I thought the "regulars know their order" thing was just a myth, then a guy at my bar in Savannah proved me wrong
I have been bartending at a spot on Congress Street in Savannah for about four years now, and I always rolled my eyes when other servers talked about regulars who never even have to order. I figured it was just a story people tell to make the job sound nicer than it is. Then this guy named Dale started coming in every Tuesday and Thursday around 4:15, always sat at the far end, and never said a word about what he wanted. I would just make him a bourbon and ginger with a lime wedge, and he would nod and read his paper for an hour. One Thursday I got slammed with a tour bus crowd and forgot to make his drink, and he waited twenty minutes without saying anything before I looked up and realized. He just laughed and said he watched me handle forty people without dropping a glass, so he figured he could wait. That was when it hit me that the whole thing is real, at least for some people, and it is built on nothing more than paying attention. He still tips a ten every visit, and I still remember his drink after four years. Do any of you have a regular like that, or is this just a Savannah thing?