Hiring an Executive Chef for a Multi-Unit Japanese Restaurant Group

A Japanese restaurant group with three, five or ten sites eventually finds that its best chef is stretched across all of them and cooking at none. That is the point where the group needs an executive chef: someone whose job is the standard across every kitchen, not the food on one pass. This guide covers that role for multi-unit Japanese groups. For the head chef of a single restaurant, see the head chef job description. For the operational kitchen manager in a chain, see hiring a kitchen manager for a Japanese chain.

1. What a group executive chef actually does

On Japanese CVs the role may appear as 総料理長 (sōryōrichō, executive chef) or as a head office post in product development (商品開発) or kitchen operations. When you read a Japanese candidate's CV, look for what they controlled across sites, not only the title.

2. When you need one

There is no fixed number of sites. Watch for these signs instead:

• The same dish tastes different at two sites and nobody can say which is right.
• Your founding chef spends more time driving between kitchens than cooking.
• Openings are delayed because nobody owns the kitchen plan.
• Head chefs leave because there is no next step for them.

If you are still at two sites, the right hire may be a strong head chef for the second site rather than an executive chef. See staffing a second location.

3. Japanese, local, or both

Groups abroad usually choose between three profiles.

• A chef from a Japanese multi-unit company. Brings specification discipline and experience of running many kitchens to one standard. May need support with local regulation, language and management style.
• A senior Japanese chef already in your market. Knows local suppliers, staff and rules. Check that they have actually managed more than one kitchen, not only led one very well.
• A local executive chef with Japanese training. Strong on systems, reporting and local people management. Pair them with a senior Japanese chef as culinary lead if the menu is traditional.

The deciding question is usually who your head chefs will listen to. A group of Japanese head chefs may not accept a standard set by someone they do not respect as a cook. A mixed team may need someone who can explain the reason for each standard in the local language. See managing mixed Japanese and local kitchen teams.

4. Assessing a chef who will not cook every night

A cooking test alone is not enough, and skipping it is a mistake. Use three parts.

1. A cook-off on your signature dishes. Head chefs must respect the executive chef's palate. Invite two of them to taste.
2. A specification exercise. Give the candidate one of your dishes and ask for a written specification a new site could follow: ingredients by weight, method, holding times, plating photo, allergens, food cost. This shows whether they think in systems.
3. A site audit. Send them to one of your restaurants for a service, then ask for a written report: what they saw, what they would fix first, how they would tell the head chef. Their tone matters as much as their findings.

For senior interviews, also see sushi chef interview questions and, if the candidate is in Japan, testing chef skills remotely.

5. Pay, structure and overtime status

We did not find an official statistic for executive chefs of Japanese groups. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics median for all Chefs and Head Cooks was $62,470 in May 2025, and the 90th percentile $98,560. In the New York metro area the 90th percentile was $120,370, and in San Francisco $115,170. An executive chef across several sites would usually be paid at the top of the range or above it, but these figures cover every kind of head chef, so treat them as context and benchmark against the individual.

Structure the package around the group, not one site:

• A bonus tied to group food cost, audit scores and successful openings.
• A travel budget and clear expectations for time on site.
• Ownership of recipes and specifications stated in the contract. See the chef employment contract checklist.

US overtime status. Under federal rules (29 CFR 541.100), an employee is exempt as an executive if they are paid a salary of at least $684 a week, their primary duty is managing the enterprise or a recognised department, they regularly direct two or more other employees, and their views on hiring and firing carry particular weight. The regulations also say that chefs, such as executive chefs and sous chefs, with a four year specialised culinary arts degree generally meet the duties test for the learned professional exemption (29 CFR 541.301). State rules can be stricter. A group executive chef who truly manages head chefs will usually meet the executive test; confirm with your employment adviser rather than assuming.

6. Moving an executive chef from Japan to the US

Groups with a Japanese parent company have two routes worth knowing. See US visa options for restaurants for the full comparison.

• L-1A intracompany transferee. Under 8 CFR 214.2(l), the chef must have worked abroad for a qualifying related company for one continuous year within the three years before the petition, and must come to a parent, branch, affiliate or subsidiary in a managerial or executive capacity. Managerial capacity includes managing a department or function, and supervising other supervisory, professional or managerial staff, which fits an executive chef who manages head chefs. A petition to open a new US office is approved for up to one year at first. The total stay as a manager or executive is capped at seven years.
• E-2 treaty investor employee. Available when the US enterprise is at least 50% owned by Japanese nationals and the chef is also Japanese, for executive, supervisory or essential skills roles. See E-2 visas for Japanese restaurant staff.

For planning the wider team when a Japanese company expands abroad, see staffing plan for opening abroad.

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Pay figures and regulations are quoted from the official sources below as of September 2026. Overtime exemptions and visa eligibility depend on the facts of each role; take advice before you rely on them.