Today I witnessed a sense of loyalty at a breakfast spot that I was aware of but this interaction today cemented it. On Delaware Ave near Fishtown there is a little spot called Johnny’s Hots. They open early in the morning and close in the afternoon. They serve breakfast sandwiches for breakfast and roast pork, cheese steaks, and meatball subs for lunch. The owner is John and he hires an all girl staff. I’ve been going there for almost 10 years now and it finally clicked today why this establishment is so successful. Customer relations.
I stopped going to Johnny’s for breakfast for the last few months for no other reason other than it’s further away than Dunkin Donuts. Instead of a 1 minute drive it’s about a 5 minute drive. As I made my way today I passed dual traffic lights by the Sugarhouse which slowed me down. The Sugarhouse is building another wing which is a tragedy because it shows how much money it takes from the local citizens. I parked in front of Johnny’s and was expecting the same cashier but something had changed in the months I’d been away.
The girl taking the orders was a knock out not in the model sense but from a normal girl perspective working as the cashier in a sandwich shop. That sentence sells her short. I mumbled some odd questions about whether they had Nantucket Nectars Half and Half (she said they had Snapple’s but I know that’s diet) and settled on a lemon Snapple. As I waited for my sausage, egg, and cheese, 3 people ordered their food.
- Guy 1 ordered a green Naked Juice and some other drink without even saying a word to the cashier. He said hello to John, the owner, and John commented that he brought in the Strawberry Mango version of the Naked drink. This is a case of the owner purchasing items that his customers drink.
- Guy 2 was waiting behind 1 when the girl who makes the sandwiches asked if he was eating. He replied no. It was obvious that he comes there everyday.
- Guy 3 walked right up to the ordering area (which is different than the cashier) and ordered his sandwich. You don’t do this unless you’ve been there hundreds of times before.
One thing was obvious to me, these people come here practically every day to eat their breakfast. They get to know the employees and the employees treat them like family. This type of business is becoming more of rarity when a-holes like myself eat at chain restaurants to save a few bucks. I was taken aback from the loyalty. I also will probably go back just to check out the cashier again which is a brilliant hire by the sound owner. The girl who makes the sandwiches also has a secret crush on me but it’s such a secret I’m not sure she knows it.
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