# Ritual & Room Playbook

The system succeeds only if a guest can feel it without opening Instagram. Keep the behaviors small enough for a real café shift.

## Daily baseline

### Open

- Put the current ritual card at the entrance and counter.
- Confirm the current special, tap note, and one sentence every staff member can say accurately.
- Play the six-second sonic logo once after the room is ready—not on a relentless loop.

### During service

- Capture no more than three honest clips: preparation, room response, and finished item.
- Ask permission before filming identifiable guests.
- Never delay food or hospitality for content.

### Close

- Save the best clip with date, ritual, and one-line context.
- Record three numbers: ritual orders, first-time mentions, and QR/offer interactions if available.
- Write one sentence the room taught us.

## Weekly rituals

### Tuesday — Dave's Day

- **Meaning:** the owner is the format; useful chaos becomes intimacy.
- **Cue:** six-second guitar logo at opening.
- **Staff line:** “It’s Dave’s Day. You get exactly one Dave.”
- **Physical proof:** a small “Dave is doing all the jobs” counter card.
- **Capture:** one unbroken phone clip of the actual shift.
- **Measure:** how many guests use the phrase “Dave’s Day” unprompted.

### Wednesday — Shell Yeah Wednesday

- **Meaning:** midweek becomes a group celebration.
- **Cue:** play the 15-second chorus once at the announced seafood-happy-hour moment.
- **Room action:** staff calls “Claws up”; guests may raise hands, forks, or glasses—never force participation.
- **Physical proof:** red/gold ritual card at the counter.
- **Capture:** food close-up first; room response second.
- **Measure:** seafood-special orders and guest-created story tags.

### Thursday — It's Thursday

- **Meaning:** Route 1 freedom; the weekend begins early.
- **Cue:** windows-down song at the first strong lunch wave.
- **Staff line:** “You made it to Thursday. Route 1 did the rest.”
- **Physical proof:** small Route 1 shield on the feature item.
- **Capture:** exterior/road arrival plus real plate.
- **Measure:** Thursday repeat visits and “saw it online” mentions.

### Friday — Bugs & Bourbon Friday

- **Meaning:** two Maine pleasures become a bar ritual.
- **Cue:** guitar riff at the start of the featured-pour window.
- **Staff line:** “We get a haul. You eat the haul.”
- **Physical proof:** one featured bourbon card with accurate current pricing.
- **Capture:** bottle, measured pour, seafood, then people—not bottle-wall theater alone.
- **Measure:** featured pours, seafood pairings, responsible participation.

### Weekend — Free Whoopie / Sweet Detour

- **Meaning:** the road trip earns a Maine ending.
- **Cue:** bright hook during the first dessert push.
- **Staff line:** “Save room for good trouble.”
- **Physical proof:** whoopie-pie stamp or tray sign; exact offer must be confirmed that day.
- **Capture:** real whoopie pie breaking open.
- **Measure:** attachment rate and guest shares.

### Sunday — Everyone Needs a Dave

- **Meaning:** gratitude and belonging close the week.
- **Cue:** final album movement once near the end of service, at a volume that preserves conversation.
- **Staff line:** no script; thank a real person by name where appropriate.
- **Physical proof:** “Everyone needs a Dave” table card.
- **Capture:** one quiet human detail, not a staged group cheer.
- **Measure:** list signups, repeat-guest recognition, and qualitative stories.

## Music use

- The full café mix is a feature, not background wallpaper. Use it at intentional windows, then return to the normal room playlist.
- Social hooks may repeat online; in-room hooks should remain scarce enough to feel like signals.
- Keep playback conversational. The goal is recognition, not dominance.
- Do not claim public-performance clearance beyond the rights actually granted for the generated masters; confirm the final commercial/public-performance terms before regular deployment.

## Staff adoption

- Fifteen-minute kickoff: play the hooks, explain the meaning, let staff rewrite lines in their own voice.
- One-page weekly board: today, cue, line, physical touch, capture, metric.
- Any staff member can veto a content capture that harms service or feels false.
- Retire any ritual that guests do not adopt after a fair test. The culture is co-authored with the room.
