House Rules
Five rules. Five signs. The legal shield. Revenue protection.
Why Rules Come First
Russians don’t disrespect rules. They disrespect the absence of rules. In Russia, every space has explicit rules — metros, parks, apartment buildings, cafés. When rules are visible, clear, and enforced consistently, Russians follow them. When rules are vague or invisible, they assume there are none.
In Thailand, rules are understood. In Russia, rules are posted. Delta 9 needs to post them.
Goal: make it physically impossible to accidentally break a rule, and socially uncomfortable to intentionally break one — without any staff member ever having to be the bad guy.
Rule 1: No Purchase, No Seat
Every person must have an active order. No outside food or drinks.
Enforcement: Wristband + second floor gate.
- Buy something → get a wristband (different color each day)
- No wristband = no second floor access
- Staff check at stairs: “Can I see your wristband?” — one question, no confrontation
- Valid 2–3 hours, then new purchase needed
- Cost: bulk fabric wristbands from Sampeng Lane
Pre-payment model: Order and pay at counter before receiving anything. No tabs. Standard in Bangkok cafés.
Sign (at stairs + entrance)
EN: SECOND FLOOR: CUSTOMERS ONLY. Please order at the counter to receive your wristband. Outside food and drinks are not permitted.
RU: ВТОРОЙ ЭТАЖ: ТОЛЬКО ДЛЯ ГОСТЕЙ С ЗАКАЗОМ. Сделайте заказ на стойке и получите браслет. Еда и напитки, принесённые с собой, запрещены.
TH: ชั้น 2: สำหรับลูกค้าที่สั่งสินค้าเท่านั้น กรุณาสั่งที่เคาน์เตอร์เพื่อรับริสต์แบนด์ ไม่อนุญาตให้นำอาหารและเครื่องดื่มจากภายนอกเข้ามา
Rule 2: One Person Per Toilet
Single occupancy. One person enters, one person exits.
Enforcement: Key at counter.
- Bathroom locked at all times
- One key per bathroom on a large wooden keychain
- You ask, you get it, you go, you return it
- Standard in half the cafés in Europe
Why this is existential: Multiple people using the bathroom together for drug use makes the venue liable in a police raid. Not the guests — the venue. Staff can face charges. The business can be shut down.
Sign (bathroom door)
EN: ONE PERSON ONLY. Please collect the key from the counter. One key, one person. No exceptions. Delta 9 operates under a licensed cannabis permit. Use of any other substances on the premises is strictly prohibited and may be reported to authorities.
RU: ОДИН ЧЕЛОВЕК. Ключ от туалета — на стойке. Один ключ — один человек. Без исключений. Delta 9 работает по лицензии на каннабис. Употребление любых других веществ на территории заведения строго запрещено и может быть передано в полицию.
TH: หนึ่งคนเท่านั้น กรุณารับกุญแจที่เคาน์เตอร์ หนึ่งกุญแจ หนึ่งคน ไม่มีข้อยกเว้น Delta 9 ดำเนินการภายใต้ใบอนุญาตกัญชา การใช้สารเสพติดอื่นใดในสถานที่นี้เป็นสิ่งต้องห้ามโดยเด็ดขาด และอาจแจ้งเจ้าหน้าที่ตำรวจ
Rule 3: Cannabis Only
No other drugs on premises. No exceptions.
Enforcement: Bathroom key prevents the most common scenario. Signs state the policy and consequence.
Staff script: “This is a cannabis-only space. If you have anything else, I have to ask you to take it off the premises. It’s our license — we don’t have a choice.”
Key phrase: “We don’t have a choice.” Takes responsibility off the staff member entirely. Russians understand “the system requires this” much better than “I’d prefer you didn’t.”
Violation = asked to leave. No refund. Non-negotiable.
Rule 4: Night Mode After Midnight
Reduced menu, counter service only, quiet conversation.
Enforcement: automatic and physical.
- Music auto-switches to ambient/lo-fi (<80 BPM) at 11:30 PM
- Physical night menu replaces day menu
- Staff cannot override music without PIN
- Half the furniture stacked or removed
- Night Mode sign/light activated
Sign (main area)
EN: NIGHT MODE — AFTER MIDNIGHT. Counter service only. Quiet conversation. Reduced menu. Looking for something more lively? Ask us — we know good places nearby.
RU: НОЧНОЙ РЕЖИМ — ПОСЛЕ ПОЛУНОЧИ. Обслуживание только у стойки. Тихие разговоры. Сокращённое меню. Хотите чего-то более оживлённого? Спросите нас — подскажем хорошие места.
TH: ไนท์โหมด — หลังเที่ยงคืน สั่งที่เคาน์เตอร์เท่านั้น กรุณาพูดคุยเบาๆ เมนูจำกัด อยากไปที่คึกคักกว่านี้? ถามเราได้เลย — เรามีที่แนะนำค่ะ
Rule 5: Respect the Staff
Aggressive or threatening behavior = immediate removal. No warnings.
Enforcement: human, non-negotiable.
- Every shift has a designated escalation person
- Staff who feel threatened go directly to that person
- Shift lead: “I need you to leave now. We can discuss it tomorrow, but right now you have to go.”
- No negotiation, no refund. Police called if needed (rare if other rules are working)
Sign (counter area)
EN: OUR STAFF ARE HERE TO HELP YOU. Aggressive or threatening behavior toward any team member will result in immediate removal. No warnings. No exceptions.
RU: НАШИ СОТРУДНИКИ ЗДЕСЬ, ЧТОБЫ ВАМ ПОМОЧЬ. Агрессивное или угрожающее поведение по отношению к персоналу приведёт к немедленному удалению. Без предупреждений. Без исключений.
TH: พนักงานของเราอยู่ที่นี่เพื่อช่วยคุณ พฤติกรรมก้าวร้าวหรือข่มขู่ต่อพนักงานจะถูกขอให้ออกทันที ไม่มีการเตือน ไม่มีข้อยกเว้น
The Legal Shield
Together, these five rules create a paper trail of reasonable effort.
If police come, the question is: “Did the venue do anything to prevent this?”
With this system, the answer is documented:
- Trilingual signs prohibiting non-cannabis substances → warned people in their language
- Bathroom key system → physically prevented multi-person use
- Substance policy with police reporting language → made consequences clear
- Wristband/purchase system → controlled access to the space
- Incident log (even a notebook: date, time, what happened, how handled) → documented response
This doesn’t make Delta 9 bulletproof. But it makes it defensible.
Staff Interaction: Six Scripts
Every difficult conversation starts and ends with the sign. The sign is the authority. Staff are messengers.
| Situation | Say This | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Too loud after midnight | ”After midnight we’re in quiet mode. It’s our night rule.” (point to sign) | Wait 5 min. Repeat once. Then shift lead. |
| Moving furniture | ”These stay in place after 10 — I can help you find a spot.” | Offer replaces denial. |
| Sleeping/overstaying | ”Quiet hours now. Beds upstairs, or I can call a Grab.” | Two options = dignity. |
| Aggression toward staff | ”I want to help you. Can we start again?” | If fails, walk away. Get shift lead. |
| Non-cannabis substances | ”Cannabis-only space. It’s our license — we don’t have a choice.” | Absolute. No alternative. |
| Exception requests | ”I understand. This is how we do things here.” | Silence. Repeat if pushed. Identical words. |
Maximum two attempts on any situation. Then it’s the shift lead’s problem. Staff are never alone.