The restaurant we eat at every Friday evening here in Kumamoto , Japan is run by a family . It’s a sushi / izakaya . shokudo restaurant . Family consists of father ( sushi chef ) , son # 1 in kitchen , son # 2 sushi/etc.. , mother who takes and brings orders , wives of sons who also take and bring orders + work in kitchen sometimes , and recently the grand-daughter has been helping out as well . We love the place . Never eat at chain shops . The other restaurants we eat at ( rotating schedule hehe ) are all run by families , too , with the occasional part-time help . And we rarely pay over $ 40 for dinner/drinks for the two of us . No tipping in Japan either , although I’d like to at these places .
I made it to Tokyo an the early 2000s. That is sort of the way I remember it when we went out to eat.