Hostess - OMAKAI Sushi Coconut Grove

Job Description

Job Description

Host or Hostess

Location: Coconut Grove, FL

Employment Type: Part-Time (20-29 hours) or Full-Time (30+ hours)

About OMAKAI

OMAKAI is a traditional sushi restaurant with one aim: to be known for blowing people's minds. Everything we do rests on three guarantees: warm rice for contrast, crispy nori for texture, and kind service. Every guest, every visit.

We serve high-quality traditional sushi at an accessible price, and we are growing across South Florida and expanding to other cities nationally with our full-service restaurants and hand roll bars. We aim to hold ourselves to a five-star hotel standard in a casual dining room, which means the details matter more here than they do in most restaurants.

We treat every guest with genuine kindness and focus heavily on execution. Our team runs on accountability, reliability, and doing what we say we will do.

Position Overview

We are seeking a warm, organized Host or Hostess with at least one year of experience in a full dine-in restaurant. Fast food and restaurants without dine-in service do not count as relevant experience. Japanese restaurant experience is a plus but not required, and this position offers opportunities for growth within the company.

This seat is both our front door and our takeout station. You will greet and seat every guest, manage the reservation grid in SevenRooms, keep table flow moving without disrupting booked parties, handle incoming calls, and pack takeout and delivery orders completely and correctly. We are looking for someone who is genuinely kind, stays composed when the door is busy and the phone is ringing, knows what excellence looks like, and brings high standards to the table.

Responsibilities

Customer Greeting

• Welcome every guest at the door warmly and promptly, and thank every departing guest
• Set the tone for the visit from the moment a guest arrives
• Keep the entrance and waiting area immaculate and ready for guests
• Stay gracious with a walk-in facing a wait, and keep them updated on where they stand

Reservations, Grid Management, and Seating

• Manage the reservation grid to optimize table flow and minimize wait times
• Enter guest information, reservations, and notes into SevenRooms in real time
• Accommodate walk-ins without disrupting booked parties
• Seat guests promptly at the correct table and let them know their server will be with them shortly
• Assign seats fairly and without bias, so every server, server captain, and bartender receives an equitable share of guests
• Provide chit sheets to servers, server captains, and bartenders
• Work the waitlist and find a seating solution when the grid is overbooked, rather than turning a guest away

Phone Management

• Answer incoming calls promptly and professionally
• Take reservations and relay accurate wait times
• Answer questions about the menu and our hours
• Route calls to the right person, including the manager on duty when needed

Packing and Handling Orders

• Take takeout and delivery orders accurately over the phone and through our online platforms
• Pack and organize every order completely and correctly, with the right packaging
• Catch an incomplete or sloppily packed order after it leaves the restaurant
• Hand off orders to the guest or delivery driver on time
• Follow all internal food and beverage handling protocols and applicable government requirements
• Handle payments on our point-of-sale system and count the register after and after your shift

Takeout Assembly and Stocking

• Assemble takeout and delivery packaging to order specs, correctly constructed and labeled
• Include sauces, ginger, wasabi, chopsticks, and other items as each order requires
• Fill sauce containers to par and refill them as levels drop
• Replenish sauce dispensers and keep the packing station stocked
• Complete opening, running, and closing side work every shift

Qualifications

• At least one year of hosting or serving experience in a full dine-in restaurant; fast food chains and restaurants without dine-in service do not count
• Experience in a casual fine dining restaurant or above is preferred
• Must be able to work both lunches and dinners and at least one double a week
• SafeServe, allergy compliance, and sexual harassment prevention certifications required, and all can be obtained during training. We cover the cost of the sexual harassment prevention certificate
• Able to manage a reservation system and optimize table flow; experience with SevenRooms is a plus
• Japanese cuisine knowledge is a plus but not required
• Able to learn and memorize the entire menu accurately, including ingredients and preparation
• Comfortable handling money and operating a point-of-sale system
• Communicates well with guests, teammates, and management, even during a rush
• Willing to adhere to our dress code and appearance standards
• Reliable transportation to and from the restaurant
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States

Working Conditions

• Indoor dining room environment in a restaurant that handles fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, wheat products, rice, dry seaweed, sauces, and many other food and beverage products
• Candidates with food allergies must inform management during the application process
• Noise levels vary depending on how busy the restaurant is
• Standing for long periods, with some bending and kneeling to reach items such as plates, spoons, sauces, and beverages
• Moderate tray handling and lifting, up to 25 pounds
• Handling a soft drink hose to dispense beverages
• Assembling and carrying takeout and delivery orders at the packing station
• Pre-bussing and bussing tables, including thorough cleaning and occasional sweeping
• Maneuvering between tables and corners in a full dining room

Characteristics We Value

• Genuinely kind, with hospitality that comes from the heart
• Reliable without exception, ready after doors open with the grid set and the packing station stocked
• Detail oriented, because a mispacked order is a lost guest
• Warm and composed with a busy door, a ringing phone, and a stack of takeout orders at once
• Resourceful, works the waitlist and arrives with options rather than problems
• Honest and fair, assigns seats without favoring anyone
• Team first, takes pride in owning both the door and the takeout station

Core Values

• Hospitality from the heart: you greet every guest at the door like someone you love and have not seen in two years. You stay gracious with a frustrated walk-in facing a wait.
• Be Reliable. You stand ready after doors open, with the grid set and the packing station stocked. When something is missed, you own it instead of explaining it away.
• Blowing Minds. A five-star hotel mentality in a casual room, where mediocrity bothers you. You keep the entrance and waiting area immaculate, and you catch an incomplete or sloppily packed order after it leaves.
• Make It Happen. Three layers of solutions after you escalate. When the grid is overbooked, you work the waitlist and find a seating solution rather than turning the guest away.
• No Drama. You stay composed when the door is slammed and the phone is ringing. Gossip has no place at the host stand, and the best idea wins no matter who it comes from.
• Build Trust. You flag a packing mistake openly instead of hiding it, and you assign seats fairly rather than favoring friends.

This May Not Be the Right Fit If

• You think the job is greeting guests and grabbing menus
• You do not see grid management or fair seat rotation as part of the work
• You treat phones, grid updates, and packing as chores
• You want to stand at the door or use your phone and do the minimum
• You get flustered once the restaurant is busy
• You let the grid fall out of date or let orders go out incomplete
• You bring negativity, gossip, or dark energy to the restaurant

Compensation & Benefits

• Commission model: hosts and hostesses keep a fixed percentage of the service charge (the percentage varies by location), plus an hourly base, plus takeout tips (not delivery tips). Averages between $19 and $23 per hour depending on day of the week and seasonality
• Growth opportunities for those candidates willing to learn and grow
• 50% meal discount while working
• 25% meal discount when dining with us as a guest on your own time
• Medical insurance reimbursement
• Free parking
• Flexible scheduling
• A dedicated onboarding and training program

Equal Opportunity Employer

OMAKAI is an equal opportunity employer. This employer must notify all applicants of their rights under federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.