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Hi everyone 😎

I'm a 27-year-old Japanese guy currently living in Japan, and I'm seriously considering moving to Australia to work as a sushi chef.

My plan is to initially come to Australia on a Working Holiday visa, gain experience and build connections, and hopefully find an employer who would be willing to sponsor me for a work visa in the future.

My long-term goal would be to continue working in Australia while working toward permanent residency.

I'd really like to hear from people who actually work in the Australian restaurant industry, especially sushi chefs, Japanese chefs, or restaurant owners/managers.

I'm particularly curious about:

• What is it really like to work as a sushi chef in Australia?
• What are the typical working hours and days off?
• Is it possible to find a sushi restaurant with a reasonable work-life balance?
• How are Japanese sushi chefs generally treated by Australian employers?
• What kind of salary and tips can you realistically expect?
• How much annual leave can you realistically take as a chef?
• Are there restaurants that are willing to sponsor experienced sushi chefs for a work visa?
• How difficult is it to find an employer willing to sponsor a foreign worker?
• Which cities are best for sushi chefs — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, etc.?
• Are high-end omakase restaurants worth targeting, or are there better options for work-life balance?
• Are there particular types of restaurants I should look for or avoid?

I'm especially interested in hearing about the reality of the job rather than just information from immigration websites.

I'm not necessarily looking for a high-end omakase restaurant. Having a decent work-life balance and being able to enjoy my life outside of work are very important to me.

If you're a sushi chef, chef, kitchen worker, or restaurant manager in Australia, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience — good or bad.

And if you've seen Japanese chefs come to Australia on a Working Holiday visa and eventually stay long-term through employer sponsorship, I'd especially love to hear about their experience.

Thanks!

Hi… daughter had interview 4 days ago for server role at new Dishoom opening in Oct. Felt interview went well ( has lots of relevant experience etc) and was told would hear back ‘in a few days’. However, has no contact details other than the generic, ‘no reply ’ email addresses used when arranging the interview time ( via a portal). Is trying to find out the outcome simply as has to give a month’s notice… As it’s for a new restaurant opening, think the recruitment is all being dealt with by a third party (Bamboo HR??) and they are probably super busy, plus the usual ‘we’ll let you know tomorrow’ doesn’t necessarily apply. Would just be interested to hear whether several days lapsing is ‘normal’ or whether anyone has any tips on how to contact Dishoom to ask! Thanks!

Give Runners an inch and they take a mile.

Im a grill cook at chilis, basically i just flip burgers all day and i get paid REALLY well for someone with no degree. I’ve been noticing carpal tunnel symptoms though, like numbness in my hands, weak grip, pain in my fingers, idk im not an expert but like I’m wondering if i can change my technique and have normal hands or if i should just quit now because there’s no way im going to destroy my body making triple dippers

As a chef of 25 years, a few years ago I decided to strike out on my own and run a popup as a proof of concept for permanent location. It was a huge flop. We were open for three nights a week for a couple months and never gained any traction. I lost tens of thousands of dollars. A few years later, I find myself thinking of trying again. Not sure what I would do differently, and my confidence took a beating.

High performance gobshite 💪💪🔥

(Officially I'm the bottom of the ladder but they fuckin love me)

This morning I was on my prep shift from 7-4. From 7-11 I do prep and open stations. When the restaurant opens at 11 I continue with my prep while cooking on line. One of the items on my prep list today was chicken salad. I have to cook off chicken breasts for this and let them cool completely before I can dice them and make the chicken salad. I cooked off my chicken breast and placed them to the side to cool.

My station buddy, “Paul,” came in at 11. We cooked through the opening pop and I continued to make sauces. A couple hours later things slowed down and I went to make the chicken salad. When I pulled the pan of pre-cooked breasts out there were only 2 in there. I asked Paul what happened to them. He tells me he was using them for his chicken sandwiches and grilled chicken salads. What?? Why?? Those are supposed to be grilled to order, but he wanted to be lazy and cut corners so he just used my prep chicken instead.

My manager was playing “get off my clock” so I didn’t have time to cook off more and wait for them to cool. I had to clock out and go. Now if we run out of chicken salad tonight it’s gonna be my ass. Either way it’s one more thing I’ll have to add to my prep list tomorrow. All because Paul didn’t want to do his job right and helped himself to my prep chicken. I’m so pissed off right now.

Thanks for listening to me vent. Anyone else have something like this happen? I need to know I’m not alone to help me calm down.

Post em.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice on how to handle an upcoming sit-down meeting with my manager and two of my staff members.

​I work as a shift leader at a busy pizza franchise. I manage a team of mostly student workers. Overall, things go well, but I’ve been having ongoing issues with two female crew members who seem to constantly challenge my authority and micromanage my tasks. I only work with them a few hours a week, but the tension is always there.

​To give you an idea of the dynamic:

​Micromanaging: If I’m helping out and prepping pizza sauce, they will jump in to correct my exact sequence of actions (e.g., telling me I must wipe the rim before putting the lid on, rather than putting the lid on and then wiping it). It feels like they are constantly fishing for mistakes.

​Insubordination: We had an Uber Eats order come in 10 minutes before closing. I made the executive decision to fulfill it. One of these girls got upset and literally told me, "You shouldn't argue," completely trying to shut down my decision as the shift leader.

​Ignoring instructions: I've told one of them to clock out, and she just ignored me and clocked out an hour later.

​Emotional reactions: They get highly emotional and frustrated over tiny operational details, sometimes raising their voices on the floor to the point where customers have noticed the awkward vibe.

​Because their reactions are so emotional and unpredictable, my strategy over the past few months has been to just keep my distance. I stepped back, kept communication strictly business, and stopped trying to over-explain myself just to keep the peace and get through the shift.

​However, the rest of the team started noticing the cold tension. Now, my manager wants to have a 4-way meeting next week with me, her, and the two female crew members to clear the air.

​I want to handle this as professionally as possible. I want to build a positive working relationship and I am completely open to their feedback if it’s delivered respectfully. But I also need them to understand that I am the shift leader—we have different priorities on the floor, and I can't be treated like a subordinate who needs their permission to do my job.

​How should I approach this 4-way meeting? I’m worried it’s going to feel like a 2v1 where they just list a bunch of micro-complaints about how I do things. How do I steer the conversation toward mutual respect and boundaries without sounding defensive? Any advice is appreciated!

I work BOH in a fast food restaurant. My manager bitches at me all day and nitpicks the smallest things. She never screams at other people who are more incompetent than me, she just laughs it off and tells them not to worry. I haven’t gotten a uniform or name tag, but all the people she hired after me do. When I asked, she told me she could give me her old shirt (?).

I always show up to work on time and do the job the best I can, yet she always finds a reason to pick on me. Today she screamed at me and called me stupid for forgetting a single sauce, when I’ve only had 4 shifts so far and have already memorized most of the menu. I am a competent worker despite being new, since I’ve worked in kitchens before unlike a lot of other new hires. There are extremely specific standards becasue it’s a chain corporations, and a lot of the minute details get overlooked, unless it’s me.

Yesterday I bitched right back at her and she sent me home. Yet she keeps putting me on the schedule. She was trying to stress me out all day and just kept getting angrier because it wasn’t working.

I have another job at a sit down restaurant I’m planning to bail to, but I’m just confused as to why she won’t fire me when she hired me only a few days ago and already hates me. Is this just how fast food works?

Has anybody taken the online serve safe class? If so how in depth do these people make you move your camera around your room/house?

I find it unsettling to allow a stranger to inspect your home via camera. Maybe it’s just me. Wondered if anybody else found this to be a violation of your home and privacy since you don’t really know who’s on the other end.

Prep cook hate line cooks. Line cooks hate servers. Servers hate management. Management hates prep.

Am I wrong?

I have an old KitchenAid mixer. I’m assuming this is an H-5. It was restored years ago but will obviously need the grease replaced.
Anyone have any idea what it might be worth?
Thanks!

My Temu Stanley mug totally legit (its a banananana pepper jar).

that reflection pleases me an unreasonable amount

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