Imagine this: It’s your Grand Opening. You have 50 people in line. An influencer is filming. You turn on the blender to make a frappe, and—click—the power goes out. This is the nightmare scenario facing owners who skip a proper soft opening checklist. The breaker tripped. The POS goes dark. The ice machine stops. The influencer posts a story: “Cute place, but no power.”

This nightmare is avoidable.

A Soft Opening is not a party. It is a Crash Test.

It is a controlled environment where you invite friends and family to intentionally try to break your operations so you can fix them in private.

Here is the 10-point checklist to ensure your coffee shop is actually ready for Riyadh.

Quick Comparison: Soft vs. Grand Opening

What is the difference?

Feature	Soft Opening (The Rehearsal)	Grand Opening (The Show)
Audience	Friends, Family, Neighbors	Public, Influencers, Google Maps
Menu	Limited (Core items only)	Full Menu
Pricing	50% Off (To encourage feedback)	Full Price
Goal	Find Bugs / Stress Test	Revenue / Marketing
Marketing	Word of Mouth / Invitation Only	Paid Ads / Instagram / TikTok
Mistakes	Expected & Forgiven	Fatal (Bad Reviews)

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1. The “Peak Load” Electricity Test

Commercial espresso machines (like La Marzocco or Slayer) draw massive power.

• The Test: Turn ON every single piece of equipment in the shop at the same time.
  • Espresso Machine (Heating elements active).
  • Grinders.
  • Blenders.
  • Ice Machine.
  • Dishwasher.
  • AC units (Full Blast).
• The Duration: Run this for 30 minutes.
• The Fail: If the breaker trips, your electrical load balancing is wrong. Call the electrician to upgrade the breaker or redistribute the phases.

2. The POS & Payment Integration Check

In Saudi Arabia, 99% of transactions are digital (Mada/ApplePay).

• The Integration: Does your Foodics or Odoo system automatically send the amount to the Geidea terminal?
• The Manual Risk: If your barista has to manually type “18 SAR” into the card machine, they will eventually type “1.80 SAR” or “180 SAR.”
• The Test: Process 20 small transactions. Check the receipt vs. the bank settlement report. Do they match perfectly?

3. The “Phantom Ticket” (Kitchen Printers)

• The Scenario: A customer orders a “Turkey Sandwich (No Cheese)” and a “V60 (Hot).”
• The Test:
  • Does the Kitchen Printer print a ticket for the sandwich?
  • Does the Bar Printer print a sticker for the V60?
  • Is the “No Cheese” note clearly visible in BOLD?
• The Fail: If the barista has to scream “No Cheese!” to the kitchen because the printer didn’t show it, your system is broken.

4. The “Baqala Protocol” (Emergency Run)

You will run out of something. It is inevitable.

• The Plan: Who leaves the shop? It cannot be the only barista.
• The Petty Cash: Do you have 200 SAR in small bills (10s and 5s) in a specifically marked “Emergency Envelope”?
• The Test: Send a runner to the nearest Tamimi or Baqala to buy 10 liters of milk. Time them. If it takes 20 minutes, you know your operational risk window.

5. The “Pricing” Strategy: 50% Off vs. Free

• The Debate: Should you give food away for free during Soft Opening?
• My Advice: No. Charge 50%.
• Why? When people eat for free, they feel guilty complaining. They will say “Everything is delicious!” even if the coffee is burnt.
• The Feedback: When they pay (even 10 SAR), they feel entitled to give honest feedback. “The milk was a bit too hot” is the feedback that saves your business.

6. The “Stranger” Policy (Google Maps Leak)

Even if you haven’t announced it, if your lights are on, people will walk in.

• The Policy: Never turn a customer away. It is bad luck and bad hospitality.
• The Script: Train your staff to say:
  • “Welcome! We are currently in our Soft Opening training phase. We are happy to serve you, but please note the menu is limited and it might take a little longer. To thank you for your patience, everything is 50% off.”
• The Result: The customer feels special (“Insider status”) and forgives any mistakes.

7. The “Barista Dance” (Workflow)

• The Bottleneck: When 3 baristas are working, do they bump into each other?
• The Test: Simulate a rush. Have Barista A on shots, Barista B on milk, and Barista C on the register.
• Observe: Is the knock-box in the right place? Is the milk fridge accessible without Barista B hitting Barista A? Move the equipment now before you bolt it down.

8. The “Ice Machine” Capacity

• The Reality: Saudi customers love ice. A “V60 Ice” uses a lot of ice.
• The Test: Fill 20 cups with ice in a row. Does the machine recover fast enough? Or are you left with half-melted slush?
• The Fix: If the machine is too small, buy a backup chest freezer and store bags of “Emergency Ice” in the back.

9. The WiFi & Music Vibe

• The WiFi: Is the Guest WiFi separate from the POS WiFi? (Never put customers on the same network as your printers—it causes lag).
• The Music: Create a 12-hour playlist. Do not let staff play “DJ” with their own phones. The music should be consistent volume and genre (Jazz/Lo-Fi/House) depending on your brand.

10. The Bathroom Check

• The Standard: Check the bathroom every hour.
• The Detail: Is there a hook for the Abaya/Thobe? Is the soap dispenser full?
• Why? Customers judge the cleanliness of your kitchen by the cleanliness of your bathroom.

The Verdict: Break It Now

If the coffee tastes bad today, you can fix the recipe tomorrow.

If the customer service is bad today, you can retrain the staff.

Do not announce your Grand Opening until you have survived 3 days of Soft Opening without a major crisis.

Read More : Coffee Shop Marketing & Operations

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Read More on Saudi Coffee Crafters:

• [Phase 5: Marketing] – The “Grand Opening” Script: How to invite influencers without paying them.
• [Phase 3: Equipment] – Why your Ice Machine is the most important piece of gear in Riyadh.