This maybe a joke here, but if you have been in a cruise, you know how good it feels to get to your table and the server is already bringing you choice of beverage and maybe even the appetizer you always order.
One time one of the cooks at the BK I go to for lunch a lot recognized an error the person at the counter had made on my order. It made me happy that someone gave enough of a shit about me to remember my order but also made me think I'm probably going too often.
if you wanna feel special go to a higher end restaurant where they don’t “auction” food. But even they use food runners. This actually lets the waiter give you more personal time ya dummy.
I did feel very special at a high end restaurant, until the bill came. Then I realized I'm not rich enough to feel special more than once every couple of years.
That was me a few weeks ago celebrating a personal achievement with my family. The waitress was great though, I prefer not fancy places it seems. Steaks were good the bill was the price of an adequate graphics card.
I almost always try to use the servers name if I can. it's better than just hey you or excuse me IMO. I have no idea why calling someone by their name would be creepy.