Regulars.

I have helped a countless amount of people at work, from families, single parents, youngsters out on dates, and people who get a bite to eat on their own.  Most of the time the faces of customers blend together and I'm not always sure if I have helped them out before or not.  But there are a hand full of people whose order I have memorized down to if they like a side of ranch to dip their slice in.  I like to call these people "the regulars."  Sir Mark* orders a large cheese pie every Friday, Kmart Boy* gets pepperoni and an order of breadsticks, and Sam* likes a slice of cheese with an extra large drink.  This is just a small list.  There are a ton of people who work in the surrounding stores who get their lunch or dinner at our shop every night.  And while most of them are pleasant and friendly, others act as if they have never seen us before.  In fact a few of these non smiling people act almost freaked out that I spit out their order for them.

There is one man though who outshines all of the regulars: TJ*.  Nearly every night he comes in for dinner by himself, with his iPad and newspaper.  He either gets a salad or his own custom slice which he has dubbed Jennifer Aniston.*  TJ* asks us the most ridiculous questions and orders non menu items, such as a cheese slice without the cheese.  He pulls pranks constantly on the whole staff and always seems to put us in a good mood.  Lastly, he always stands up for us when another customer has something negative to say and its not unusual for him to close out the restaurant.

None the less, all of us at the shop enjoy seeing a familiar face when we're working.  It takes the away the awkwardness of talking about the weather with a random person.  Also when we're running around on a Friday wanting to whack customers with the pizza peel (metal spatula you use to pick up slices) when a regular walks in they keep you grounded, you smile, collect yourself, and remember you're working and you're representing a company.


*Name changed