TOKYO JOE'S
Words: Candies Deezy Liu / Photography: Sean Hartgrove
Since its inception, Tokyo Joe’s, known for its casual approach to healthy, affordable
Japanese food has had an open door policy for employing the tattooed and pierced.
When the first Joe’s location opened in March of 1996, tattoos and piercings, though
on the rise, were not as popular and prevalent as they are now. Employing people with
visible tattoos and piercings was certainly not common practice for restaurants. With
35 locations, eight more opening, and pushing a thousand employees by the end of
this year, their intention when it came to employment was to represent the population
more so than making a statement. That meant employing qualified people, regardless
of their appearance or body modifications. At the forefront of “fast casual,” Joe’s
revolutionized more than just that type of dining; they pioneered the concept of tattoo
acceptance in the workplace.
“We taught people about California Rolls, tattoos, and piercings,” Joe’s founder, Larry
Leith says. One of their first slogans on their marketing collateral was: “the few, the
proud, the pierced.” It was a bold move. Many embraced it, others were offended.
For some, it was a complete and utter shock that a public restaurant would employ tattooed and pierced people to serve food. But that
was part of Tokyo Joe’s appeal from the get go. They had an edge that no else had at the time, whether it was their unique approach
to dining, or the people serving the food. “Early on, when we were hiring people, I’m such an open-minded person, it didn’t even occur
to me that anybody would judge somebody by how they looked for a job. I was just thrilled people wanted to work for us. Since the
beginning, we knew we were open-minded employers.” Larry recalls. “At that point, I didn’t have a single tattoo or piercing,” he continues.
Upon hire, employees would ask if they needed to cover up their tattoos or remove their piercings. “Why would you do that?” Larry asked
back.
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