Japanese Restaurant Server Job Description Template

A server job description for a Japanese restaurant needs three things a generic template skips: an allergen matrix the floor can actually be trained on, sushi counter and izakaya duty variants, and language wording that matches the job, not a wish list. Copy the template below, print the allergen crib for the floor, and check current base pay in your market before setting the rate; tipping and service charge rules differ sharply by country.

1. Allergen matrix to train the floor on

The duty "confirm allergens with the kitchen" is useless without a list of where the allergens actually hide. Print this table, laminate it, and put it by the pass. Update it for your own menu; these are the risks that come up most often.

Which allergens the law makes you disclose, and how, depends on where you operate. The US FDA recognises nine major food allergens, adding sesame from 1 January 2023; EU and UK rules require the fourteen allergens set out in EU Regulation 1169/2011 to be identified for prepacked and non-prepacked food alike. Train new servers on this table in their first week, not as a one-off memo, and repeat it whenever the menu changes.

2. What makes the job different

• Menu knowledge is the job. Guests ask about fish, cuts, cooking methods and sake. A server who can explain nigiri versus sashimi, or junmai versus ginjo, sells more and fields fewer complaints.
• Allergen risk is high and often invisible. See the matrix above.
• 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, say so in the ad.
• Pacing a course. For omakase or kaiseki, the server times the kitchen as much as the table.

3. 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 the Japanese greeting irasshaimase, which 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, checking them against our allergen matrix, 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 provide [training / tasting sessions / a menu test]
• [Language requirement, stated honestly; see section 5]
• 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.

4. Counter host and izakaya floor: what changes

Sushi or omakase counter host

Fewer tables, more detail. Add to the template: 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. State 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.

5. Language requirements, stated fairly

Ask for the language the job actually needs, and no more. "Fluent Japanese required" cuts your pool sharply, and in most 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.

6. Base pay and tip wording by market

An ad should state the base rate and say plainly how tips or service charge work. Figures checked 27 September 2026; use the freshest local source before you post.

If you use a service charge rather than tips, say how it is shared, including whether management or the kitchen take a portion. Rules differ sharply between countries; see US tip pooling rules and service charges and tips in Singapore and the UK. Turnover, not the hourly rate, is usually the bigger cost of getting this role wrong; see restaurant staff turnover.

7. 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 duty tied to a matrix the server can actually be trained on?
• Is the language requirement the real one, and lawful where you hire?
• Is the base rate stated against a current official figure, 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 allergen disclosure rules vary by country, state and city, and change on their own schedule; check the rules where you operate before publishing.