Being asked “the usual?” in your favourite coffee shop or restaurant, I think, represents an achievement unlocked. The barista (and a co-owner) of a café near my office used this phrase yesterday and my response was “we did it!”
Earning “the usual” combines knowing and patronizing enterprises in our neighbourhoods with a tendency or practice that is hard do give up (mostly because it’s delicious). It is the genesis of when locality meets habits.
The usual, by the way, is a cold brew with a bit of cream. And I will be changing things up as the weather gets colder because reinvention and agility are important when it comes to coffee.