Being a local at a restaurant is literally a cheat code to life. 

Cousins of mine eat at a nice restaurant in Phoenix at least once a week. Tip well. Best pasta and pizza ever. 

During Covid, they placed a takeout order (as the lobby was closed) and the owner heard their name and asked if they wanted a table and eat at the restaurant privately. 

Or; I was a coffee shop regular for like a year. Always there the same time every day. After a few weeks, they would have my order on the counter for me and I’d pay before I left.