Japanese Restaurant Server Job Description Template

A server in a Japanese restaurant sells food the guest often cannot pronounce, explains allergens in dishes built on soy, wheat, fish and sesame, and may be expected to greet guests in Japanese. Most generic server ads say none of this. The result is a new hire who is good at carrying plates and lost the first time a guest asks what shiromi means.

This page gives a server job description built for Japanese restaurants. For the wider picture of front of house roles, screening and training, see hiring front of house for a Japanese restaurant.

1. What makes the job different in a Japanese restaurant

• Menu knowledge is the job. Guests ask about fish, cuts, cooking methods and sake. A server who can explain the difference between nigiri and sashimi, or junmai and ginjo, sells more and gets fewer complaints.
• Allergen risk is high. Most soy sauce contains wheat as well as soy; dashi is usually made with fish; sesame appears everywhere. In the US these are among the nine major allergens the FDA recognises.
• Service style. Many Japanese restaurants use a set greeting (irasshaimase), a particular way of presenting dishes, and a quieter, more attentive pace. If you expect that, the ad should say so.
• Pacing a course. For omakase or kaiseki, the server times the kitchen as much as the table.

2. Server job description template

Job title

Server, [Restaurant name], [City]

About the restaurant

[Restaurant name] is a [seat count]-seat [sushi restaurant / izakaya / ramen shop / kaiseki restaurant] in [area]. We serve [lunch and dinner / dinner only], about [x] guests a night, with an average spend of [amount]. Our drinks list includes [x] sakes and [Japanese whisky / shochu / tea].

The role

You will look after guests from arrival to payment in a section of [x] tables, working with [x] other servers and reporting to [floor manager / general manager].

What you will own

• Greeting and seating guests [in our house style, including a Japanese greeting we will teach you]
• Explaining the menu, including fish, preparation methods and seasonal dishes
• Recommending sake and drinks and serving them correctly
• Taking allergen and dietary requests, recording them and confirming them with the kitchen every time
• Pacing courses with the kitchen, especially for set menus
• Payments, [reservations system], and closing duties
• Keeping the dining room, counter and tableware to our standard

What we are looking for

• [x] years serving in a restaurant, [or no experience needed; we train]
• Interest in Japanese food and willingness to learn the menu in depth; we give you [training / tasting sessions / a menu test]
• [Language requirement, stated honestly; see below]
• Available [evenings / weekends / specific days]
• [Local alcohol service certificate or food handler card, if required where you operate]

Hours

[Full time / part time], about [x] hours a week. Shifts run [times]. [Split shifts or not.]

Pay

[Currency][base rate] per hour [plus tips / service charge share], [how tips are pooled and paid]. [Staff meals, uniform, training, discounts.]

How to apply

Send [a CV or a short note] to [contact], or come in between [times] on [days]. We reply to everyone within [x] days.

3. Counter host and izakaya floor: what changes

Sushi or omakase counter host

Fewer tables, more detail. Add: pacing an omakase with the chef, serving tea and sake at the counter, handling guests who want to talk to the chef, and a higher level of product knowledge. Say whether the host takes reservations and handles deposits or no-shows.

Izakaya floor

More volume, more energy. Add: calling orders back to the kitchen in the house style (often in Japanese), managing large groups and course plans, drink-heavy service, and a faster table turn. Be clear about late finishes.

4. Language requirements, stated fairly

Ask for the language the job actually needs, and no more. "Fluent Japanese required" cuts your pool sharply, and in many markets it is not needed for a server. Useful wording:

• "Fluent English for guest service. Japanese is a plus; we will teach you the greetings and menu terms."
• "Conversational Japanese required, because many of our guests are Japanese speakers." (Only if true.)

Some countries restrict how language or nationality requirements can be written in job ads. Check local rules before you post. For how to test language level in practice, see language requirements in a Japanese kitchen.

5. Pay and tips wording

In the US the Bureau of Labor Statistics gives a median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses of $16.94 (May 2025), with the lowest 10 percent under $8.70 and the highest 10 percent over $31.12. BLS notes that these figures include tips, and that tipped employees earn at least the federal minimum wage, which may be paid as a combination of direct wages and tips depending on the state. That is why a US ad should state both the base rate and how tips work.

If you use a service charge rather than tips, say how it is shared. Rules on tips and service charges differ sharply between countries; see US tip pooling rules and service charges and tips in Singapore and the UK.

6. Pre-publish checklist

• Does the ad name the restaurant type and service style?
• Is menu and sake training mentioned, with what you provide?
• Is the allergen responsibility in the duties?
• Is the language requirement the real one, and lawful where you hire?
• Is the base rate stated, and is the tip or service charge arrangement explained?
• Are shift times and days stated?

General information, not legal advice. Minimum wage, tip, service charge and advertising rules vary by country, state and city; check the rules where you operate before publishing.