Tipping the Sushi Chef?

[KSPS]

I love sushi and I eat it for lunch a couple of times a week in restaurants in N Virginia. The restaurants are small neighborhood restaurants; the one I patronize most frequently is owned by the sushi chef and the manager is his wife. I rarely sit at the sushi counter. I tip 20% on the bill including tax. However, I have never tipped the sushi chef.

Occasionally, I see a patron putting a dollar or so in a glass bowl on the sushi counter. Recently, the first person who did this bought take-out. The second person who did this ate at the counter. What's the etiquette on tips for a sushi chef? (FWIW, I was taught that one didn't tip the owner of a beauty salon. I'd be tempted to say anything I was taught is dated; however, I've even read that same guidance within the month.)

All Advice Welcome!

KSPS

[cigarnv]

This is an interesting question and one which I am not sure has an absolute answer. The tipping policy of sushi restaurants differ in many cases in how the tips are split. All tips regardless of where they are left may be split, tips at the bar may be retained entirely by the sushi chef or may be split, etc, etc... If you frequent an establishment regularly ask what the policy is and tip as you see fit based on the policy.

At the sushi restaurant we frequent all tips are split with 40% going to the sushi chef.... so it really does not matter where it is left. At establishments where the chef keeps all tips for service at the bar, I tip both the chef and the server seperately.

When in doubt.. ask.. JMO

[akur23]

I have a similar situation... in my building, there is a small (one-person) cappuccino bar. The lady who works there is wonderful, remembers everyone's drinks, and of course, I always tip her. Sometimes she's not there, and the owner or his wife are working the counter. I also was taught that you do not tip the owner. I will walk out if the owner is there, because once he gave me the incorrect change and he refused to fix it even though I pointed it out as soon as he put the change in my hand. But I'm not sure what I should do if his wife is the one working. She's nice enough, but all the profits go to them anyway.

Edited February 3, 2005 by akur23 (log)

[butterfly]

This is probably more info than you want...

I worked in several different Japanese-owned sushi places in different parts of the US. In each, the way that tips were distributed worked the same way (and completely differently from the non-Japanese places where I worked).

All of the tips received by the waitstaff, hostess, sushi chefs, etc. were pooled. Though the amount received by everyone was tracked. We put our cash tips into little boxes that had a slot in the top, with each person having their own cubbyhole.

The sushi chefs got a certain percentage off the top (30-40%). They used their own system of seniority to divvy up this amount, with the most experienced chefs getting the largest percentage.

Then the hostess and busboys/girls got a little cut, as did the cashier in some cases (can't remember the percentage).

Then the waitresses (never any waiters!) got the rest. The amount that we got individually was based on seniority, competency, and ability to pull in tips, as determined by the head waitress.

The system worked very, very well. It encourages the waiters to work as a team and help each other out. It rewards good workers. It doesn't behoove you to be dishonest and keep your cash tips from the others, because the amount of tips that you receive works toward the percentage that you get when they get divvied back to you.

The whole process of divvying up the tips was fun--we did it at the end of the night while eating a big staff meal together.

So, to make a long story short... At a Japanese restaurant (though I can't vouch for a Korean-run "japanese" place), it doesn't really matter to whom you give the tip. It will all end up in the big pool. However, if you are sitting at the bar or getting carry-out, it's not a bad idea to tip into a jar, since it could ensure a closer personal relationship with the chef, which means special treats down the road.

One absolute no-no is to hand cash to the chef in his/her hand. Money is dirty and they don't want it near the fish or food prep area.

[fero style]

I can`t think myself tipping Kazuhiro Okochi , my opinion that would be really awkward.

[GordonCooks]

Waitress gets the tips, the Sushi chef gets the Heinekens..ot's just that simple. Tradition states that a sushi chef cannot refuse a drink (I've never seen one even try)