Job Description

Busser

Location: Chicago, IL (Fulton Market)

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 here more 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 fast, thorough Busser with at least one year of restaurant experience to join our team. Bussing experience in a high-volume dining room is a plus but not required.

Bussers keep tables turning and the whole dining room sanitary, and this position goes well beyond clearing plates. You will reset tables to standard, so the next party seats quickly, keep floors, bathrooms, and garbage stations clean throughout service, and give direct support to servers and bartenders. We are looking for someone who stays aware of the whole room, communicates with the manager on duty and the rest of the front-of-house team, and brings high standards to every turn.

Responsibilities

Clean and Help Turn Over Tables

• Clear dishes, glassware, chopsticks, linens, and other items promptly after guests leave
• Reset tables to standard with clean settings so the next party can be seated quickly
• Pre-buss tables during the meal so the table stays clear and comfortable
• Send full buss pans to the dish area and replace them with clean pans
• When several tables clear at once during a rush, prioritize the resets that unblock seating and pull in help rather than falling behind

Dining Room Sanitation During Service

• Maintain the cleanliness of floors, bathrooms, and garbage stations throughout service
• Run regular walkthroughs to address messes before they become issues
• Sweep and mop dining floors before and after every shift
• Keep the server station clean, organized, and stocked
• Tell the manager on duty about a spill, a broken item, or a sanitation issue right away

Support Server and Bartender Seats

• Assist servers and bartenders with the tasks that keep service flowing
• Refill water and other beverages without being asked
• Remove empty glasses and finished plates when servers and bartenders need hands
• Respond to requests from servers, bartenders, and guests promptly and courteously
• Support any table during a rush, regardless of whose section it is

Qualifications

• At least one year of restaurant experience preferred
• Restaurant bussing experience preferred but not required
• Allergy compliance and sexual harassment prevention certifications required, and both can be obtained during training. We cover the cost of the sexual harassment prevention certificate. BASSET alcohol service certification is required for all Chicago front of house team members and must be obtained before or during training.
• Available for morning and night shifts, including weekend availability
• Fast and thorough during turns, and able to stay aware of the whole room
• Communicates well with guests, teammates, and management, even during a rush
• Willing to adhere to dress code requirements
• High school diploma or equivalent preferred but not required
• 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
• This role involves regular contact with fish, shellfish, wheat, sesame, and other allergens. All candidates must be able to perform the essential functions of the role, with or without a reasonable accommodation
• 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 50 pounds
• Handling a soft drink hose to dispense beverages
• Pre-bussing and bussing tables, including thorough cleaning and occasional sweeping
• Sweeping and mopping dining floors, and cleaning bathrooms and garbage stations during service
• Maneuvering between tables and corners in a full dining room

Characteristics We Value

• Genuinely kind, with a quiet, courteous presence at the table
• Reliable without exception, early and prepared with the room set and stations stocked
• Fast and thorough, and keeps resets quick so seating never stalls
• Aware of the whole room, and catches a wobbly table or a crumb before a guest does
• Resourceful under pressure, prioritizes the work that unblocks seating and pulls in help
• Honest and trustworthy, reports a spill or a broken item right away
• Team first, supports servers, bartenders, and any table without being asked

Core Values

• OMAtenashi. You clear and reset with a quiet, courteous presence, refill water without being asked, and treat guests warmly even in a support role.
• Be Reliable. You show up ready with the room set and stations stocked, and you keep resets fast, so seating never stalls because of a slow turn.
• Blowing Minds. You reset tables to exact standard, keep floors, bathrooms, and garbage spotless during service, and catch a wobbly table or a crumb before a guest does.
• Make It Happen. When several tables clear at once during a rush, you prioritize the resets that unblock seating and pull in help rather than falling behind.
• No Drama. You keep a calm, positive attitude during the busiest turns and support servers and bartenders without complaint.
• Build Trust. You tell the manager on duty about a spill, a broken item, or a sanitation issue right away instead of leaving it for someone else to find.

This May Not Be the Right Fit If

• You see bussing as low-priority cleanup
• You do not connect fast resets to getting the next party seated
• You skip sanitation walkthroughs and let floors, bathrooms, and garbage slide
• You ignore servers and bartenders when they need support
• You do the minimum, and slow resets stall seating
• You cannot keep up during turns, so tables sit dirty
• You bring negativity, gossip, or dark energy onto the floor

Compensation & Benefits

• Commission-based position: $4.00 per hour base, plus at least 1.5% commission on every dine-in sale. Projected earnings of $18 to $21 per hour, including all sources of pay
• These are good-faith projected estimates for a location that has not opened yet, not a guarantee.
• This is a commissioned service position under Section 7(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The service charge added to dine-in checks is distributed to the front of house team as commission. Because of that, overtime premiums do not apply in weeks where the exemption's conditions are met: more than half of your pay must come from commission, and in any week you work more than 40 hours your regular rate must exceed one and one half times the applicable minimum wage for every hour worked.
• If your base and commission together fall short in a workweek, we make up the difference so your pay always meets the applicable minimum wage for every hour worked, and meets the one and one half times threshold in an overtime week.
• All benefits mandated by the City of Chicago, including paid sick leave under the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance
• 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.