Handbook

Mokha Corner employee handbook

This handbook is for every new employee at Mokha Corner. Keep it with you during your first days and ask when you are unsure.

1. About Mokha Corner

Mokha Corner, ركن المخا, is a specialty coffee shop in Jeddah. It opened in March 2023.

You can find us in Al-Rawdah district, off Prince Sultan Road, on the ground floor of the Alsharq building next to a pharmacy. Mokha Corner seats 34 inside and 12 on the terrace. The family section at the back has 4 tables.

Opening hours are Saturday to Thursday 06:30-24:00. On Friday, we open from 13:30-01:00 after Jumu'ah.

The busiest times are 07:00-09:30, 16:00-18:00 and 21:00-23:30. Thursday and Friday nights are the hardest shifts. Delivery orders on HungerStation and Jahez are roughly 35% of evening volume.

2. The team and your role

Mokha Corner has 12 staff:

• 4 baristas
• 3 cashiers
• 2 kitchen/pastry staff
• 2 runners/cleaners
• 1 delivery packer, who works evenings and weekends only

Ammar Siddiqui is the manager and head barista. He runs the bar, trains every new barista and manages the rota. He speaks Urdu, English and workable Arabic.

Noura Al-Otaibi is the second shift lead. She runs the evening shift and the till.

Faisal Al-Zahrani is the owner, known to everyone as Abu Rakan. He handles ordering and is usually in the café from 09:00 to 14:00.

Staff on the floor speak Arabic, Urdu, English and some Bengali.

3. Shifts, hours and handover

There are two shifts:

• Morning: 06:00-15:00
• Evening: 14:45-00:30

The shifts overlap on the floor from 14:45-15:15. The handover itself is 14:45-15:00. Both shift leads do it together at the bar. It is a conversation, not a note left on the counter.

At handover:

1. Run the X-report from the till first.
2. Count the cash and agree it while the outgoing lead is present.
3. Check milk levels, saffron base, cups, lids, shortages and broken equipment together.
4. Re-dial the grinder for the rested beans.
5. Tell the incoming shift lead about open tickets, waiting customers, promised remakes and customer readiness promises.
6. Identify who is responsible for the 15:00 pastry bake.

The evening shift orders nothing. Report shortages to Faisal before he leaves at 14:00 where possible. The evening shift takes the fridge reading at 21:00.

4. Uniform and grooming

Wear:

• A clean, ironed black Mokha Corner t-shirt
• Black trousers or a black abaya
• Closed black non-slip shoes
• The brown apron
• A name badge

You receive two shirts and must wash them. Shorts, sliders and strong perfume are not allowed.

Tie your hair back. Wear a cap when handling food. Cover your beard when working at the oven. Keep your nails short and clean, with no polish. Only a plain band ring is allowed. Watches and bracelets are not allowed on the bar.

5. Phones

Keep your phone in the staff locker. Use it only during your break in the back.

Phones are not allowed on the floor, in your apron or for checking the time. Ammar gives one phone warning. After that, the phone issue goes to Faisal.

Wash your hands after using your phone.

6. Breaks and prayer cover

An 8-hour shift includes a 30 minute paid break plus a further 15 minutes, for 45 minutes in total.

Agree your break with the shift lead first. Take it in the back. Look at the queue before asking to take a break. Never have two people on break at once during a rush.

Arrange the prayer rotation at the start of the shift. Cover is rotated so someone is always on the floor while the doors are closed for prayer.

During prayer:

• Close the doors.
• Take no new orders.
• Keep the machines on.
• Reopen after 20 to 25 minutes.

7. Lateness, swaps and attendance

Being on time means being changed and on the floor at your start time. It does not mean walking through the door at that time.

Message the shift group as soon as you know you will be late. Being late twice in one month means a conversation with Ammar. Being late three times in one month means a conversation with Faisal.

You may arrange a shift swap with another staff member. The swap does not count until Ammar confirms it in the staff WhatsApp group. A swap agreed in a private message does not count.

Rota, swaps, lateness and holiday questions go to Ammar first.

8. Tips, staff drinks and food discount

Tips are pooled in the jar and split by hours worked. Delivery-app tips go into the same pool. Tips are paid out on the 1st. Do not keep tips in your pockets.

You receive one free drink per shift. Make it off-peak and drink it in the back, never in front of customers.

You receive 30% off food when you are not on shift. Do not make drinks for friends who visit. Ask a shift lead to decide.

On the bar, the only drink allowed is water in a closed bottle on the low shelf. Food is not allowed behind the bar. Do not place a coffee cup next to the grinder.

9. How we treat customers

Greet customers with eye contact within 5 seconds of reaching the till. Start in Arabic: السلام عليكم، حياك الله. Then use the language they answer in.

If a customer gives their name, use it. Repeat the order before taking payment. When you put down a drink, say its name, for example, "Spanish latte for Sara".

Espresso drinks should go out in under 4 minutes at normal times. Tell the customer before starting that a V60 takes 4 minutes. Tell the customer before payment if the wait will be over 10 minutes.

Use the LAST rule for complaints:

1. Listen without interrupting.
2. Apologise once and sincerely.
3. Solve the problem.
4. Thank the customer for telling us.

You may remake a drink at no charge without permission up to 30 SAR. A remake above 30 SAR or any refund needs the shift lead. For a drink that is too sweet, remake it with one pump less. A customer who has waited 15 minutes gets an apology, a ticket check and a free pastry offer.

Do not argue about whether a drink is correct. Do not blame the delivery app, another shift or a colleague in front of a customer.

In-store customers are served before delivery drivers. Ask a rushing driver to wait at the marked spot. Use تحت أمرك. Delivery orders must be accepted on the tablet within 2 minutes.

For allergy questions, read the allergen card in the black folder by the till or call the shift lead. Do not guess. For qahwa, stop pouring when the guest shakes the finjan from side to side and take the cup.

10. Confidentiality and social media

Do not photograph customers. Do not film inside during service.

When posting about Mokha Corner, tag Mokha Corner and keep the post positive. Never post about incidents, complaints or inspections, including on a personal account.

Do not discuss another staff member's pay. Do not discuss a customer's complaint on the floor where others can hear it.

Do not tell customers that another shift made a mistake, that the delivery app is the problem or that a colleague is new.

11. Safety and emergencies

For a fire, shout, pull the alarm by the back door and take customers to the pavement in front of the pharmacy. Nobody goes back inside for bags or phones.

Only fight a fire the size of a bin, and only if you can see the exit behind you. The CO2 extinguisher is by the bar for electrical fires. The foam extinguisher is by the back door. The fire blanket is by the oven.

Emergency numbers are:

• Ambulance and Red Crescent: 997
• Police: 999
• Traffic: 993
• Civil Defence: 998

For a burn, cool it under cool running water for 20 minutes. Do not use ice or butter. Cover it loosely, report it to the shift lead and write it in the incident book.

For a cut, stop work and wash it. Cover it with a blue waterproof plaster and a glove. Bin any food that was near it and record it.

For a power cut, turn the machines off at the wall, keep fridge doors shut and call Faisal. Food is safe for 4 hours if the doors stay closed.

For a gas smell or water leak, get everyone out, call Faisal and Civil Defence, and do not touch any switches. For a robbery or aggressive customer, do not resist or chase. Press the panic button under the till and call 999 afterwards.

For a spill, put out the yellow wet-floor sign first, then clean and dry the area. Leave the sign out until the floor is dry.

12. Who to ask

Call Ammar when illness prevents you from coming to work. If an inspector arrives, be polite, do not argue and call Faisal immediately. If Faisal does not answer within 10 minutes, call Ammar.

13. If you are guessing, stop and ask

If you are guessing, stop and ask. Nobody has ever been in trouble at Mokha Corner for asking.