crew member

shift leader

manager

general manager

restaurant manager

Marugame Udon

Overall I liked working at Marugame and although the job itself is challenging, it is more straightforward than it seems to be. Each day you're assigned a station and you either close or open it for the day, but occasionally you could be assigned a midday shift depending on your availability. Although work days here are usually fast-paced and busy, which is especially overwhelming to new workers, your body will get quickly used to the flow of the restaurant if you put in the effort. You will have an opportunity to eventually learn all the stations so long as you express interest and show a level of proficiency with the stations you have learned. 

The best part about Marugame was the workplace culture. Anyone who's a regular guest is familiar with our callouts (which are inspired by Japanese culture), which is actually really fun to do as a team. The managers will try their best to help you if you are struggling on a station since they are working alongside you and are more understanding, but you must communicate to them if you need help. If you ever come across an issue at work, whether it be another coworker or a customer, the managers listen to you and will mediate the situation. 

The biggest con of the workplace besides the fact that this is a high volume restaurant would be the pay. The pay rate has been the same for over two years, and you can't even apply for a raise due to "budget cuts." We would often get asked to wait to hear back from the managers if we would get a raise or not, but the excuse would always be because of the "budgeting." If you are working part-time or if you are a student, this would not be a problem, but I wouldn't recommend working here full-time.

What is the best part of working at the company?
In my personal experience,  I am allowed to do my job and I am held to a standard and am held accountable for all of my work. It is a close-knit staff and managerial team. We have quarterly meetings were we're all required to attend but it's usually worth it, overall. There are plenty of opportunities to learn and grow and overall learn the more soft skills like patience and precision and being very thorough and detail-oriented but of course, everyone is different. Very diverse staff from all walks of life. Zero-tolerance policy for harassment and bullying. It can be stressful and overwhelming but shift leaders and managers are extremely patient and tolerant and quite lenient but they are professionals overall which I feel it's a detail that's overlooked. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
For me, it's dealing with all the customers and helping out in other stations when we get slammed. I also find it stressful when I have a gajillion things to do while simultaneously getting asked for items last minute. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Overall, the work environment and work culture are quite invigorating and positive. I've had mostly positive experiences at Marugame Udon. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I usually try to prioritize shirodashi, a type of fish broth which is the base for the soups that sell the most alongside our tempura sauce and work my way through my prep list.  I also clean as I go and help out where I can for opening procedures. For closing,  I re-stock the toppings section with whatever they need. It ends with the final clean up. If I have a double shift,  everything on the prior list is a task to be done, but I get a lot more control with the quality of the food products to be sold.

This has to be one of the most inadequately managed company I have ever worked for. Area management has their heads so far in the clouds they have no idea  of what truly goes on in their stores. Shift leads are over worked and under payed, having to rely on tips in a setting that doesn't necessarily encourage or give the guest much of a reason to tip. Shift Leads get no PTO and are expected to be on the floor and do EVERYTHING, often times alone at night (area management will tell you shift leads will never be alone in the store though) but the managers above you will be racking it up as they sit in the office on personal phone calls and their social media or sometimes leaving the premises altogether. The culture is supposed to be big on Japanese hospitality but they constantly under schedule or cut hours even when it's busy leading to a HUGE lack of focus on the quality of the guests dining in the store. Simply not enough bodies in the store for the daily operations but it's all good as long as labor stays at 10%! Food quality and costs keep going down and prices increase but they give nothing back to the staff, not even buffing the $13 meal allocation which barely gets the staff anything now. Upper in-store management is a pushover and takes no control over their store, no one will check if you do your job as long as you sign a little check mark in a book. I have honestly learned absolutely nothing from this company,  in fact I have seen my standards as a food service worker and leader decline and would not recommend working here to my worst enemy.

I was hired to a new location; things were going well until the lack of planning and support from every level made it all come crashing down. Since numbers were down, management's response was to reduce everyone to single digit hours and try to force them to quit, making everyone suffer due to the fact that they overhired by 70% or so. Eventually it reached a point where people weren't getting hours at the location they were hired for and forced to check the scheduling app for non-guaranteed work at a location in Los Angeles with paid parking and a longer commute.

So, with virtually zero communication, hours were reduced to ZERO for many workers with little to no alternative for the location they were hired for.

Multiple workers were left on zero hours of work for months and cold called to come back to work for the company, often in a severely reduced and changed role that they were not hired or trained for and then subject to an inhospitable or unfriendly workplace that would rather see them fail than help them succeed.

I wish i could say at least the coworkers were positive or helpful but honestly they weren't. Toxic management decisions and attitudes culled or changed the positivity in the workplace,  and made the quality of the food and service worse. Every bad decision made by management resulted in worse outcomes down the line and a lot of the weight was put on the workers. Based on this experience, I would not recommend ever working for Marugame Udon at any level.

READ IMPORTANT:
—If you want to get overworked, have s harassment be tolerated by the company, And your SSN Leaked to other employees because of a terrible switch between payroll softwares, this is the place for you. No this is not a joke.
— This job is to not be taken seriously. Corporate and management don’t care about you. They will antagonize you for not following SOP, but it’s not even your fault because you’re just understaffed. 
—They only care about labor percentages and prefer having low labor percentages. Which just means you will have understaffed shifts and get overworked. Which also means you’re not going to be able to provide the best service that the company wants. Even though they put you in that situation. Crazy.
—They don’t even schedule properly, that you probably won’t get trained all to well. They expect you to know everything after 5 training days, to the book.
—In the span of 2 weeks we had 8 people quit/fired/walkout because of how bad management, corporate, HR and even the CEO have been with their god awful decision making. 
—Corporate and management wont even listen to you they just brush you off, cover it up, or their favorite WRITE UPS. Yay!
—The good thing about this job are the fellow coworkers you will meet, that’s it. You guys will be drowning with each other, and only have each others backs.
—Calling out is easy but you will screw the shift over depending on the station assigned and day.

One of the managers at Berkeley location is a disrespectful and angry person. I have trained at this place twice but didn't like the job. After I informed them, I got a call from one of their managers. I was thinking for literally a second to figure out how I should recieve my paycheck because she gave me a couple options. And she literally said "Can I get a response right now? we don't have any more time to spend on trainees who quit after working a few shifts.” Really??? Why would you even advertise on here if you are not willing to spend time on training new people. I simply didn't like the job because it is not a well paying job. I have been working in the restaurant industry for years and I figured I would barely make minimum wage working there including tips. Berkeley rent is way higher than any other places. I am still so baffled by what she said. Training people is part of your job if you are a manager. Like did you think that I would work there for the rest of my life? Now I see why so many people have quit so quick and they still advertise on here. If you are not willing to spend time on training on new people why keep advertising since it is wasting your time? Don't even try to work a couple shifts here to see if you like the job because it is not even worth it. It says a lot about the company when the manager is disrespectful of their employees.

Working as a dishwasher at an udon restaurant was a unique experience. The fast-paced environment kept me on my toes, especially during peak hours when orders were flying out of the kitchen. It was physically demanding, but I appreciated the sense of teamwork and how everyone worked together to ensure the restaurant ran smoothly.

The kitchen staff, including the chefs, were generally supportive, and the management was respectful, though there were times when the work could feel repetitive. The dishes themselves, especially the bowls and utensils used for udon, required a lot of attention to detail. Cleaning the pots, pans, and utensils used for broth-making was challenging but rewarding once everything was sparkling clean.

The hours could be long, and standing for most of the shift wasn’t easy, but it was a good job for staying active. One of the best parts was getting to experience the behind-the-scenes of a busy udon kitchen. It was also a great way to get a feel for Japanese cuisine and how it’s prepared.

Overall, while the work wasn’t glamorous, it was a great entry-level job for someone looking to be part of a kitchen environment, learn the ropes, and stay physically active. Would recommend it to those who don't mind hard work and enjoy a team-oriented atmosphere.

Working here was a frustrating experience overall. The hours are long, and breaks are very inconsistent you’re lucky if you even get one during your shift. Scheduling is also unreliable, as shifts can be changed at any time with little notice, which makes it hard to plan anything outside of work.

The workload compared to the pay is simply not reasonable. You’re expected to work extremely hard, often in a fast paced and high pressure environment, while constantly dealing with heat. Burns and minor injuries feel almost unavoidable over time. It feels like you’re putting in an excessive amount of effort for very little compensation.

While most of the coworkers are friendly and supportive, management is a major issue. They often seem disorganized and unsure of what they’re doing, which creates confusion and inconsistency in how things are run. The workplace overall feels chaotic and poorly managed.

This job might be manageable short-term for someone who can handle intense, fast-paced work, but it’s not something I would recommend long term. Between the inconsistent scheduling, lack of proper breaks, and the imbalance between effort and pay, it’s just not worth it.

I would not work here again.

Working at Marugame Udon has been a really rewarding experience. The company moves fast, but it teaches you a lot about leadership, teamwork, guest service, and operational discipline. The environment is hands on and team oriented, and there are many opportunities to grow if you show initiative and consistency.

One thing I appreciate most is the culture around hospitality and quality. There is a strong focus on taking care of guests while maintaining high food safety and cleanliness standards. Leadership is supportive and pushes employees to improve while still recognizing hard work and development.

The job can definitely be demanding during peak hours, but it helped me become more organized, calm under pressure, and stronger at communicating with both guests and team members. I also had opportunities to develop skills in training, coaching, inventory, labor management, and multi unit operations.

Overall, Marugame Udon is a great place for someone who wants to build restaurant experience, grow into leadership, and work with a hardworking team in a fast paced environment.

Marugame Udon was a decent first job in the food industry. You’ll run into the usual customer service issues, but it’s a great way to learn how to handle problems. There were quite a few management issues when I was there, and though I’ve heard the main troublemaker has left, some decisions still seem a bit petty. People often stick around because of their coworkers, and you definitely have to be comfortable with a fast paced work environment. Expect to overexert yourself sometimes depending on who you're scheduled with (at least in my experience). Work meal is free as long as it’s under $13 (at least that was the limit when I worked there). Time off is pretty easy and you can have a pretty flexible schedule just as long as you call off ahead of time.

Overall, it’s a pretty standard job with its flaws, but I'd say it's a job to go for if you want to make money while you're in college. It’s a good starting point if you’re looking to get some experience and explore other options in the future.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Crew member 101 salaries reported	$18.69 per hour
Shift leader 25 salaries reported	$20.17 per hour
Manager 18 salaries reported	$75,500 per year
General manager 9 salaries reported	$87,389 per year
Restaurant manager 4 salaries reported	$84,000 per year

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