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Chef Uniform and Hygiene Policy: Who Pays, Bare Hands

A copy-paste uniform and hygiene policy, who pays for uniforms in the US, California, Australia and the UK, and whether a sushi chef can make nigiri bare-handed, with legal requirement separated from house standard.

Updated September 27, 2026 WashokuJob

The one rule unique to a sushi restaurant is bare-hand contact with rice and fish: California allows it only in an approved prep area with a specific handwashing procedure followed; most other US states, the UK and Australia require gloves or utensils for ready-to-eat food, with no sushi-specific exception we could find. Beyond that, several countries make the employer pay for required uniforms. This page gives a copy-paste policy with bracketed fields, a table of who pays by jurisdiction, and a second table of legal hygiene rules versus house standard.

For a manager writing a staff handbook section on uniform and hygiene. This page owns uniform cost, hygiene law and the sushi bare-hand question. Food safety certification (who needs which course) is on food safety certification by country and US food handler cards by state; knives are on knife and tools policy. Use this page once for the handbook and link the other two rather than repeating them.

On this page

  1. Gloves or bare hands at the sushi counter
  2. Who pays for uniforms, by jurisdiction
  3. Legal requirement versus house standard
  4. The written policy, ready to use
  5. Rolling it out

1. Gloves or bare hands at the sushi counter

For a sushi restaurant this question matters more than any other hygiene rule, and the answer is not the same everywhere.

California (Health and Safety Code section 113961) requires minimising bare hand and arm contact with non-prepackaged ready-to-eat food, using non-latex utensils (scoops, forks, tongs, paper, gloves) to assemble or plate it. The exception: employees may assemble or plate it bare-handed in an approved food preparation area if hands are cleaned under section 113953.3's procedure. Whether your counter qualifies depends on how your local health department approved your prep area and its reading of "ready-to-eat" for nigiri and sashimi; ask in writing before opening, and train the exact handwashing procedure the exception depends on.

Outside California, we could not confirm an equivalent bare-hand exception. Most state codes follow the FDA Food Code default requiring utensils, gloves or other barriers for ready-to-eat food, with no exception written for raw fish. The UK's retained hygiene rules require proportionate measures but set out no bare-hand exception either. Treat gloves as the default everywhere outside California and confirm your own state or country's wording before assuming otherwise.

Get your local health department's answer in writing before you build a bare-hand service style into your concept. A verbal opinion from one inspector does not bind their successor or a different office.

2. Who pays for uniforms, by jurisdiction

JurisdictionRule
United States (federal)Where the business requires a uniform, its cost and laundering cannot be counted as wages (29 CFR 531.3(d)(2)(iii)), and required costs cannot cut into minimum wage or overtime (29 CFR 531.35, "free and clear").
CaliforniaIWC Wage Order 5: when a uniform is required as a condition of employment, the employer must provide and maintain it. "Uniform" includes apparel and accessories of distinctive design or colour, which likely covers a branded chef's jacket or a specific coloured apron.
AustraliaRestaurant Industry Award 2020, clause 21.5: the employer reimburses required special clothing not otherwise supplied, and pays an agreed laundry allowance or reimburses laundering. Shoes, hosiery, socks and plain black-and-white attire are excluded.
United KingdomUniform cost the worker is not reimbursed for counts against pay when checking National Minimum Wage compliance; an unreimbursed rental cost that drops pay below the minimum is a breach.

The simplest policy avoiding all four: supply every required item, enough sets per shift pattern, and launder them or pay for laundering.

3. Legal requirement versus house standard

ItemLegal requirement we verifiedHouse standard (not law)
HairCalifornia section 113969: hats, coverings or nets to keep hair off unpackaged food and clean equipment (some front-of-house exempt if minimal risk)和帽子 or cap covering the hairline fully; tie back long hair underneath
Outer clothingCalifornia section 113971: clean outer clothingChange if visibly soiled during prep, before service
IllnessUK: retained Regulation (EC) 852/2004 Annex II Ch.VIII bans handling food or entering a food area for anyone with a food-transmissible illness, infected wounds, skin infection, sores or diarrhoea if contamination is likely, with a duty to report immediately. California section 113974: persistent uncontrolled sneezing, coughing or a runny nose bars exposed-food workReport any GI symptoms before a shift; manager decides on borderline cases
Eating, drinking, tobaccoCalifornia section 113977: only in designated areas; closed containers handled to avoid contamination are permittedNo food or drink at the pass or counter in view of guests
Nails, jewellery, fragranceNot required by any page we checkedShort clean nails, no polish or false nails; remove rings, bracelets, watches; no strong fragrance near the counter
FootwearNot required by any page we checkedNon-slip, closed footwear in the kitchen

Other US states set their own versions of the California-style rules above; check the code your inspector enforces if you are outside California.

4. The written policy, ready to use

Fill in the brackets, mark which lines are legal requirements where you operate, and put this in the contract pack and first-day induction.

Uniform and Hygiene Policy — [Restaurant name]
1. Uniform: [items] supplied by [restaurant / employee] and laundered by [restaurant / employee]. Minimum [number] clean sets per shift.
2. Hair: [cap / 和帽子 / hairnet] covering the hairline, worn by [all kitchen staff / all staff handling food].
3. Hands and gloves: [bare-hand procedure per section 1 above / gloves and utensils required] for ready-to-eat food. Handwashing on entry, after breaks, after raw fish or meat, after phone or face contact, and between tasks.
4. Nails and jewellery: short, clean nails, no polish or false nails; remove rings (except [plain band]), bracelets and watches before handling food.
5. Fragrance: no strong perfume, cologne or scented products at the counter or pass.
6. Illness: report [symptoms] to [manager name/role] before the shift; excluded from food handling until [condition, e.g. symptom-free for 48 hours or a doctor's note].
7. Eating, drinking, smoking: only in [designated area], never at the pass or counter.
8. Footwear: non-slip, closed shoes in the kitchen.
9. Phones: kept in [location], not in the preparation area.
10. Review: this policy is checked at the pre-service briefing and reviewed [annually / after each inspection].

ユニフォームと衛生に関する取り決め — [店名]
1. ユニフォーム：[品目]を[店／本人]が支給し、[店／本人]が洗濯する。1シフトにつき清潔な一式を最低[枚数]用意する。
2. 頭髪：[帽子／和帽子／ヘアネット]で生え際を覆う。対象：[厨房スタッフ全員／食品を扱う全員]。
3. 手と手袋：調理済み食品には[上記第1節の素手の手順／手袋または器具の使用]を適用する。厨房に入るとき、休憩の後、生の魚や肉を扱った後、電話や顔に触れた後、作業の合間に手を洗う。
4. 爪とアクセサリー：爪は短く清潔に、マニキュアや付け爪は禁止。食品を扱う前に指輪（[飾りのない結婚指輪]を除く）、ブレスレット、腕時計を外す。
5. 香り：カウンターや盛り付け場所では強い香水・整髪料などを使わない。
6. 体調不良：[症状]がある場合は勤務前に[担当者名・役職]へ報告し、[症状消失から48時間、医師の診断書などの条件]まで食品を扱う業務を外れる。
7. 飲食・喫煙：[指定した場所]でのみ行い、盛り付け場所やカウンターでは行わない。
8. 履物：厨房では滑りにくく、つま先の覆われた靴を履く。
9. 携帯電話：[保管場所]に置き、調理区域には持ち込まない。
10. 見直し：営業前のブリーフィングで確認し、[毎年／検査のたびに]見直す。

5. Rolling it out

  1. Mark which lines are legal requirements where you operate and which are house standard.
  2. Include it in the contract pack and first-day induction (see onboarding a chef from Japan).
  3. Post a one-page visual version by the kitchen entrance.
  4. Train alongside the food safety course (see food safety certification by country).
  5. Check it daily at the pre-service briefing; correct privately and quickly, and review once a year and after any inspection.

Apply every rule to everyone, including the owner and guest chefs, and allow reasonable adjustments for religious dress or medical needs where they can be made safely, recording how each request was handled. Knives are covered separately in knife and tools policy; food handler and manager certification in food safety certification by country and, for the US, US food handler cards by state.

Figures that expire: none of the hygiene rules above are annual figures, but confirm your local health department's current reading of the bare-hand exception before opening, since interpretation can change with new inspectors or guidance. Checked 27 September 2026; next review March 2027.

Frequently asked questions

Can a sushi chef make nigiri with bare hands in the US?

Only confirmed in California, and only in an approved food preparation area with a specific handwashing procedure followed under section 113953.3. We could not confirm an equivalent exception in other US states; treat gloves or utensils as the default and get your local health department's answer in writing before building bare-hand service into your concept.

Who pays for chef uniforms?

In the US (federal rule) and California, the employer must provide and maintain a required uniform without counting its cost against wages. Australia's award requires reimbursement for required special clothing plus a laundry allowance. The UK counts an unreimbursed uniform cost against minimum wage compliance. The simplest policy is for the restaurant to supply and launder everything.

What is legally required versus just good practice?

Hair restraints, clean outer clothing, illness exclusion and eating/drinking rules are legal requirements we verified in California and, for illness, the UK. Nail, jewellery, fragrance and footwear rules are common house standards, not law, in every page we checked; mark that distinction in your own policy.

Do these rules apply to the owner and guest chefs too?

Yes, for consistency and to avoid a two-tier standard staff will notice. Apply reasonable adjustments for religious dress or medical needs where they can be made safely, and keep a written note of how each request was handled.

General information, not legal advice. Food hygiene rules are enforced locally and interpretations vary between inspectors; confirm requirements, especially the bare-hand exception, with the authority that inspects your restaurant.

Sources

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