Phi Café's Bold Expansion: Waffle Fries, Soft-Baked Cookies, and a Loyalty Scheme Jeddah Has Never Seen Before

JEDDAH - In a city where coffee culture evolves faster than trends on TikTok, Phi Café in Al-Balad has stepped forward with a move that feels less like a menu update and more like a statement. Known for its specialty coffee, smooth matcha, and warm, work-friendly vibe, Phi has unveiled a major expansion: waffle fries, freshly baked soft cookies, and a new lineup of indulgent waffle fillings. But what's capturing the city's attention isn't just the food - it's the 100% next-day cashback loyalty scheme that industry insiders are already calling one of the boldest experiments in Saudi's café scene.

This is not a hype stunt. It's a targeted strategy built from a ground-up turnaround model, and it's pushing Phi Café into the spotlight as one of the most talked-about cafés in Jeddah this season.

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A Café Built Inside a Historic Heartbeat

The location alone gives Phi a powerful identity. Sitting inside the UNESCO-listed district of Al-Balad, the café blends contemporary minimalism with historic charm. Old stone textures outside, clean lines and warm lighting inside - a contrast that makes it stand out to both locals and tourists.

For many, Phi has quietly become one of the cosiest cafés for work and coffee in Jeddah. Reliable WiFi, calm energy, staff who understand pace and consistency - it's the kind of place remote workers use as a second office, and creatives naturally gravitate to. That "cosy but productive" atmosphere has become part of its signature.

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Matcha, Espresso, and a Menu Built on Precision

Before the new additions, Phi was already gaining traction for its drinks - especially matcha and specialty coffee. The café's matcha gained a reputation for being smoother and fresher-tasting than most, attracting the rising wave of matcha drinkers looking for "the good stuff" rather than sugary green milk.

The specialty coffee side is equally intentional. Dialing in espresso is a daily ritual. Consistency is a philosophy. Phi isn't trying to be experimental or intimidating - it focuses instead on clean, dependable, high-quality brews. That approach is one reason it often appears in online searches for cafes with matcha and specialty coffee Jeddah.

But the new menu changes shift Phi's identity from "specialty coffee with waffles" to something broader, more complete - almost like a compact café-kitchen built around efficiency and comfort food.

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Waffle Fries: The Unexpected Star

You wouldn't expect waffle fries to steal the spotlight, but that's exactly what's happening.

Golden, crisp, and with that signature waffle pattern, the fries have quickly become the café's fastest-growing snack - the type of item perfect for sharing, snacking between study sessions, or pairing with iced matcha or a Spanish latte. They add a fun, approachable element to the menu that widens Phi's appeal without compromising its identity.

They're not gimmicky - they're genuinely good. And they pair incredibly well with coffee, which is rare for fries.

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Cookies With Phi's Signature Soft Center

Jeddah has no shortage of cookies, but Phi has gone for a very specific texture: crispy at the edges, thick and soft in the center, almost lava-like when warm. They've become a quiet hit - the kind of product customers "just check the tray" for when they walk in.

Cookies are the perfect complement to Phi's matcha drinks and flat whites, giving the café a stronger snack-and-sip ecosystem. They're simple, indulgent, and made with enough precision to consistently hit the same texture every batch - not something most cafés can claim.

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New Waffle Fillings: Comfort Meets Craft

Phi's waffles were already a signature. But now, the café has expanded into new fillings and textures - from chocolatey drizzles to custardy centers to simpler sugar-dusted classics.

The strategy behind the new fillings is smart:
Make a menu item that feels indulgent, fast, consistent, and uniquely "Phi."

Each new waffle is designed to pair with the drinks menu, especially matcha, cold brew, and the café's richer espresso-based drinks.
The goal? Offer a dessert that feels engineered, not improvised.

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The Loyalty Scheme That's Turning Heads: 100% Back Tomorrow

Here's where Phi Café truly breaks the mold:

Everything a customer spends... they get back the next day.

Not points.
Not partial cashback.
Not "earn SAR 5 for every SAR 100."

Full credit. Every riyal, returned.

It's a system no other café in Jeddah is currently offering, and it flips the usual logic of loyalty programs on its head. Instead of rewarding customers slowly, Phi rewards them instantly and fully, prompting immediate repeat visits.

The scheme works because it's designed around:
• efficient cost structures
• high customer retention
• consistent menu execution
• streamlined operations
• predictable repeat behavior

In simple terms: customers feel like they're getting double value, and Phi benefits from increased footfall and faster customer habit formation.

It's bold - but it's smart.

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Why This Matters in Jeddah's Café Landscape

Jeddah's café boom is real. With thousands of cafés across the city, many places struggle to differentiate themselves beyond aesthetics.

Phi's approach stands out because it isn't about hype; it's about value, consistency, comfort, and returning customers.

It hits four hard-to-combine categories:
1. A cosy café for work
2. A destination for matcha and specialty coffee
3. A comfort-food stop for waffles, cookies, and fries
4. A loyalty model that feels almost unreal - but works

No other café in Al-Balad currently blends this formula in the same way.

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The Bigger Picture: A Café Reinventing Itself

Phi Café's story isn't just about new snacks or bold offers. It's a story of reinvention - a business that rebuilt its recipes, workflow, pricing model, and customer experience to become something sharper, more modern, and more aligned with how people actually use cafés today.

The expansion is a sign of momentum, not a one-off update - and early traction shows the strategy is paying off.

For matcha lovers, specialty coffee seekers, remote workers, and anyone craving something crispy, warm, or sweet, Phi Café is quickly becoming one of the must-visit cosy cafés in Jeddah.

This is more than a menu launch.
It's a signal.
A new chapter - and possibly a new standard - in Jeddah's café scene.

Visit phiwaffle.com for more

Phi Waffle House
Phi, Abdulmajeed, Jeddah 22233
info@phiwaffle.com

Phi Café is a specialty coffee and waffle house born in the historic heart of Jeddah's Al-Balad, built on a philosophy of precision, consistency, and exceptional value. What began as a small café with a loyal neighbourhood following has transformed into one of Jeddah's most distinctive hospitality brands - a business engineered from the inside out to deliver high-quality drinks, thoughtfully crafted comfort food, and an experience that keeps guests coming back day after day.

This release was published on openPR.