Kitchen Manager Job Description for a Japanese Restaurant

Japanese restaurants abroad often hire a kitchen manager when what they really need is a head chef, or the other way round. The two jobs overlap on the pass but differ everywhere else. A kitchen manager keeps the kitchen running: rotas, ordering, compliance, cost, maintenance. A head chef owns the food. In a small restaurant one person does both; as you grow, splitting them is usually the first structural change.

This page gives a kitchen manager job description for a Japanese restaurant or small group, with notes on what to state so the right people apply.

1. Kitchen manager or head chef?

If your menu depends on one person's craft (an omakase counter, for example), hire the head chef first and give the admin to a manager. If you run a standardised menu across sites, the kitchen manager is often the more important hire. Our guide to Japanese kitchen roles maps the traditional titles to these jobs.

2. Kitchen manager job description template

Job title

Kitchen Manager, [Restaurant or group name], [City]

About us

[Name] runs [x] Japanese restaurant(s) in [city], serving [format: sushi and izakaya / ramen / set meals]. The kitchen team is [x] people across [x] shifts. Weekly food purchases are about [amount].

The role

You will run the kitchen operation so the chefs can cook. You report to [owner / general manager] and work alongside the [head chef], who owns the menu and recipes.

What you will own

• Weekly rota and labour cost for [x] kitchen staff, within a target of [x]% of sales
• Ordering and supplier relationships, including [Japanese import distributor / fish supplier]
• Stock counts, par levels and waste tracking; monthly food cost report
• Food safety system: temperature logs, cleaning schedules, allergen records, inspection readiness
• Equipment maintenance and repair contractors
• Onboarding new kitchen staff, including training records and certificates
• Covering stations during service when needed

What we are looking for

• [x] years in a kitchen, including [x] years with responsibility for rotas, ordering or cost
• Working knowledge of Japanese ingredients and prep, enough to order and store correctly
• Comfortable with spreadsheets or [your inventory / scheduling software]
• [Food safety manager certification, or willingness to obtain it within x weeks]
• [Languages: for example "English required; Japanese useful for supplier and chef communication"]

Hours

[x] hours a week, [x] days off. Mix of [daytime admin and evening service]. [Overtime or salaried arrangement.]

Pay and benefits

[Currency][range] per year, plus [bonus tied to food cost / labour cost / inspection results]. [Benefits.]

Visa

[Sponsorship position, stated plainly.]

How to apply

Send [CV and one example of a rota, cost report or system you built, with numbers removed if needed] to [contact].

3. Spell out authority and numbers

Managers who are good at this job ask the same questions, and the ad should answer them.

• Can they hire and let people go? Or do they recommend and the owner decides?
• Who signs off on orders above a certain amount? Give the figure.
• What is the relationship with the head chef? If the chef can overrule the manager on staffing for a service, say so. Unclear lines between these two jobs cause friction, so settle them before you hire, not after.
• What are they measured on? Food cost percentage, labour percentage, inspection outcomes, staff turnover. Pick two or three and state the target.

In a Japanese kitchen the manager also often translates between a Japanese chef and local staff, formally or not. If that is part of the job, write it in and pay for it. For more on mixed teams see cross-cultural kitchen management.

4. Food safety certification

If your kitchen manager will be the person in charge of food safety, name the certificate you expect. In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that some states and localities require food service managers to have food safety certification, and that managers may obtain a Food Protection Manager Certification by passing an exam. Check your state or local health department for the exact rule.

Other countries use different schemes and names. Our guide to food safety certification by country lists them. If you are prepared to pay for the course, say so in the ad; it widens the pool.

5. Pay benchmarks

Use official data for your own location. Two reference points we have checked:

A kitchen manager who also cooks a station, speaks Japanese, or manages more than one site should sit above the median. For multi-site roles see hiring a kitchen manager for a Japanese chain, and for the top culinary role, the head chef job description.

6. Pre-publish checklist

• Is it clear who owns the menu and who owns the operation?
• Are hiring and purchasing authority stated, with figures?
• Are two or three performance measures named, with targets?
• Is the food safety certificate named, and who pays for it?
• Is there a pay range, and is any bonus tied to measures the manager controls?
• Is the visa position stated either way?

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Certification and employment rules differ by country, state and city; check local requirements before publishing.