Coffee & Pastries · Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner & Drinks

The Employee Handbook

One millimeter better, every day.

822 North 6th Avenue · Phoenix, AZ 85003

WelcomeWhat You’ve Joined

Welcome to Matilda’s. Before you learn a single table number or POS button, we want you to know what you’ve joined.

For eight years we ran First Place Coffee, a small coffee truck where this community shared its first dates, engagements, new babies, and hardest days with us. Matilda’s exists to keep that closeness alive in a bigger room. We hired you to make people feel known. Running food and pulling shots is just how you’ll do it.

This handbook is everything in one place: the why, the details, the how, and the housekeeping. Read all of it. We mean all of it.

The steps get the plate to the table.
You get the guest to come back.

"We don’t have customers. We have friends we haven’t met yet."

No. 1The Big Idea: Leave as a Friend

Every guest who walks through our door should leave knowing three things: the food and coffee were worth the trip, somebody here genuinely cared about them, and they have a place at Matilda’s. A five-star review is nice. What we actually want is a guest who tells a friend, "they know me there."

No. 2Where We Come From

Before Matilda’s, there was First Place Coffee, a small coffee truck that served this community for eight years. We didn’t have a dining room. We had a window, a few feet of counter, and the time it takes to pull a shot of espresso. In that tiny space, people let us into the biggest moments of their lives.

We watched first dates turn into engagements. We heard "we’re pregnant" before the grandparents did. We celebrated new jobs, graduations, birthdays, first days of school. We were there for the hard days too: the job losses, the diagnoses, the goodbyes. And when COVID shut the world down, we stayed open outdoors and learned something we will never forget. People needed more than coffee. They needed conversation, care, and compassion. That’s what got our community through, and honestly, it’s what got us through.

Matilda’s is that coffee truck with a bigger kitchen. More seats, more menu, more team, same promise: we will know you, we will care about you, and we will be there for your moments, big and small. The day guests become table numbers and ticket times is the day we’ve failed, no matter what the sales report says.

No. 3Living Our Values

MAKE FRIENDS, NOT TRANSACTIONS. A transaction ends when the check is paid. A friendship is just getting started. Treat every order, every table, and every phone call as the beginning of a relationship.

BE CURIOUS. Every guest walks in with a story. Ask about it. You cannot take care of someone you know nothing about.

SAY YES FIRST. The answer is "yes" or "let me find out what I can do." Never lead with policy. Lead with willingness.

ACT LIKE AN OWNER. Own your actions, your section, your mistakes, and your results. If you see something that needs doing, it’s yours.

TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. Hospitality starts before the guest arrives, with how we treat our own team. Help without being asked. Be a person everyone wants to work with. We cannot pour warmth into guests from an empty cup.

OWN YOUR MESSAGE. Speak the truth, kindly and directly. Say what you mean and do what you say, with guests and with each other.

GET BETTER EVERY DAY. Stay hungry. Never settle. Eight years in a truck taught us that small things done a little better every day become a reputation.

No. 4The Four Questions

At the heart of Matilda’s hospitality are four questions. They are not a script and they are not a checklist. They are the natural curiosity of someone who genuinely wants to know their guest. Weave them into real conversation, in whatever order the moment allows.

What you learn, you use. Act on it in the moment and share it at pre-shift. The answers to these questions are the raw material of friendship. Collect them like tips.

No. 5Unreasonable Hospitality, Matilda’s Style

We are big believers in the idea at the center of Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality: the best restaurants in the world compete on how they make people feel, not just on what they serve. Let’s also be clear about who we are. We are not fine dining and we don’t want to be. No white tablecloths, no tasting menus, no caviar carts. We are a neighborhood restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona.

Our version of unreasonable costs almost nothing, because the most valuable thing we can give a guest is genuine attention. It looks like this:

• It’s 110° in July. Nobody stands in our line or waits for a table without cold water in their hand.
• A guest mentions they moved to Phoenix this week. They leave with a handwritten list of neighborhood favorites: the hiking trail, the mechanic you can trust, the best happy hour that isn’t ours.
• A mom mentions her kid starts kindergarten tomorrow. A cookie goes in a to-go bag with a note that says "good luck tomorrow, superstar."
• A couple says they have a show at 7:30. We bring it up before they do: "We’ll have you out the door by 7:00, promise. I already let the kitchen know."
• A regular walks in and their Honeycomb is already working before they reach the register, and we ask about the thing they told us about last time.

None of that is in a manual at most restaurants. All of it is the job at Matilda’s.

No. 6"Yes" Is the Answer. What’s the Question?

Get comfortable with the word "yes," or at least the phrase "let me find out what I can do." Requests, modifications, and allergies are not interruptions to our work. They are chances to show a guest they matter more than a menu layout. And a "yes" only works when the whole chain says it together. Follow a request from the table to the kitchen and you’ll know instantly what kind of restaurant you’re in:

Every "no" stops the chain of hospitality before it reaches the next person. That’s why this culture has to live in the kitchen as much as the dining room. When the kitchen answers every request with dedication to the guest, "yes" becomes a reflex for the whole team, like muscle memory. At that point great hospitality isn’t something we do. It’s who we are.

One honest note about that chain: ours is a small kitchen, and some nights the answer genuinely has to be no. That’s okay. The promise was never that every answer would be yes; the promise is that we always ask first. So start with "let me find out," and mean it. And when the answer comes back no, deliver it like someone who actually tried: come back fast, be straight, and arrive holding an option. "Chef can’t pull that one off tonight, but the Gnocchetti gets you close, or we can do the pesto on the side." A no with care and an alternative still feels like hospitality. A reflexive no feels like a wall.

No. 7The One Percent of Separation

Anybody can take care of an easy guest. What wins us regulars is how we handle the harder moments: the allergy that needs the kitchen’s full attention, the toddler mid-meltdown, the bad day written all over someone’s face. We’re a small cafe with a small kitchen, so we can’t say yes to every modification. But nobody will ever try harder, or handle the moment with more care. React with warmth, do what we can, and be straight about what we can’t. Guests remember the care far longer than they remember the answer.

And never, ever make fun of a difficult guest. Not at the counter, not in the kitchen, not in the alley after close. The sincere desire to create the experience is what makes us different. A fake smile with concealed eye-rolling makes us just like everyone else. We refuse to tolerate mockery of guests from anyone on this team.

And remember why people go out at all. Nobody comes to a restaurant just to eat; they come to be out in the world, together. So talk to your tables. Storysell: where the Morgenstern comes from, why the Breakfast Sammy earned the house-special title, which drink you’d actually order. Read the room while you do it — a date night wants fewer words, a table of friends wants you in on the joke — but talk to people like a friend at their table, not a script with a tray. That conversation is the one percent that separates us.

No. 8When in Doubt, Side with the Guest

You will hear this constantly at Matilda’s: when in doubt, side with the guest. It admits we’re human. We will make mistakes, and we’re not afraid to learn from them. But it draws one line we never cross: we will not make a decision that risks a guest’s experience to save ourselves money, time, or pride. Remake the dish. Comp the coffee. Buy the dessert. Fix it first and tell leadership after. You will never be in trouble at Matilda’s for taking too good care of a guest.

No. 9Noticeably Clean

When you have people over to your home, your clothes aren’t draped over the couch. You spent the day cleaning because you want them to walk in and say, "wow, nice place." Matilda’s should get the same reaction every single day, from the front lawn to the patio to the restrooms. Every person on this team, front and back of house, owns the appearance of this restaurant. And here’s the standard: if guests aren’t remarking on how clean it is, it might be clean, but it isn’t noticeably clean. And nowhere matters more than the restrooms: a guest who finds a spotless restroom trusts a kitchen they will never see. Check them relentlessly.

No. 10We Hire Hospitality

We can teach anyone the register, the tray, the pour. We cannot teach friendly. So we hire for personality first and train the mechanics second, and we fill this restaurant with warm, curious, enthusiastic people. Everyone on this team is an agent of the guest, not a gatekeeper. You answer to the guest before you answer to a policy. And the welcome should start before the door: if you’re walking in or out and pass a guest, you smile, make eye contact, and greet them like they’re walking into your home. Because they are.

No. 11Matilda’s Hospitality Is…

• Always siding with the guest when in doubt.
• Unwilling to lose a single guest.
• The Four Questions, genuinely asked.
• Names learned, remembered, and used.
• A welcome that overflows the front door.
• Noticeably clean, inside and out, every day.
• Cold water before anyone asks. This is Phoenix.
• A kitchen and a dining room that share one culture and one answer: "yes."

One millimeter better, every day.

A Letter from the OwnersOne Millimeter

Team,

I want to say this clearly before anything else: I am incredibly proud of you. What we have built here is something special. I know how hard you work. I know how much energy this takes. I know how much heart goes into Matilda’s every single day.

Whenever I try to talk about this in person, I get emotional, because I care so deeply about what we are building together. I shared the example of a plane taking off from JFK headed to London. If it is one millimeter off course at takeoff, that does not seem like a big deal. But if it never course-corrects over the course of the flight, it does not end up in London. It can end up in Ireland.

That is what I want us thinking about every day. The little things do not feel big in the moment. But over time, they become the experience. They become the culture. They become the reason guests either return or quietly decide not to.

None of what follows is a criticism of any one person. It is simply how we stay that one millimeter on course. Because at the end of the day, we are here to serve.

That is why we have to protect the details. These are the reminders we hold ourselves to.

1 — Stop and Fully Engage

If a guest asks you a question, stop what you are doing, walk over to them, make eye contact, and give them your full attention. Do not answer while still doing another task. Do not shout an answer across the room. Do not make them feel like they are competing with whatever is in your hands. For that moment, they are the priority.

2 — If You Don’t Know, Own It and Return with the Answer

You do not need to know everything immediately. But you do need to handle uncertainty with confidence and care. If a guest asks something and you are not sure, say: "I’m not positive, but I’ll find out and be right back." Then go find the right person, get the correct answer, and return to the guest. That shows care. That builds trust. And it helps you learn the business faster.

3 — Anticipate Needs Before Guests Have to Ask

Hospitality is not just reacting. It is noticing. If someone is seated and does not have water, do not ask if they want water. Bring them water. We should be looking for ways to make the guest feel cared for before they have to raise their hand. That is the difference between service and hospitality.

4 — Presentation Matters

Details matter because they communicate standards. Aprons should be clean and not wrinkled; a steamer lives in the garage, and it is there whenever you need it. No one expects perfection, but we should look like we take pride in being here.

5 — The Bar Should Feel Welcoming Immediately

At the bar, guests should never feel like they have to interrupt us to get service. If someone sits down, acknowledge them right away, thank them for coming in, let them know you see them, and find out what they need. If you are in a conversation with another staff member, pause it. The guest comes first. That conversation can happen later.

And watch how we talk to each other in front of guests. No loud conversations with one another across the bar. Talking to each other is fine — but we should always be trying to invite the guest into the conversation. It should never feel like there is a separation between Matilda’s staff and Matilda’s guests. One room, one conversation, everyone welcome in it.

6 — What We Serve Should Match What the Guest Expects

Imagine ordering a draft beer and being handed a can, with no glass and no explanation. That kind of thing matters. The issue is not the can. The issue is that the guest expected one experience and received another without explanation. If something is unavailable, if we are out of draft, or if there is a reason a drink is being served differently, we communicate that clearly. Guests should never be left confused about what is being placed in front of them.

The same promise covers to-go. A one-item order gets delivered with a small to-go bag and cutlery offered to the guest — and if they want the bag, bag the item, put the cutlery in the bag too, and hand the bag off. An order of more than one item always goes out bagged, cutlery inside, handed to the guest. And please double and triple check every to-go order. There is no worse feeling than paying for something and not realizing you didn’t receive it until you get to your destination.

7 — Use Names and Close the Loop

One of the most meaningful things a person can hear is their own name. When we run food, we need to know both the table number and the guest name whenever possible. Instead of just dropping a plate, say something like: "Hi, I have the turkey sandwich for Monica." Let them identify themselves, then hand it off. And before walking away, always close the loop: "Are we waiting on anything else?" "Is there anything I can get for you right now?" That extra moment is where care is felt. And once the table has received everything they ordered, take the table number with you. A number left behind makes everyone on the floor visibly check it every time they run food, when they don’t need to be — we should only be looking for tables with active numbers.

8 — Do Not Pass By a Need

If you see something that needs attention, own it. An empty water glass. A dirty table edge. A guest looking around for help, or a guest who looks unsure. A door closing hard. A chair scraping loudly. A plate sitting too long. If you notice it, do not assume someone else will handle it. Handle it.

Wobbly tables included. The trick is to start by screwing all the legs the whole way in, so you have room to work back out from there — if a leg gets unscrewed too much, it ends up falling out. Start with every leg screwed in, then back each one out just until the table sits steady. It is a much easier fix in that order.

9 — Guests Should Feel Seen, Not Processed

We are busy, yes. But busy cannot become cold. No one should feel like they are being moved through a system. They should feel welcomed, recognized, and cared for. Even a five-second interaction can feel warm when it has eye contact, tone, and intention.

10 — Protect the Room

Hospitality is not only what is on the plate. It is the feeling in the room. The way we walk. The way we speak. The way we move chairs. The way we set things down. The way we talk to each other within earshot of guests. All of it matters. Guests may not consciously notice every detail, but they absolutely feel it.

11 — Compliments Are Free, and They Matter

One of the easiest ways to make someone feel good is to notice something about them and say it. Compliments are free. They cost nothing. And when they are genuine, they can completely change how someone feels in a moment.

There is a lot to like about our guests. They are fun, funny, quirky, stylish, creative, thoughtful, and interesting. Many of them are designers, artists, builders, and people with a real point of view. You know how good it feels when someone notices something about you in a sincere way. Our guests feel the same way. So notice them.

If you like someone’s shirt graphic, say so. If someone has great glasses, mention it. If you like their jacket, hat, shoes, jewelry, tattoo, or overall style, tell them. A simple, genuine comment can make someone feel seen, and people remember how you made them feel. The key is that it has to be real. We are not forcing compliments. We are paying attention. That is hospitality too. Noticing people. Appreciating them. Making them feel like they matter.

The StandardHow We Stay on Course

The steps get the plate to the table. You get the guest to come back.

How to Use This Guide

This guide covers how we serve at every hour we’re open: counter service for breakfast and lunch, full service at dinner, and the bar until close. The steps exist so that great service never depends on luck or memory. They are the starting point, not the finish line — the minimum every guest can count on. Hospitality, meaning the Four Questions, the names, the celebrations, and the friendships, is what you build on top of them. Read this alongside our Culture of Hospitality. That document is the why. This one is the how.

Every Hour We’re Open: Standards That Never Change

THE 10-AND-4 RULE. At ten feet: eye contact and a smile. At four feet: a genuine verbal greeting. This applies to every team member, front and back of house, on the clock or walking to your car.

THE 30-SECOND WELCOME. No guest stands at our door, in our line, or at our host stand for more than 30 seconds without being warmly acknowledged, even if it’s just "so glad you’re here, I’ll be right with you."

NAMES, BOTH WAYS. Give yours, learn theirs, use theirs. Anyone can write a name on a cup. Remembering it on the second visit is how regulars get made.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS. What brings you in today? Are you celebrating anything? Is this your first time at Matilda’s? What side of town did you come from? Woven into natural conversation, never recited. What you learn, you act on and pass on.

FIRST-TIMERS. A first visit gets our warmest welcome: a walk through the menu, our honest favorites, the short version of the First Place Coffee story if they’re curious, and a send-off that makes it clear they’re a regular now. Flag first-timers to leadership whenever possible.

CELEBRATIONS. Every celebration we learn about gets acknowledged before that guest leaves. Verbally at minimum, and with a dessert, a candle, or a handwritten note when the moment calls for it. Tell leadership. We would rather over-celebrate than miss one. For a real occasion, bookend it: a small glass of prosecco or an N/A spritz to start, and a dessert of your choice to end (we have candles). Both go through Toast and are fully comped — small touches that make the night.

EVERYONE’S WELCOME. Service animals are welcome, period — we may ask only whether it’s a service animal and what task it performs, never for papers. Make room for wheelchairs and strollers before anyone has to ask. Meet kids at their speed. And every dietary need gets the same respect as any other order — nobody should have to work to feel comfortable here.

WATER FIRST. Cold water hits the table, or the guest’s hand in line, before anything else happens. Nobody should ever have to ask for water in Phoenix.

ALLERGIES. Write it down, say it out loud to the kitchen, flag it on the ticket, tell leadership, and confirm at the table when the food lands. Never guess about ingredients. Go ask. An allergy handled flawlessly earns a guest for life. One handled carelessly can end one.

NO AUCTIONS. "Who had the Caesar?" is banned. Know who gets what. Use seat positions at dinner and names during the day.

GLASS SERVICE. Every bottled beverage goes out with a glass and ice; canned beer goes out with a cold glass. Nobody drinks from the bottle unless they choose to.

TO-GO. To-go food and boxed leftovers come with the offer, not the assumption: bring the bag out and ask if they’d like a bag and plasticware.

WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG: L.A.S.T. Listen fully without defending. Apologize sincerely. Solve it on the spot. You are empowered to remake a dish, comp a drink, or buy a dessert without waiting for permission. Then Tell leadership what happened and what you did. When in doubt, side with the guest.

WHEN WE HEAR IT LATER. Sometimes the miss comes home after the guest is gone: a review, an email, a friend of a friend. Leadership owns every response, within a day, and we never argue with a review in public — one defensive reply costs more than a hundred bad nights. If we know who the guest is, we reach out personally and invite them back on us. The end-of-night report exists so none of these ever surprise us.

THE END-OF-NIGHT REPORT. Three quick lines from the closing lead before lockup, sent to the leadership group thread: what missed tonight and how we fixed it (comps included), guest moments worth remembering (celebrations, first-timers, anyone whose night we should know about), and anything 86’d or running low. Two minutes of writing so nobody opens tomorrow blind.

You will never be in trouble for taking too good care of a guest.

Daytime · Counter Service (Open to 4:00 PM)

Counter service is where we came from. Eight years at a truck window taught us that the counter is the closest we ever get to a guest, and order-at-the-counter never means serve-yourself hospitality.

Step 1 — The Door and the Line

• Greet every guest within 30 seconds of walking in. Whoever is closest owns the greeting.
• If a line forms, get menus into hands, answer questions, and start conversations. Guests in line are already guests.
• In the hot months, if you’re available and not running food or bussing, cold water goes to anyone waiting, inside or out, without being asked.
• Watch for the tells of a first-timer (reading the big menu, looking around) and say so out loud: "First time in? I’m so glad you’re here. Let me give you the tour."

Step 2 — The Register: A Conversation, Not a Transaction

• Greet like a human, not a cashier. Eyes up, POS down, guest first.
• When someone asks what’s good, tell them your actual favorite and why. "Everything" helps nobody. If they want sweet, the Bread Pudding French Toast has a following. If they can’t decide, the Breakfast Sammy is the house special for a reason.
• Know the coffee program cold, because it’s our history. If a guest is lingering on the Matilda’s Originals, tell them what you drink: the Honeycomb, the Diablo, the Cafe de Olla. Real opinions sell more coffee than descriptions do.
• Work a Four Question or two into the chat naturally. Thirty seconds of curiosity at the register is where regulars are made.
• Take their name for the order, then actually remember it and use it again at the door on their way out.
• Modifications and dietary needs get an easy "absolutely." We have gluten-free bread and a vegan swap on half the menu. Read complex orders back.
• Be honest about wait times, and beat the number you gave whenever we can.

Step 3 — Running the Food

• Deliver by name: "Sarah! Here’s your Breakfast Sammy." We don’t shout order numbers into the room.
• Set the plate down properly, make sure they have everything (silverware, napkins, the house hot sauce if it fits), and ask if there’s anything else like you mean it.
• If food is running behind, they hear it from us first, with an honest ETA and something to hold them over, like a Chocolate Banana Breadosaurus or a cookie.

Step 4 — Owning the Floor

During counter hours everyone owns the dining room. There are no sections, just guests.

• Check back within two minutes of food landing. Ask something specific, not "everything okay?"
• Pre-bus as you move. Never walk empty-handed.
• Tables are cleaned and reset within two minutes of a guest leaving. Restrooms checked every hour, on the hour.
• Keep talking to people. The floor walk is where you hear about the birthday, the new job, the kid’s game. That’s the actual work.

Step 5 — The Goodbye

• Every guest gets a real farewell, by name when we know it, at the door when we can get there.
• Daytime guests are tomorrow’s dinner guests, and plenty of them have no idea we do dinner. Tell them: "We turn into a full-service restaurant at 5. Come back some night and let us take care of you."
• The last impression is the first impression of the next visit.

Dinner · Full Service (5:00 PM to Close)

At 5:00 the room changes. Hosts seat, servers own tables, and the pace slows down on purpose. The standards below carry timing targets. Hit them quietly. Guests should never feel the clock, only the care.

Step 0 — Pre-Shift Lineup

• Every dinner service starts with lineup: tonight’s reservations and celebrations, first-timers we know about, regulars coming in, 86’d items, features, and one hospitality story from the last 24 hours worth repeating.

Step 1 — The Welcome (Host)

• 30-second greet at the door, warm and unhurried. The host sets the emotional temperature for the entire visit.
• Seat with intention: pace the room for the kitchen, honor requests when we can, and say yes to the table they point at whenever possible.
• Walk with the guests, don’t march ahead of them. Pull chairs, bring the highchair before it’s asked for, and present menus instead of dealing them like cards.
• Pass intel to the server: "Table NR2 is celebrating an anniversary, first time in, came from Ahwatukee."

Step 2 — First Approach: 60 Seconds

• At the table within one minute of seating. Give your name and welcome them properly.
• Water is poured immediately, before drink orders, before anything.
• Open the conversation, not the order pad. This is where the Four Questions live at dinner.
• Take the drink order with a genuine recommendation from the bar, and offer the zero-proof list with the same enthusiasm as the cocktails. A guest skipping alcohol should never feel like a lesser guest.

Step 3 — Drinks and the Menu: 5 Minutes

• Drinks land within five minutes of the order.
• Guide the menu like you’d guide a friend: honest favorites, what the kitchen is proud of tonight, what’s big enough to share. Know the answer when someone asks whether to get the Gnocchetti Sardo or the Pasta alla Norma, because someone asks every night.
• First-timers get the full tour. Note their answers, because they’ll shape everything else you do tonight.

Step 4 — Taking the Order

• Use seat positions on every ticket so the right plate lands in front of the right person without a word.
• Ask about allergies at every table, every night, and follow the allergy protocol to the letter.
• Modifications get a "yes" face, not a policy face. Read back anything complex.
• Course the meal thoughtfully. Ask whether they want starters first or everything together. Their pace, not ours.

Step 5 — The In-Between

• Refills before empty: water, tea, soda, wine. Nobody at Matilda’s should ever have to flag someone down.
• Pre-bus constantly. Never pass your own table empty-handed.
• Watch the kitchen’s timing. If something is running long, the table hears it from you before they feel it: "Chef’s taking a couple extra minutes on your pork chop. It’s worth it, I promise."
• Stay present without hovering. Read the table. Date night wants privacy. Solo diners often want conversation. Families want speed.

Step 6 — Food Delivery

• Right plate, right person, no auction. Announce dishes warmly as they land.
• Everything they need arrives with the food, not after it: sauces, sides, silverware, extra napkins.
• One last scan before you step away. Full drinks, full setups, happy faces.

Step 7 — The Check-Back: Two Bites or Two Minutes

• Return within two minutes or two bites, whichever comes first.
• Ask something real and specific. "How are the first couple bites of the Charred Leek Dip?" beats a drive-by "everything okay?" with no eye contact.
• If anything is less than great, it comes off the table and gets fixed immediately. L.A.S.T. When in doubt, side with the guest. Bring a menu and offer to replace it; if they’d rather not replace it, the item comes off the bill.
• Tell leadership about every one of these moments so it makes the end-of-night report. When something misses, we all need to know about it.

Step 8 — Dessert and Coffee

• There are only a few desserts on the menu, so know them cold and offer them by name. The Morgenstern is our tribute to Morgenstern’s in New York City. Tell that story. A mumbled "any dessert?" while reaching for plates doesn’t count as an offer.
• We spent eight years as a coffee company before we ever served dinner. When a guest orders a cappuccino after their meal, that’s our home turf. Make it like it matters, and mention the Copa de Oro to the right table.
• Celebrations get the treatment now: dessert with a candle, the table acknowledged. Coordinate with leadership.

Step 9 — The Check

• Drop the check when the table is ready. Never before they’re done enjoying, never so late they’re hunting for you.
• Once payment is down, process it within two minutes. The end of the meal should never feel like waiting.
• Thank them by name, and mean it.

Step 10 — The Farewell

• Pull chairs, box the leftovers before they have to ask, and walk them toward the door when you can.
• The host says goodbye the way the host said hello: warmly, by name, with a genuine "come back and see us."

Guests should never feel the clock, only the care.

The Bar (When We Go Late)

When we go late, Matilda’s becomes the neighborhood’s living room. Some guests are winding down, some are keeping a celebration alive, and some just don’t want the night to end yet. The bartender is the host of these hours, and the last guest of the night deserves the same welcome as the first guest of the morning.

The Standards

• Every guest greeted within 30 seconds of sitting down: napkin down, water down, "what sounds good tonight?"
• Learn names at the bar above all places. Bar regulars are the heartbeat of a neighborhood restaurant.
• Know the list cold and guide it with real opinions: the Second Wind for the espresso crowd, the Bluebird Slush for somebody celebrating, Wren House on draft when they ask what’s local (it’s brewed right here in Phoenix).
• Treat the zero-proof list as a first-class menu, not a consolation prize. The MicheNADA (a michelada with nada alcohol; say the name out loud, guests love it), the Ghia Berry Mocktail, and the N/A Spritz get offered with the same pride as anything with alcohol.
• Slow hours are for conversation. This is where the Four Questions do their best work.
• Keep the energy warm as the room thins out. A guest arriving 30 minutes before close should feel welcomed, not tolerated.

Serving Responsibly

• Check ID for anyone who appears under 40. No exceptions, no matter how charming, familiar, or regular.
• Everyone serving alcohol completes Arizona Title 4 liquor law training and follows it.
• Watch the room. Count drinks, slow the pace, and lead with water and food when someone is getting ahead of themselves. A well-timed "want me to switch you over to a MicheNADA?" is responsible service.
• Cutting someone off is an act of care. Do it quietly, kindly, and with leadership involved. Never embarrass a guest. Offer a MicheNADA so they can keep their seat and their dignity.
• Offer to call a ride like a friend would: "Let us get you a ride home. Come back tomorrow and the first coffee’s on us."

Closing with Grace

• Last call happens 30 minutes before close, delivered warmly and personally, never shouted across the room.
• Closing duties are never performed at guests. No table settings being cleared, no vacuum running, no lights snapping bright while anyone is still seated. Their night ends when they’re ready, and the goodbye is unhurried.
• The last impression of the night is somebody’s first story about us tomorrow.

At a GlanceTiming Standards

The Moment	The Standard
Greeting at the door, line, or host stand	Within 30 seconds
Eye contact and smile / verbal greeting	10 feet / 4 feet
Water on the table or in hand	Immediately, always first
First approach at a dinner table	Within 60 seconds of seating
Drinks delivered	Within 5 minutes of order
Check-back after food lands	Two bites or two minutes
Refills	Before the glass or mug is empty
Table cleaned and reset	Within 2 minutes
Payment processed	Within 2 minutes
Restroom checks	Every hour
Appetizers, fired to served	Within 10 minutes
Entrées, fired to served	Within 15 minutes
Table turn: 2-top	About 45–60 minutes
Table turn: 4-top	About 60–90 minutes
Table turn: groups	About 90–120 minutes
Last call at the bar	30 minutes before close, warmly

Hit every number on this page and the service will be good.
Learn the guest’s name, their story, and their reason for coming,
and it will be Matilda’s.

The first diner and the last diner get the same Matilda’s.

Why We Don’t Pre-Close: The First Diner and the Last

Our team comes from some of the best restaurant families around — Upward Projects, Fox Restaurant Concepts, Chris Bianco’s restaurants — and everyone arrived here with their own ways of doing things. Many of those habits are excellent, and we’ll happily adopt them. But not all of them are, and there is one we are leaving behind for good: pre-closing while guests are still in the room.

We believe the first diner and the last diner should get the exact same Matilda’s.

If a table stays a little later sharing that last bottle of wine, it is because their conversation is deep and they feel comfortable in our space. That is not a problem to manage. That is the whole point of the restaurant. Lean into it.

• No picking up plates and glassware around them, or the clang of it being stacked nearby.
• No sections quietly disappearing while they can watch it happen.
• No visible cleaning, no signals — however small — that we are waiting on them.
• The room stays warm, the lights stay right, and their night ends when they are ready — within reason. An hour after close is too long: check in warmly at 30 and 45 minutes past closing time.

Then, once the last guest leaves, we close quickly and methodically, together. Closing fast is a skill we practice. Closing early is a habit we don’t keep.

Lean into the last bottle of wine.

Daytime Too: The Last Guest

The same rule holds at two in the afternoon. At the end of a long shift, everyone wants to get home, and getting ahead on side work feels productive. But when guests see and hear plates being collected around them, sections disappearing, and staff visibly trying to finish the day, it creates an unintended feeling that they are in the way or that they should hurry. Even if no one says a word, people can feel it.

That is not the experience we want to create. Remember the line from our standards: our guests are not an interruption to our work. They are the reason the work exists.

• Every guest has the potential to become a regular.
• Every guest has the potential to tell three other people about Matilda’s.
• Every guest is choosing to spend their time and money with us instead of somewhere else.

How the Afternoon Flip Works

• The cafe closes between 4:00 and 5:00 to reset for dinner service. Last call for the daytime menu is 3:45.
• Guests can settle up and linger a while; someone finishing something on a laptop is welcome until 4:15. By then, help everyone make their way out warmly so the flip can happen.
• At 5:00 we become full service. Most guests arriving after that want coffee to go. If they’d rather stay and drink it, seat them at the window seats in the South Room (preferably) so the dining room stays set for dinner.

They deserve to feel just as welcomed and cared for as the first guest of the day. This does not mean we stop being efficient. It means we prioritize the guest experience until the last guest leaves. Once service is truly over, we close together.

We want every person who walks in, regardless of the time, to leave thinking, "I felt genuinely welcomed there." If we consistently create that feeling, people come back. They bring their friends. They become regulars. That is how we build something special.

The last guest of the day receives the same hospitality as the first.

Leave it better than you found it.

The One Rule

Every shift at Matilda’s, on the floor or behind the bar, runs on one simple rule, and every checklist is just that rule written out in detail. If everyone approaches each shift this way, the small stuff takes care of itself.

That means:

• If the honey is empty, refill it.
• If you use the last lime wedge, cut more.
• If you dirty a knife, wash it.
• If you see a mess, clean it.

No one should ever think, "that’s the next shift’s problem."

Where the Checklists Live

These checklists are living documents, written by this team and sharpened in service. Red-line them, argue with them, improve them — bring changes to leadership and we’ll update the laminated sheets.

Take care of the guest, take care of each other, and the rest takes care of itself.

No. 1Employment Basics

LEADERSHIP, BY NAME. When this handbook says "leadership," it means real people, not an org chart: Devon and Terrence for the front of house, Matt and Brycen for the back. Start with your side of the house, but any of them, any time, for anything.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT. Employment at Matilda’s is at-will: you or Matilda’s may end employment at any time, with or without cause or notice. Nothing in this guide is a contract of employment.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. We hire, promote, schedule, and pay without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status. This is both the law and who we are.

ACCOMMODATIONS. If you need a workplace accommodation for a disability, pregnancy, or religious practice, talk to an owner. We’ll work with you in good faith.

WORK AUTHORIZATION. All new hires complete an I-9 and provide documentation as required by federal and Arizona law (E-Verify).

No. 2Your First Weeks

TRAINING PATH. You’ll train by shadowing first, then being shadowed, then flying solo, in that order. Nobody works a station alone until they and their trainer both say they’re ready.

FOOD HANDLER CARD. Everyone who handles food obtains a Maricopa County Food Handler card within 30 days of hire. Matilda’s reimburses the cost — bring your receipt to leadership.

ALCOHOL TRAINING. Everyone who serves or pours alcohol completes Arizona Title 4 liquor law training before their first solo bar or dinner shift.

CULTURE ONBOARDING. Within your first two weeks you’ll read this handbook and talk through it with leadership. That conversation matters more to us than any quiz.

MENU TRAINING. You’ll taste the menu during training, coffee program included. You can’t recommend what you haven’t tried, and "what’s good?" is the most common question in the building.

No. 3Pay, Tips, and Reviews

PAYDAYS. Pay runs biweekly through Paychex, landing between Wednesday and Friday. Direct deposit is available.

TIPS. Everyone at Matilda’s is paid above the full Arizona minimum wage before tips — we don’t take the tip credit — which is what allows our tip pool to include the whole team. The pool currently splits 80% to FOH and 20% to BOH, paid out by hours worked against the entire pool for that pay period; meal benefits are structured to help balance this. The structure may change with seasonality and as dinner service grows, and any update will be shared company-wide before it takes effect.

OVERTIME. Non-exempt team members are paid overtime as required by law for hours over 40 in a workweek. All hours worked are recorded. Never work off the clock.

REVIEWS. You’ll sit down with leadership for a real conversation about how it’s going, in both directions, at 90 days and at least once a year after.

IF YOU LEAVE. Final paychecks follow Arizona law: by the next regular payday if you resign, and within seven working days (or the next payday, whichever comes first) if we part ways. Give us as much notice as you can, and we’ll do the same. Leaving well matters — this door stays open to people who walked out of it kindly.

No. 4Scheduling and Attendance

THE SCHEDULE. Schedules post by Friday for the following week. Check it. Screenshot it.

AVAILABILITY. Give us your real availability and keep it current. We’ll do our best to honor it. We know school, kids, and second jobs are real life.

SHIFT SWAPS. Swaps are welcome with advance approval. The shift belongs to you until the swap is confirmed — and every swap gets confirmed with Devon.

CALLING OUT. If you can’t make a shift, call or text leadership as early as possible, and no later than 4 hours before your shift.

SICK TIME. Arizona law provides earned paid sick time: one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to five days a year. If you’re sick, stay home. This is food service, and we will never pressure a sick person onto the floor. Sick time covers you or a family member who needs you, and using it will never be held against you.

NO-CALL, NO-SHOW. The one attendance rule with no flexibility, because it leaves your teammates and guests stranded. It’s grounds for termination.

CIVIC DUTY. Jury summons or election day: tell leadership as soon as you know. Arizona law gives you paid time off to vote when your shift doesn’t leave you three clear hours while polls are open, and jury duty will never cost you your job or your standing here.

No. 5How We Show Up

DRESS. Clean, casual, and put together: Matilda’s color palette and apron, clean pants or jeans without holes, closed-toe non-slip shoes. Aprons clean and unwrinkled — the steamer in the garage is there for exactly this. And these are the colors — if what you’re wearing lives in this palette, you’re dressed for work:

PERSONAL STYLE. Your style is welcome here. Tattoos and piercings are fine as long as everything is clean, safe, and food-appropriate.

HYGIENE. Impeccable hygiene, hair tied back around food, minimal fragrance. We sell the smell of coffee and dinner, not cologne.

No. 6How We Treat Each Other

RESPECT. Hospitality starts with the team. Help without being asked. Talk to people, not about them. Be a person everyone wants to work with.

ZERO TOLERANCE. Harassment, discrimination, or bullying of any kind, by anyone, including leadership, guests, or vendors, is not tolerated. Report it to leadership or directly to the owners. You will never face retaliation for reporting in good faith. If the person you’d normally tell is the problem, go to any other leader or owner — and nothing in this handbook limits your right to contact the EEOC or the Arizona Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division. If a guest crosses the line with you, get leadership immediately. We will always choose our team over a bad actor’s business.

OPEN DOOR. Questions, ideas, frustrations, personal stuff affecting work: bring it to leadership or an owner, any time. That includes rumors, gripes, and complaints: bring them to leadership before they take a lap around the room. Communication removes curiosity. We ran a truck with a crew strong enough to feel like close friends, we intend to keep that, and it only works if you talk to us.

No. 7Shift Life

PRE-SHIFT LINEUP. Dinner service starts with lineup every day. Be there, on time, in uniform. It’s where the day’s celebrations, notes, and features live.

PHONES. Phones live off the floor — we should never see one in the restaurant. Nobody in this building, guest or teammate, should ever have to compete with a screen for your attention. Step into the garage (not prep) for anything urgent. You will sometimes see leadership on a phone: answering reservations, placing orders, adjusting the music. That’s not a double standard; it’s the same standard. The rule was never about phones. It’s about presence — everything on the floor is in service of the people in the room. If it serves the room, it belongs here. If it’s personal, it can wait.

BREAKS. Take your breaks. Present people need to recharge, and running on empty serves nobody, least of all the guests. Eat in the garage, and tell leadership or a teammate before you step off the floor. A break that’s communicated is rest; a break that isn’t looks like someone went missing, and your team covers blind. Everyone gets one paid 15-minute break per shift — Arizona law doesn’t require it, and we do it anyway, because we’d rather have you back at your best. Stagger breaks with the team so service stays covered.

CLOCKING OUT. The last fifteen minutes of your shift are part of the shift: restock what’s low, finish side work, and leave your station clean and set for whoever’s next. Then clock out right when your shift ends — not after hanging out in the back. Time on the clock is time working, and that honesty runs in both directions.

SHIFT MEALS & DISCOUNTS. Here’s how it works, on shift and off (nothing on this list ever includes alcohol):

• On shift, FOH: 50% off meals.
• On shift, BOH: one free meal, prepared by someone else. You cooked all day; someone cooks for you.
• On shift, everyone: one free coffee, matcha, or other drink, and 50% off any additional drinks. Brewed coffee is always free on shift.
• Off shift, as a guest: FOH and BOH get 50% off one appetizer, one dish, one non-alcoholic drink, and one dessert.
• Friends & family: 10% off the bill.
• Industry: 10% off the bill. Industry comps — for visiting chefs, management, and leadership — go through Toast and are comped there.
• The one rule of generosity: nothing is ever comped or discounted without being rung into Toast or logged — comps, shift meals, extra shift drinks, friends’ tables, and anything the kitchen sends out. We’re building a real handle on our costs, and every gift on the record protects everyone.

ALCOHOL. No alcohol during shifts, and never come to work impaired. Alcohol is never discounted. And if you’re staying for a drink after you clock out — wonderful. You’re a guest now, so look like one: apron off, and anything that reads "on duty" put away. No guest should ever glance over and wonder whether the person with the drink is also the person running their food. Off the clock, out of the apron, and the room’s trust stays whole.

PARKING. Leave our street open for guests — every spot in front of the building is hospitality before anyone walks in. Park in the lot at 650 N 6th Ave, or two blocks away in either direction.

SOCIAL MEDIA. We love that you love this place — share it. The room, the food, your section on a good night: post away and tag us. What never goes online: guests (no faces, no stories, no overheard moments), team business, and numbers. And speaking as the cafe — reviews, comments, DMs — is leadership’s job, even when you have the perfect comeback. Especially then.

No. 8Safety

FOOD SAFETY. Follow food safety practices always: temps, gloves, handwashing, date labels, clean-as-you-go. When in doubt, throw it out. Nobody gets in trouble for wasting product to protect a guest. When you do toss something, add it to the loss log — it’s on the push-pin board to the right of the kitchen door, next to the speed rack — so we can take it as a loss.

INJURIES. Report every injury, yours or a guest’s, to leadership the same shift, no matter how minor. Work injuries are covered by our workers’ compensation insurance, and reporting fast is what makes a claim smooth.

HEAT. Phoenix heat is a workplace hazard, especially on the patio. Hydrate constantly, rotate patio duty in summer, and speak up if you or a teammate is overheating. The water-first rule applies to us too.

EMERGENCIES. In a robbery or threat, comply and stay safe. Money and property are replaceable; people are not. In any emergency: guests and team out first, then 911, then an owner.

No. 9Growing with Us

First Place Coffee went from a truck to Matilda’s. We plan for Matilda’s to grow too, and we intend to grow it with the people in this building. We cross-train anyone who’s curious, we promote from within first, and we’ll teach you the business side (costs, scheduling, ordering) if you want to learn it. Tell leadership where you want to go and we’ll help you build the path.

Acknowledgment

Welcome to the team. See you at lineup.

Matilda’s · All-Day-Cafe · Phoenix, Arizona