Service Lead (FOH) | High-end Japanese Restaurant

A high-end Japanese restaurant in Austin, Texas is seeking a Service Lead (FOH).

Seeking an articulate, highly poised hospitality professional to join our team as Service Lead.

<Job  Overview>
The space is an intimate, counter-based Kaiseki dining experience centered around an open kitchen (kappo style). Rather than traditional partitioned table seating, all guests are seated directly along an open chef’s counter, where the Chef prepares and plates dishes in full
view of the room. Because the boundary between kitchen and dining room is removed, service here is dynamic, transparent, and conversational.
This is primarily an elevated guest-facing role where your presence and professional manner are essential. Working in with the Chef team, you will anchor the room’s hospitality (omotenashi)—booking and managing reservations, welcoming guests at the threshold,
orchestrating beverage pairings and counter resets, and anticipating guest needs with quiet precision and elegance, free from stiffness or pretense. Beyond direct guest hospitality and counter service, the Service Lead helps to maintain day-to-day administrative continuity for the venue. This includes point-of-sale (POS) ownership/closeout, coordinating maintenance and service dispatch, invoice submission,
smallware and supply monitoring, general common area upkeep, and managing large-party or private event logistics as needed.

< Responsibilities>
• Counter-Based Hospitality & Flow: Provide warm, attentive, anticipatory hospitality to guests seated along the chef’s counter.
Read guest cues naturally, facilitate beverage pairings, assist with dish clearances, and maintain an approachable, poised demeanor
without intruding on the chef’s direct rapport with diners.
• Reception & Reservation Management: Greet guests upon arrival, assist with coats and seating, confirm upcoming bookings, and
maintain detailed guest profiles and logs (visit notes, dietary restrictions, beverage preferences).
• Live Counter Coordination: Work closely with the Chef during service to support plating pacing, glassware resets, hot towel (oshibori)
service, and synchronized course delivery straight to the counter ledge.
• Beverage & Supply Administration: Oversee inventory and place orders for NA bev, sake, wine, spirits, and front-of-house guest supplies
in compliance with local regulations.
• Station Prep & Immaculate Cleanliness: Execute pre-service setup (polishing glassware, ceramic/lacquerware inspection, preparing
oshibori). Because the entire dining area directly faces the preparation counter, you will maintain meticulous counter      cleanliness/organization and conduct regular dining area and restroom sweeps throughout the evening.
• Menu Mastery & Product Education: Extensively study and articulate our menu components, including seasonal ingredient sourcing,
Japanese culinary techniques, sake brewing classifications, Japanese whiskies, wine pairings, and Japanese service customs.
• Systems & Maintenance: Handle front-of-house POS troubleshooting and serve as the point of contact to coordinate equipment repair
and vendor service calls.
• Logistics & Purchasing: Submit beverage and operating invoices, monitor smallware inventory and replacement pars, and ensure front-of-house common areas remain immaculate and organized.
• Event Coordination: Manage incoming communications and logistics for large parties or private counter buyouts when applicable.

<Qualifications & Requirements>
• Hospitality Experience: Prior experience in fine dining, upscale hospitality, or tasting-menu environments (experience in sushi counters, open-kitchen concepts, or omakase/kappo formats is a strong plus).
• Counter Poise & Demeanor: Exceptional communication skills, spatial awareness in close quarters, and the ability to maintain composure,
warmth, and grace under direct guest view.
• Product Knowledge: Demonstrated interest in or working knowledge of sake, wine, spirits, Japanese tea, and traditional Japanese
gastronomy.
• Reliability & Organization: Punctual, organized, and detail-oriented with reservation systems and inventory management.
• Physical Demands: Ability to stand, move fluidly in a compact space throughout a multi-hour dinner service, and lift up to 30 lbs of
supplies when stocking

【Keywords】
①Lead Server
②Fine Dining
③Restaurant Captain