Lesson 2 of 6 · A day at Góc Hoa

Opening: ready before the first guest

Five areas, each with its own pass standard

Opening is the 15 minutes that decide the whole day. A guest walking in at 8am must find a store that is ready, not a store that is still cleaning.

The opening checklist is split into five areas. Every task has a pass standard. Miss one point of the standard and the task is not done.

First task: wash your hands

Everyone, every shift, washes hands in six steps before entering the counter. This comes before everything else.

Cashier counter

• Wipe the glass inside and out, wipe the counter, wipe the display shelf (lift each stack of cups, wipe, put it back), wipe the herb boxes, tea boxes and the POS screen. Sweep and mop the floor.
• Turn on the POS and the label printer, log in, open the sales shift, count the cash and enter the opening float.
• Read guest messages and the hotline inbox. No message is left unanswered past the day.
• Music at a comfortable volume. No slow, sad music, no lyrics that could offend.
• Promotional materials match the programme currently running and sit where guests can see them. Nothing random on the display shelf.
• Delivery apps set to OPEN and accepting orders. Set "store busy" only when management asks or in cases of force majeure such as a power cut. Check pre-orders; orders with a set time are prepared first.
• Flower stickers on cups: fresh, enough for the day, level with the logo, never covering it.
• Wish cards: enough blank cards and a pen, today's shift phrases next to the order pick-up point. One card per order; how to choose the phrase is taught in the Caring for guests module.
• Packaging: bags, cups, straws, spoons at least half a tray each. No dust, no tears. Everything needed for every drink.
• Take four photos: POS, brewing counter, overview, decorative lights. Send to the Operations group. Sharp and on target.
• Guest tables: at least two chairs per table, tabletops and seats clean, no staff belongings.

Brewing counter and kitchen

• Switch on the signboard, display shelf and menu lights, all of them. Check the plugs of the pearl cooker and the tea machine.
• Counter clean, dry, tools in place. Machines running normally, power and water checked.
• Write the fridge and freezer temperatures in the boxes on the checklist. The fridge is right at 2-5°C, the freezer at -18°C or below. Anything off, tell the manager straight away.
• Pearls enough for the whole day, soft, chewy, springy, within the 12-hour limit after cooking.
• Tea machine: wait for it to report full temperature on the preset programme, do not adjust it yourself. Water boiler: clear water, no odd smell, at least two thirds full.
• Toppings: fresh, whole, not mushy, no mould, not sour, enough for the day, within date for the shift. Expired means discard and report.
• Top up creamer, tea and herbs for the shift. Empty and rinse the spent-tea tray.
• Start-of-shift tasting, taught in lesson 4.

Front of store

• Forecourt and parking swept, flower beds free of rubbish, no vehicles blocking the walkway.
• Standee facing oncoming traffic so guests and drivers can see it, pulled straight, not torn, not on the pavement.
• Both sides of the glass door and the handle clean, no insects. Wipe and photograph at the start of every shift.

Stockroom, after opening

• Quick count of raw ingredients, report anything running low to the Stock group. The formal count is at the end of the day.
• Check semi-finished items; if short, make more right away so there is enough for the day.
• Prep table tidy, clean, dry, no personal items.

If you are the one checking: Walk all five areas in order and sign the "Checked by" column line by line. Anything that does not pass goes into Notes and gets fixed before opening. Do not sign it through.

Take this with you. Open when every item passes. If it does not pass, fix it first, not later.