How to become a regular at your favorite Sacramento-area restaurant, bar or coffee shop

The Abridged version:

• Want a place “where everybody knows your name”? Helen Harlan, a local waitress and freelance writer, has tips on becoming a Norm Peterson of the 916.
• Speaking of tips: They help cement you as a regular, along with sitting in the same seat, making conversation and showing up consistently.
• Becoming a regular can help you make new friends, reserve a seat and establish a familiar connection with the person pouring your drink or serving your food.

---

Want to be a regular at a bar, restaurant or coffee shop in the Sacramento area?

Dave Carson, a retired insurance salesman from Elk Grove, has some advice.

“It’s not that hard,” Carson said as he sat at his usual bar stool at Freeport Bar & Grill around 5 p.m. and sipped his usual drink, a pint of Coors Light. “Just pick a place and start coming in.”

Carson would know. The 82-year-old began visiting “Freeport,” as the locals call the roadside watering hole at the Delta’s entrance, over 15 years ago and has never stopped. Though he can’t remember why he made his first visit, his reason for coming back three to four times a week is simple: Paco Canto, Freeport’s beloved weekday evening bartender.

“He’s fast, he’s cool and he’s always, always in a great mood,” Carson said of the affable and energetic barman with more than 40 years’ experience behind Sacramento bars.

Canto’s advice to those hoping to secure a consistent seat at his bar is also simple.

“Come often, drink more, eat more,” he said. 

“And tip heavy,” Carson added. 

I’ve worked as a cocktail waitress and fill-in bartender at Freeport Bar & Grill for almost five years. My first job at a full-service bar and restaurant was as a hostess at 33rd Street Bistro when I was a senior in high school, and I’ve worked in 13 establishments since, mostly in Los Angeles while I was trying to be a comedy writer and (you guessed it!) actor. 

Here, I break down just what makes a great regular — with some help from the guys and gals on both sides of the Sacramento region’s bars and bistro tables. 

And just before we start? If those tables are dirty, please give us time to clean them before you sit, or choose one of the already-tidy surfaces available. Thank you!

Pick a place — and be consistent

James Raia heads into East Sacramento’s Coffee Works almost every morning. Raia drinks the dark roast, named Dark Star after the 23-minute-long Grateful Dead song. He lives in the Sierra Oaks area, which has many coffee shops of its own, but makes the 5-mile trek to Coffee Works for the same reason most regulars go to most places.

“It’s a morning ‘Cheers’ coffee bar,” he said, a caffeinated equivalent of the Boston bar where everybody knows your name. 

Tom Hutchison has been a barista behind the Coffee Works counter for 22 years. And when Raia walks in, Hutchison is already on that cup of Dark Star.

“If I’m working the espresso machine, I can look down the line and know everybody’s order and get it ready before they even hit the counter,” he said.

Of course, Hutchison won’t know an order by heart if he’s only seen the customer a handful of times. To become a regular, one has to come in regularly.

“Don’t expect to become a regular after one or two visits, right? It’s going to take consistency,” advised Christina King. “It’s going to take me seeing your face multiple times.”

For almost two decades, King has balanced serving and bartending at various Sacramento establishments like the now-closed Rio City Cafe while working a full-time job for the state. If you want to be a regular, she has another tip. 

“Wear a name tag,” she said with a laugh.

Pull up the same seat — or at least try to get one saved

When Alfred and Annice Porter visit Freeport Bar & Grill, which they do almost weekly, they like to sit at the tall corner table. Staff call the table “Pop” because there used to be a popcorn machine in its place. 

The Porters have been married for over 40 years and are both retired corrections officers — they met as guards at San Quentin State Prison — so it’s in their bones to observe. Thus, they take Pop.

“I’m a people watcher, and with that seat, I see everyone at the bar,” Alfred said.

“I’m a people watcher as well, but not to the extent that he is. The middle table is fine with me,” added Annice, sipping her usual jalapeño cucumber margarita. “I don’t like the table by the door, especially if my back is at the door.”

To secure the corner table, the Porters will often call the restaurant on their way in or make a reservation. Some regulars even text their bartenders or servers to do the same, after establishing that doing so is OK.

“I have regulars that text me, like, ‘yo, are you there? How is it? Is it busy? I want to get a seat at the bar. Can you save me a seat?'” said Al Marquez, a bartender at the Historic Star Lounge in Midtown Sacramento and hospitality industry content creator.

Your seat might even become your legacy.

In late November 2024, Michael John Azevedo, a retired Delta bartender and almost-daily regular at Freeport Bar & Grill, died. Everyone called him Goose, a nickname acquired while playing baseball in his youth.

When Goose came to Freeport, which he did for decades, he never sat, but rather stood at the north end of the bar because it was better for his back. On holidays, he wore bright suits and costumes, and, standing at almost 6-foot-5, you couldn’t miss him. He bought everyone rounds of drinks, talked often about his beloved Giants and never caused any trouble. He was, by many standards, the definition of an exemplary regular.

Today, a small gold plaque that reads “Goose’s Corner” is drilled into the wooden bar where Azevedo stood on most afternoons. Another regular had the plaque made.

When asked how long he thinks the memorial will stay up, Canto said, “Forever.”

And speaking of those Giants …

Engage the people around you. But stick to topics that are safe bets

Heard of that show “Landman”? Of course you have. It’s probably a good thing to talk about with other regulars. Everyone seems to be watching it. 

Home construction projects are good topics too — I’ve learned a lot about deck stains in my many years as a waitress. Same with cars and car repair. If I had a nickel for every shift where customers compared what they paid for oil changes …

And then, of course, there’s always the fail-safe.

“Sports are safe. Nobody’s going to get offended,” Marquez said. “Nobody’s going to get riled up.”

Above all: DON’T. TALK. POLITICS. 

“It causes problems,” Canto said. 

“100% no. Especially now,” Marquez echoed. “My grandfather always told me you never talk religion and politics with anybody. And I always kept that as a thing at the bar.”

Another good rule of regular socializing? Don’t talk or video chat on your phone.

“Everybody just kind of does the collective, like, ‘is this happening right now?'” Marquez said. “But at the same time, we’re not here to police you.”

When you’re strapped for conversation starters, you can always defer to your bartender.

“He’ll connect the people at the bar,” Alex Zanko said of Marquez. Zanko has been Marquez’s loyal regular for almost a decade, since the barman was slinging drinks at Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar. “He’ll be all, ‘Hey, Alex, this is Joe, or, you know, Samantha,’ and kind of link people up or find something to connect them on. That’s a craft, you know? Just as cocktails are.”

Or don’t — it’s OK to keep to yourself

Not every regular comes to engage. It’s OK to be the quiet guy in the corner. In fact, sometimes it’s even preferable.

“I personally kind of like them. They’re pretty low maintenance,” Marquez said. “They get their three beers, and then they’re out, and they don’t bother anybody.”

Tip well, please!

Duh, but, like, still.

“We live off tips, basically,” said Sergio Huizar, a 19-year-old server, host and busser at Freeport Bar & Grill.

Sergio’s not kidding. Of my taxable restaurant income last year, 60% was in tips. After tipping out my team — bartender, kitchen, dishwasher and busser — I generally walk with just over 10% of my sales (so if I sell $900 on a shift, walking with $90 is a safe bet). But it’s usually more than that because, well, regulars.

So then, what’s a fair tip in 2026?

The same as it’s always been: 20% of the before-tax check on a full-service, sit-down meal is the gold standard. More is always appreciated but not expected. 

A buck a drink at the bar is good for beer or wine; more is customary when we have to make, shake or muddle a drink. I’ve never been a barista, but I leave $2 on a coffee drink at a cafe and $1 on a pastry if I add one to the order.

And don’t forget to tip on to-go orders (10% is acceptable here, 15% is better, 20% is even better!). At many restaurants, including Freeport, tips are shared with cooks and dishwashers. Whether you’re dining in or getting a meal to go, those employees still depend on tips.

“They think that if they’re just picking it up, they’re not getting any service,” said Sergio Huizar, a Sacramento State business student. “But they just don’t know (what happens) behind the scenes.”

Don’t forget: We like you too!

This relationship goes both ways. We’re happy to see you, too.

“There’s no hard part. It’s actually easy, OK? Because you know what they want,” Canto said, rubbing his hands together as if to say “voila.”

Marquez went as far as to call some of his regulars friends who make his day better.

“Like, when you see them, you’re like, ‘Oh thank God, yeah, here’s a bar seat,'” Marquez said. “I want this person to sit in front of me.”

Above all, be nice

Another no-brainer, but still. 

What constitutes “nice”? A short list includes: Don’t drink too much, don’t harass or assault staff or customers and don’t write a bad review on Yelp. If you have an issue on your first visit, give us another chance; if it’s still not clicking, it’s OK to go somewhere else.

Above all, for us in the service industry, being nice means one thing: Please be patient. You’re not the only customer in the place.

“While we all strive in the restaurant industry to make everything perfect, if there is something off, don’t judge us by one experience,” King said. “Maybe the stove went down in the kitchen, or the fryer broke, or one of our chefs in the back called out sick. Those things happen.”

At the end of the day, or the start of happy hour, being a good regular isn’t that different than being a good customer anywhere. Perhaps young Sergio Huizar puts it best.

“A good regular is someone who is nice to your server, nice to all the staff,” Huizar said. “They come here and enjoy their food. And they treat us well. That’s a good regular.”

Got it? Good. Cheers. And how ‘bout those Niners?

But, again, please don’t sit at dirty tables. For me. Thanks.

Helen Harlan is a Sacramento-based freelance writer and cocktail waitress.