Staff Unlocks & Recruitment
Staff members arrive through contracts, mission progress and restaurant ranks.
How recruitment works
New employees become available as the story and Cooksta rank progress. Hiring costs vary by staff member, and each employee can be trained to raise Cooking, Serving, Procurement and Appeal. Some staff unlock new recipes at specific training levels.
Highest max total staff
| Staff | Rating | Hire fee | Max total | Special skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drae | Diamond | 297 | 3161 | Cleaning; Cocktail Serving |
| Chitose | — | 2,917 | 3054 | Cooking+ (+50); Cooking+ (+100) |
| Itsuki | Bronze | 4 | 2961 | Drink Serving; Irresistible Charm (+50 Appeal) |
| Hamako | — | 215 | 2943 | Drink Serving Master; Cocktail Serving |
| Davina | Bronze | 143 | 2624 | Irresistible Charm (+50 Appeal); Dispatch Master |
| Kyoko | Bronze | 0 (142) | 2517 | Drink Serving; Tip Master |
| Pai | Bronze | 467 | 2392 | Cooking+ (+50); Serving+ (+50) |
| Carolina | Bronze | 410 | 2297 | Wasabi Refill; Tip Master |
| Liu | Bronze | 125 | 2294 | Cleaning; Serving+ (+50) |
| Masayoshi | Bronze | 551 | 2231 | Ingredient Prep Expert; Dispatch Master |
| Yusuke | Bronze | 267 | 2214 | Ingredient Prep Expert; Cooking+ (+50) |
| Mitchell | Bronze | 258 | 2209 | Drink Serving; Serving+ (+50) |
Training priority
Train the staff member with the highest max ceiling for the bottleneck role. If the kitchen stacks up, prioritize Cooking; if tables wait, prioritize Serving. Use the Staff Compare tool to test two candidates.