Commissary Kitchen Cook / Utility

Commissary Cook / Utility

Location: Chicago, IL

Employment Type: Full-Time (35-40 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 looking for a Commissary Cook / Utility to join our commissary. No previous experience is required and we will train you, so this is a strong first step for someone who wants a career in food production. Kitchen or warehouse experience is a plus but not required.

This seat spans both sides of the commissary. On the production side you prepare and cook all sauces and desserts to our recipes and standards, holding flavor, texture, portioning, and presentation consistent across every batch. On the warehouse side you package finished goods, print and distribute menus, build pallets, keep storage organized, receive and verify incoming orders, and support inventory counts. Everything that leaves this building ends up on a guest's plate at one of our locations, which is why batch consistency and order accuracy matter here as much as they do on any restaurant line. We are looking for someone who is hungry to learn, reliable, genuinely kind, and brings high standards to every batch and every order.

Responsibilities

Sauce Production

• Prepare and cook all sauces in accordance with OMAKAI's recipes and quality standards
• Hold consistency in flavor, texture, and portioning across every batch produced for distribution
• Follow the recipe exactly rather than improvising to save time
• Tell the Warehouse Manager when a batch is off instead of shipping it

Dessert Production

• Prepare, cook, and package all dessert items in accordance with OMAKAI's recipes and standards
• Maintain consistency in quality, portion size, and presentation across every batch
• Keep components labeled, dated, and rotated
• When an ingredient runs short or a batch fails, adjust and re-run efficiently rather than shipping something subpar

Packaging and Menu Printing

• Pack and prepare finished goods for distribution to our restaurant locations
• Ensure accurate labeling, proper sealing, and that every item meets quality and presentation standards before it leaves the warehouse
• Print, organize, and distribute menus to locations as needed, current and correctly formatted
• Produce menus in the quantities each location requests

Pallet Building, Storage, and Organization

• Build and organize pallets for outgoing shipments neatly and correctly
• Maintain a clean, organized warehouse floor with clear labeling and logical storage
• Find a smart fix and flag it when storage gets tight, rather than letting it become a problem

Receiving and Inventory

• Receive incoming deliveries, verify them against purchase orders, and log inventory accurately
• Flag discrepancies, damaged goods, or shortages to the Warehouse Manager immediately
• Support regular inventory counts, cycle counts, and restocking across the warehouse
• Keep inventory records accurate at all times

Every Shift

• Produce on schedule so nothing downstream gets held up and locations get what they need on time
• Follow our recipes and standard operating procedures exactly, on every batch, every shift
• Complete opening, running, and closing cleaning, and store product properly
• Minimize waste of product and supplies
• Handle food safely and follow all company, federal, state, and local health and safety requirements
• Jump in wherever the team needs a hand, across production, packaging, receiving, and inventory

Qualifications

• No previous experience required, we will train you
• 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 learn and memorize our recipes in detail, including ingredients, preparation, and portioning
• Comfortable following a recipe and a process exactly, every time
• Able to maintain both quality and speed through a heavy production or receiving day
• Strong attention to detail, particularly with labeling, dating, counts, and order verification
• Comfortable moving between production work and warehouse work in the same shift
• Communicates well with teammates and the Warehouse Manager
• Available for early mornings and weekends as production requires
• Reliable transportation to and from the commissary
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States

Working Conditions

• Indoor commissary and warehouse environment 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 in an enclosed space. All candidates must be able to perform the essential functions of the role, with or without a reasonable accommodation
• Work around hot equipment, knives, and cold storage, including walk-in access
• Standing and moving for long periods, with some bending and kneeling to reach product, containers, and supplies
• Moderate lifting, up to 50 pounds
• Maneuvering between workstations, production equipment, pallets, and corners

Characteristics We Value

• Hungry to learn, and you take feedback as a way to get better
• Reliable, and your production and your paperwork stay on schedule
• Consistent, with batches that taste and look the same from the first to the last
• Organized, and you keep the warehouse floor and your station clean and labeled
• Detail-oriented, and you verify an order against the purchase order before logging it
• Genuinely kind, and you jump in wherever the team needs a hand without being asked
• Honest, and you say when a batch is off or a count does not match instead of letting it go
• Team first, and you understand that what leaves this building shapes every guest's experience

Core Values

• You cook each batch knowing it will be served to a guest somewhere, and you support the whole commissary with a humble, helpful attitude.
• Be Reliable. You produce on schedule and to recipe every batch, and you keep packaging, receiving, and inventory accurate so nothing downstream gets held up.
• Blowing Minds. You hold batch consistency, seasoning, and portioning to standard so the food tastes the same in every location, and you pack goods and build pallets neatly and correctly.
• Make It Happen. When an ingredient runs short, a batch fails, or a delivery comes up short, you adjust, re-run, or find a smart fix rather than shipping something subpar.
• No Drama. You stay composed and positive through long production runs and heavy receiving days. Gossip has no place at OMAKAI, and the best idea wins no matter who it comes from.
• Build Trust. You tell the Warehouse Manager when a batch is off instead of shipping it, and you log inventory honestly and flag a discrepancy or damaged goods right away.

This May Not Be the Right Fit If

• You think this is just cooking, or just moving boxes, and does not affect the restaurants
• You do not grasp that batch consistency and portioning affect every location the goods ship to
• You do not want to own packaging quality, order verification, or inventory accuracy
• You want to cook and clock out, and feel no ownership over what ships to each location
• You see accuracy and organization as someone else's problem
• Your consistency slips across large production batches, or you fall behind when packaging, receiving, and inventory all need attention at once
• You bring negativity, gossip, or dark energy into the commissary

Compensation & Benefits

• Starting at $18 to $19 per hour, with opportunities for growth
• 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 benefits
• 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.