the restaurant factor into the equation? What do you get in return for being a regular customer? Do you frequent the restaurant more because of this? Do you return the favor to the restaurant with anything more than a return visit?

I'd like to think I'm a regular at a few restaurants, I think this because occasionally the Chef will come out to say hi or a non ordered appetizer will show up compliments of the kitchen. Does this make me feel good, of course. Will I show up even more often than normal, probably. In return for getting an extra appetizer here or there I will most likely frequent the restaurant more but I also will get the kitchen something such as a bottle of bourbon, I've only ever done this twice. I'd be curious how many commentator here have given the kitchen a gift (aside from small restaurants where it is almost tradition Schwa El Ideas etc) and if its something you do often or very infrequently?

Our favorite local sushi place, Nikko Sushi in Arlington Heights, gives you your own personal set of chopsticks when they've determined you're a regular. They keep them all in individual boxes in a niche right across from the front door. On their Facebook page, where they explain what all these little boxes are, they say there's no set number of times someone has to come in to get a set of chopsticks, but one of the waiters told us once that it was coming in at least once a week for three months. That seems a little unrealistic to me. So many restaurants, not enough money for me to do them all.

Either way, they do seem to remember us when we go in and they occasionally throw in a free appetizer or something.

We're "regulars" at Anteprima (at least 2x a month--sometimes 2x a weekend) but not until we started asking for a particular server did it really ever result in any recognition, which we thought was more funny than anything else. Sadly, our beloved Jonathan moves to Austin at the end of this month and it's like having a family member move away. We haven't had another server there in well over 2 of the 4 or so years we've been going there.

As for freebies-very rarely which is totally fine--we don't go there to be fawned over--we just love the food, the staff and the warmth of the room.

I think the number of visits varies widely from venue-to-venue; price is definitely a big factor (easier to become a regular going 2-3 times per year at a fine dining venue than at a neighborhood bistro); size of the restaurant is another factor. For me being a regular has more to do with being recognized by some of the staff when returning and developing a friendly rapport with the staff than perks - though perks are certainly appreciated. Some restaurants we felt as thought we were regulars after just three visits whereas others we have frequented over ten times and it is still the same vibe as our first visit. How profitable a restaurant is also can make a huge difference in how many perks they are able to pass on to regulars (the venue where we received the most perk was part of a luxury hotel and therefore had far more disposal income than a neighborhood bistro). The restaurant's philosophy comes into play as well; some venues strive to treat everybody the same; at the other end of the spectrum are extremely cliquey venues with most lying somewhere in between.

My wife and I eat out quite a lot and do a mixture of trying new venues as well as fairly frequent visits to a handful of favorite venues. What we receive from places we are regulars varies quite a bit across the venue (and even across visits within the same place) but the following would be the most common perks:

*Being assigned a prime table - i.e. view of the kitchen, a four top when it is just the two of us etc.
*Access to tables held back for regulars/VIPs when no reservations are otherwise available
*Ability to have seats at the bar reserved for us
*Delivery of an extra course or dessert to the table
*Complimentary glass of champagne upon arrival, round of drinks comped, a course comped or a percentage of the bill comped
*Having something prepared off menu that the chef knows we enjoy
*Being delivered a food or beverage not yet on the menu and asked for feedback
*Visits from the Chef and/or GM
*Invitations to special events at the restaurant
*And of course some visits we receive nothing at all and that is fine; IMHO extras should be appreciated but not expected

In terms of what the restaurant receives:
*Our money
*Customers who are fairly easy to please, treat the staff well and tip well
*Advertisement in terms of us recommending venues we love to friends and via social media
*We do occasionally give gifts to people at restaurants we have become friendly with - though not too frequently. Examples would include my wife baking something to give to the staff to adjunct their staff meal, a bottle of sparkling wine to the chef as congratulations if they recently received some award, some booze to a GM as an engagement gift etc.

And by recognition, I meant having anyone acknowledge that we'd been to the restaurant before--not "recognition" in the sense of "we should recognize these people as special" We used to think it was kind of funny that we were so anonymous, considering how often we were there. But it never made a bit of difference--food and service were always great.

When Opentable is used for a reservation, does it show any indication to the restaurant of how many times a customer has previously dined there?

nsxtasy wrote:When Opentable is used for a reservation, does it show any indication to the restaurant of how many times a customer has previously dined there?

I believe so; Open Table allows restaurant to keep notes on their diners and these automatically are accessible when a diner makes a future reservation with the venue. My understanding is a restaurant cannot view other places you have booked via Open Table, but can see a history of your meals at their own restaurant.

nsxtasy wrote:When Opentable is used for a reservation, does it show any indication to the restaurant of how many times a customer has previously dined there?

Yes.