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. The café has 34 seats inside, 12 terrace seats and a family section at the back with 4 tables.

Mokha Corner is open Saturday to Thursday from 06:30 to 24:00. On Friday, it is open from 13:30 to 01:00 after Jumu'ah.

2. The team and your role

Mokha Corner has 12 staff: 4 baristas, 3 cashiers, 2 kitchen/pastry staff, 2 runners/cleaners and 1 delivery packer who works evenings and weekends only.

• Ammar Siddiqui is the manager and head barista. He runs the bar, training and rota.
• Noura Al-Otaibi is the second shift lead. She runs the evening shift and the till.
• Faisal Al-Zahrani, known to everyone as Abu Rakan, is the owner. He handles ordering and is usually in the café from 09:00 to 14:00.
• Baristas stay on the bar for the whole shift.
• Cashiers stay on the till.
• Runners clear tables, carry items, help the kitchen and pack delivery orders when the delivery packer is not in.
• Kitchen staff work with the kitchen and pastry items.
• The delivery packer works with the HungerStation and Jahez orders.

Staff on the floor speak Arabic, Urdu, English and some Bengali. One of Faisal, Ammar or Noura is always reachable when you need something.

3. Shifts, hours and handover

There are two shifts:

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

The shifts are both on the floor from 14:45 to 15:15. The handover conversation takes place from 14:45 to 15:00 at the bar. Both shift leads do it together. Do not leave a note or shout information while leaving.

The handover must cover:

• The X-report, cash count and 500 SAR float
• Grinder settings and the bean rest change
• Milk levels, saffron base, cups and lids
• Stock shortages and broken items
• Weather changes and faults
• Fridge records
• Open tickets, waiting customers and promised remakes
• Anything customers were told would be ready
• The person responsible for the 15:00 pastry bake

The evening shift takes the 21:00 fridge reading and does not order stock. Tell Faisal about shortages before he leaves at 14:00 where possible. The evening shift is responsible for keeping every customer promise from the handover.

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
• Your 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 nails short and clean, with no polish. Only a plain band ring is allowed. Do not wear watches or bracelets on the bar.

5. Phones and personal items

Keep your phone in the staff locker. You may use it only during your break, in the back.

Phones are not allowed on the floor or in an apron. Do not use a phone to check the time. Ammar gives one warning for phone use. After that, the matter goes to Faisal.

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 leave coffee cups next to the grinder.

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. Check the queue before asking to go on break. Two people must never be on break at once during a rush.

Arrange the prayer rotation at the start of the shift. Someone must always stay on the floor while the doors are closed for prayer. During prayer, no new orders are taken. The machines stay on. The café usually reopens 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 leads to a conversation with Ammar. Being late three times leads to a conversation with Faisal.

Ammar writes the rota and posts it in the staff WhatsApp group. Staff may arrange swaps between themselves, but a swap does not count until Ammar confirms it in the group. A swap agreed in a private message does not count.

8. Tips, staff drinks and discount

Tips are pooled in the jar and split according to 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 may have one free drink per shift. Make it off-peak and drink it in the back, never in front of customers. Ask a shift lead before making drinks for friends. The shift lead decides.

You receive 30% off food when you are not on shift.

9. How to treat customers

Make eye contact and greet each customer within 5 seconds of reaching the till. Start in Arabic: السلام عليكم، حياك الله. Continue in the language the customer uses.

Use the customer's name when they give it. Repeat the order before taking payment. When you serve a drink, say its name out loud, for example, "Spanish latte for Sara".

Tell customers about waits before they pay:

• Espresso drinks should go out in under 4 minutes at normal times.
• A V60 takes 4 minutes. Tell the customer before starting it.
• If the wait will exceed 10 minutes, tell the customer before payment.
• A customer who has waited 15 minutes gets an apology, a ticket check and a free pastry offer.

Use the upsell questions "Double or single?" and "dates with the qahwa?". Do not push a large size on someone who asked for a small.

For complaints, use LAST:

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

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. A drink described as too sweet is remade with one pump less.

Never argue with a customer. Do not blame the delivery app, another shift or a colleague in front of a customer. In-store customers come first. Ask rushing delivery drivers to wait at the marked spot.

10. Confidentiality and social media

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

Do not take photos of customers. Do not film inside during service. Posts about the café must tag it and remain positive. Never post about incidents, complaints or inspections, including on personal accounts.

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. Civil Defence is 998.

• 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.
• For a burn, cool it under cool running water for 20 minutes. Do not use ice or butter. Cover it loosely, tell the shift lead and write it in the incident book.
• For a cut, stop work, wash it, use a blue waterproof plaster and put a glove over it. Bin food that was near the cut and record the injury.
• For a spill, put out the yellow wet-floor sign first. Clean and dry the area. Leave the sign out until the floor is dry.
• If glass breaks near the ice machine, empty and wash the whole ice bin.
• In 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.
• If there is a gas smell or water leak, everyone must leave. Call Faisal and Civil Defence. Do not touch switches.
• For a robbery or aggressive customer, do not resist or chase. Press the panic button under the till and call 999 afterwards.

Emergency numbers are ambulance and Red Crescent 997, police 999, traffic 993 and Civil Defence 998. The first-aid kit is on the wall in the back corridor next to the incident book.

12. Who to ask

• Ask Ammar Siddiqui about coffee, recipes, drink quality, machine problems and training.
• Ask Ammar first about the rota, swaps, lateness and holiday.
• Ask Noura Al-Otaibi on evenings about refunds over 30 SAR, till discrepancies and anything involving money. At other times, ask Faisal. Tell Noura about till discrepancies in person immediately at handover.
• Tell Faisal immediately about food-safety concerns, illness, pest sightings or an inspector at the door. If he does not answer within 10 minutes about an inspector, call Ammar.
• Tell the shift lead about an injury or fire, then call 997 or 998, then Faisal.
• Ask the shift lead about a calorie number that is not on the board, allergy questions the allergen card does not answer, and out-of-range temperatures.
• Tell Faisal or Ammar the same day if stock is running low.

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