30/08/2026
And just like that, their summer shifts are over. ❤️
As many of you know, the boys have been helping us front of house this summer. Husain (left), 13, and Muhammad (right), 11.
At the beginning of the summer I had a choice. Let them spend six weeks glued to a screen, or put them to work. 😂
Obviously, I chose work. 😂😂
But there was actually a reason behind it.
I wanted them to learn some of the things you simply can’t learn from a screen. How to talk to people. How to deal with different personalities. How to solve a problem when something doesn’t quite go to plan. How to think outside the box, take responsibility, use their initiative and grow in confidence.
So they took orders, made drinks, cleared tables, dealt with requests and spent their summer chatting to so many of you.
And much to my surprise… they were actually realllyyy good. 😂
I say that but once I made the mistake of putting them both on the same shift.
Never. Again. 😂😂
Individually, excellent.
Together, apparently being brothers takes priority over professionalism. 😂
But what I really wasn’t expecting was how many of you would notice them.
We’ve read reviews mentioning “the young waiter”. You’ve stopped me to tell me how polite they were. You’ve told them directly what a good job they were doing.
And the tips…
THE TIPS. 😂💷
I’ll be honest, the tips weren’t really part of my character building programme. 😂 I was trying to teach them the value of hard work, while some of you were apparently trying to teach them that working at House of Zaikha is extremely lucrative. 😂😂
By the end of the summer I’m not entirely sure who had the better business model… me or them. 😂
But behind every tip was someone telling them they’d done a good job, and that encouragement did wonders for their confidence. ❤️
So many of you were also incredibly patient and kind with them while they were learning. Considerably more patient and forgiving than their mother was. 😂❤️
They worked hard, so last week they headed off to Spain for a very well deserved break. ☀️🇪🇸
Today was their final shift before going back to school, and I’m really proud that they’re walking away from this summer a little more confident, capable and independent than when they started. ❤️
And I’m sure many mums are currently in the same position as me…
Looking forward to getting the children back into a routine, whilst simultaneously remembering that getting them back into a routine means SCHOOL RUNS. 😭😂
I’m very much on both sides. 😂
But genuinely, thank you to everyone who chatted with them, encouraged them, showed them patience and took the time to tell them when they’d done a good job.
You’ve been part of their summer and helped them learn far more than they probably realise. ❤️
That’s Husain and Muhammad officially clocked out until the next school holidays. ❤️
