server

busser

surveillant du service alimentaire

cuisinier à la chaîne

line cook/prep cook

Kinjo Sushi & Grill

The restaurant has well over 100 items on the menu, each distributed among 5 sections (teppan, ramen/yakitori, tempura, sushi/salad, and rolls/roll prep) when I started i had 2 weeks to learn my section, as with all trainees. The section was not hard to learn as all of the recipes and items are fairly straightforward, however before being able to move sections (5% increase in tips per section learned, employees start out at 5% after training) one must take 3 tests, the song test (2 in japanese and 9 in English, fairly easy to learn), then a section test (make 3 items from the section correctly and send a picture to the head chef to send to the executive head chef), then a multiple choice test (for allergies and portion sizes etc.) after the song test employees only need to take the last 2 tests for every section. On weekends from 6-8 the work load is overwhelming at times and the pressure from the head chef brings everyone stress as he tends to micromanage during a rush. ***IMPORTANT*** Kinjo does not give pay raises to line cooks apart from the tips, which once every section is learned can be up to approx. $100 per week. The head chef, supervisors, dining staff, etc are all for the most part friendly and provide some motivation, they are always supportive when we need help. Supervisors don't make a lot more than full time line cooks, but they do make salary instead of hourly. Employees under 18 will start out at $13 an hour and if they do good can receive up to $14/hr until they turn 18, after that though as stated previously there are no raises. The owner is rarely seen but is a very nice man, apart from the lack of pay. Kinjo hires very easily, they are ok with no experience because they know they can teach us. It is easy to get good hours as long as you are good at your job, if not you bay be cut to 1 shift a week or the odd time 0/week. We do get staff meals BUT they are sometimes made from rather “traditional” ingredients, the last one i saw featured the ingredients tendon and tripe (stomach lining). If you are female looking to apply you will either be put in sushi/salad section or rolls, kinjo believes that the hot sections are too “messy for women” so they have males in the hot sections. If you want to try a new section you will be assigned one, not be given a choice. If you attempt to learn a section without being officially assigned the head chef will get mad. In other words they dont want us to learn things unless we are given a direct order to learn them. I have worked at kinjo for a year and so many people have quit that i am not the 5th longest employee in the kitchen at my location (apart from dishwashers and supervisors/head chef). We get a 25% discount at all 6 locations and tokyo street market. Overall the work is easy, even though at times is can be overwhelming, and the people for the most part are amazing and the knowledge they give us is something that is worth thousands$$. #kinjogang

The management at Kinjo are awful.  They pick favourites and if you were not the favourite they make your job horrible. There is so much drama in the workplace and the management does nothing about it. To be honest management is part of the problem. Their idea of training is throwing you in and then yelling at you when you don’t do things the way that they like. They are disorganized and they talk badly about a lot of customers. If you have any problems with any supervisor or manager, they will just stop scheduling you instead of bothering to fix the problem or firing you. The rules are completely different depending on whether or not the management likes you. There is a reason they have such a high turnover rate and it’s because they treat their staff terribly and don’t actually care about them despite a great outer appearance. The tip our percentage is also ridiculous considering The fact that bussers and hosts and bartenders are not tipped out. Majority of the money goes to the management and a little to the kitchen. You would be better off working at McDonald’s so don’t waste your time

The team at my location was very responsible, understanding and patient. They work hard to train you and they always treated me well. The other people working in the kitchen are welcoming and friendly. Management actually takes note of your availability and gives you the hours you ask for, and give you your time off when you ask for it. You get free lunches and the managers/supervisors often got us treats as after a busy week. There is a lot to learn at this job and therefore a lot of mistakes are done, but its not a big deal most of the time. A downside is that the work is often the same for the whole day everyday, which makes it very exhausting. When the restaurant is full, the job gets super stressful (particularly on friday and saturday). The team is what made me appreciate this job though, I learned a lot from them and you can tell they really care about their employees. 

So many issues with this place! Most of the managers don't know what they're doing, they do not get trained enough to be able to "manage" anyone. Really disrespectful treatment of the employees. There's definitely favoritism happening, if you're friends with the manager they'll give you more priority when making schedules. They also decided to get rid of tips for bussers and hosts so only servers and supervisors get tips which is crazy. They also have a group chat that they constantly  send messages through and call people out if you made a mistake, its absolutely useless because nobody checks it regularly any way. The other employees are really nice people and I enjoyed working with them and i found it relatively easy to book time off but i would not recommend to work here its a total chaos. 

Working at Kinjo was the worst experience laden with mismanagement, exploitative practices, and an overall disregard for employee well-being. The management exhibited a shocking level of incompetence, leading to a chaotic work environment where effective communication was nonexistent. The pay was low, making, and their habit of abruptly asking employees to leave a minute before the clock-out time was disrespectful. The workload was unreasonably high, exacerbated by inadequate staffing and minimal support. Break policies were nothing short of exploitative, sometimes two-hours breaks being unpaid. Kinjo's complete disregard for its employees' welfare and disregard for fair labor practices made it an unsustainable workplace.

Have to take 3 tests to be server but you have to wait until there is spot. Even though you become a server, you don't get a server shift much(2-3times per week). Company takes a lot from your tip so be aware.

It depends on the location but management's expectation towards employee is pretty high but there will be no raise unless you become a supervisor. 

They send you a break middle of shift(around 1-4pm) for 1:30-2 hours. So even though you worked for 7 hours, you will need to stay at work around 9 hours. 

Lastly, upper management people doesn't think you as a part of company. They treat employee like a component of machine. 

My time working at Kinjo North Hill was affected by unclear communication from management. I consistently attended my scheduled shifts and only requested one properly communicated absence. I even adjusted my schedule on another day to make sure I still worked my full shift.
Despite this, I was told I had “too many absences” and “poor reliability,” but no attendance record or clear explanation was provided when I asked. There were no prior warnings or feedback, which made the decision feel sudden and confusing.
Overall, the lack of transparency and communication made the experience difficult. I hope management improves how they handle feedback and evaluations for new employees.


Working here is extremely stressful. Many supervisors constantly monitor and give orders. You have to work non-stop all the time and have very limited time to complete tasks. If fewer customers come, you may get to go home early, but they always announce it with only one minute's notice. That means you never know when you'll leave every working day. The company's system is unreasonable. If you work as a server, you have to tip out 9.5% of your tips. Most of your tips go to the company rather than to you. The only positive aspect is that most of the staff and the general manager are nice; it's just the company's system that treats the staff poorly.

Overall good, if you are looking for money.
The work environment at Kinjo is generally friendly and inclusive. The team is composed of hard-working and motivated individuals who share a common goal of providing excellent service. From day one, I felt welcomed by both my colleagues and the management. The staff culture is supportive, and team members often collaborate to ensure smooth operations during peak times.

However, like many fast-paced restaurant environments, there can be moments of stress, especially during busy shifts or weekends. Despite this, the overall atmosphere remains positive, and we’ve always managed to pull through as a team.

I mostly loved working at this company. Good pacing, good environment, not too stressful but also not boring. My location specifically had a great team. However, I was in a salaried leadership position that required 50+ hours a week without any real benefit. It's rare that you hit exactly 50 hours but never under. You're usually in the 55+ range. If you go below 50 hours, they take money off of your pay (defeats the purpose of salaried position). On top of that,  you MUST work 6 days. Unbelievably inconvenient when you have other life responsibilities. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Server 7 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Busser 11 salaries reported	$15.09 per hour
Surveillant du service alimentaire 2 salaries reported	$18.00 per hour
Cuisinier à la chaîne 5 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour
Line cook/prep cook 5 salaries reported	$15.50 per hour

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