POS for sushi and Japanese restaurants

A Japanese restaurant often runs two kitchens at once: the sushi bar, where chefs build orders in front of guests, and the hot kitchen, for tempura, ramen and grilled dishes. Add omakase at the counter, all-you-can-eat sessions in the dining room and large takeout platters, and a generic POS starts to strain. This guide covers what to look for and what to test.

Two kitchens: sushi bar and hot line

• Route by item. Nigiri, sashimi and rolls go to the sushi bar's printer or screen; tempura, ramen, teriyaki and gyoza go to the kitchen. A table's order should split automatically and arrive at both at the same time.
• Hold and fire. Appetizers and soup first, then sushi and mains when the table is ready.
• Screens or printers at each station. Kitchen display software is usually priced per screen; Square, for example, lists its KDS app at $30 a month per device on Plus and $20 on Premium. A printer at the sushi bar and a screen at the hot line is a common mix.
• Ticket language. If your chefs read Japanese, check whether the kitchen printer or display can show Japanese item names, including modifiers. Ask for a printed sample rather than trusting the screen.

The sushi counter and omakase

Omakase is the chef's choice, served piece by piece over an evening, often at a fixed price per guest. The POS should support:

• Seat-level ordering at the bar, so each guest's à la carte additions and drinks go on their own check.
• A fixed-price omakase item with supplements (extra pieces, premium fish) priced on top.
• Course pacing without a ticket for every piece, if your chef doesn't want one. Some counters prefer one opening ticket and supplements only.
• Counter reservations by seat and seating time, if you run fixed seatings.

Kaiseki and set menus

For multi-course set menus, build the menu once as a priced item with its courses inside it, so each course fires in order. Dietary changes (no raw fish, no shellfish, gluten-free soy) should attach to the guest and follow every course of the menu.

Market-price fish and daily specials

Seasonal and imported fish often change price daily. A manager should be able to set today's prices once at opening, and the POS should show "market price" items with that day's price on the server's screen, on the receipt and in reports, without a manager override for every order.

All-you-can-eat sessions

All-you-can-eat sushi needs rules a regular POS doesn't have:

• Per-person pricing by adult and child, sometimes by lunch and dinner.
• A session timer per table that starts when the party is seated, with a warning before time is up.
• Rounds. A limit on items per guest per round, so the kitchen isn't swamped by one table.
• A leftover charge, if you charge for unfinished food, rung as a clear line item. Show the policy on the menu and the receipt.
• Tablet ordering at the table, which suits all-you-can-eat because guests order several rounds. See the QR ordering guide.

A dinner session priced at $36.99 per adult and $18.99 per child, 90 minutes per table, up to eight pieces per guest per round, and a $1 charge for each uneaten piece over five. Build exactly this in the demo.

Conveyor-belt (kaiten) restaurants

Conveyor restaurants price by plate color. The POS needs a fast way for staff to count plates by color at the table, or a connection to a plate-reading system if you use one, and a check that totals each color at its price. Ask whether plate counting can be done from a handheld at the table.

Fish freshness and inventory

Raw fish has a short shelf life. A POS with recipe-based inventory can deduct fish by weight or piece as items sell, so you can compare what you sold with what you received and what you threw away. Logging deliveries with their date, and checking that oldest stock is used first, is usually a kitchen process supported by the inventory tool rather than something the POS does on its own. See the inventory and waste guide.

Sake and drinks

• Sake by the glass, carafe and bottle from the same inventory.
• Pairings priced per guest, as an add-on to omakase or a set menu.
• Drinks routed to the bar, not the sushi counter.

Takeout platters and party trays

Large platters ordered a day ahead need a pickup time, a deposit if you take one, and a prep list for the morning, so the counter knows how many of each roll to make before service. The catering guide covers deposits and prep sheets.

What to bring to the demo

1. Your menu, split into sushi-bar and kitchen items.
2. Your omakase or set-menu price and supplements.
3. Your all-you-can-eat rules, if you run them.
4. A sample of how your chefs want tickets printed.

Then run the general tests in how to choose a restaurant POS. The Chinese restaurant guide covers bilingual kitchen tickets in more detail.