[Sword & Shield] what level should I be at this point?

So I just got to Hammerlocke, kinda got my ass beat by the cafe owner, who had Pokemon at the unexpectedly high level of 37. Was the game expecting me to be closer to that at this point, or was he just a weird exception or something?

the same thing just happened to me.

and here i thought i was at a pretty decent level.

ok so I got a bit farther today and I'm pretty sure I'm fine level-wise and that the cafe owner is just an unusually high level

The cafe owner(s) are kind of weird since you're supposed to keep going to him daily for the entirety of your game -- like it needs to be easy enough for people just getting there but also entertaining enough for late game play. The jump in level was drastic tho, I agree.