While it's fun to discover what treasures are hidden underneath the waves in Dave the Diver, you should also remember the other aspect of the game: sushi restaurant management. Splitting your time between venturing into Blue Hole and managing Bancho Sushi will probably be 50-50 at the start of the game; however, meeting new characters who can help you in your responsibilities topside will allow for more time spent diving.
As such, you will want to have the best employees and staff at Bancho Sushi if you wish to spend more time in the deep. You'll meet a cast of colorful characters in Dave the Diver, and while all of them are pretty decent employee choices, some are just a step above the rest and will maximize productivity and profit without the need for you to micromanage everything.
8 James
The intimidating James may look like someone straight out of a slasher movie, but he is one of the more reliable employees to have around. He has a pretty decent cooking score at max level and can be a nice complement to the top cook, which will either Maki or Yone.
His special skill, Ingredient Prep Master, is best combined with another staff member with Cooking+ or Cooking++ skills. This combo will allow your staff to prepare more plates before they are served, which in turn optimizes productivity and efficiency.
7 Davina
Davina comes with the highest procure rating once she reaches level 20. Add the Dispatch Master skill to her arsenal, and she is one of the best dispatchers in the game, along with Masayoshi. She also comes with the rare Staff with Irresistible Charm perk, which will help increase the number of loyal customers at Bancho Sushi.
Pair her up with Masayoshi, and you have the best dispatcher team in the game. You can rest easy and not worry about running out of ingredients when you have either Davina or Masayoshi on your team.
6 Drae
Drae is a well-rounded staff member that you can get once Platinum Rank employees become available. While he does seem like a jack-of-all-trades sort of dude, this is exactly why he is perfect for a manager position. You will need some solid workers for this position, and Drae fits that bill perfectly.
His special skills include Cleaning and Cocktail Serving, which will be a nice finishing touch for your team. Train Drae immediately and get him up to the higher levels to fully benefit from him as a branch manager.
5 Raptor
Raptor is an excellent server who also holds a pretty unique set of skills. Additionally, you can also get him earlier than the El Niño (the best server you can get), as he is a Gold Rank staff. You can pair Raptor up with El Niño once the latter becomes available for the dream team of servers.
Raptor's skills are also pretty rare on their own, so imagine having one employee with both. Having both Cocktail Serving and Wasabi Refill in a single employee is the main reason why you should get this talented reptilian for Bancho Sushi.
4 Itsuki
With the ability to hire an actual dinosaur, hiring a ninja seems tame in comparison. However, Itsuki is another top-tier employee that you should put in the effort to get. Besides Drae, Itsuki is another outstanding choice for your branch manager position thanks to her incredibly high service and appeal ratings.
Plus, her special skills, such as Drink Serving and the rare Staff with Irresistible Charm, are a combo that you will find advantageous in attracting more customers.
3 El Niño
Booyaka! El Niño is the Diamond Rank ace luchador server of Dave the Diver. Don’t let his low appeal score fool you, as he more than makes up for that shortcoming with his two special skills: Cleaning Master and Drink Serving Master.
The Cleaning Master perk will allow El Niño to automatically clear up space and gather tips, while Drink Serving Master means every drink he serves will always get a perfect rating. Overall, he's the best server that you can hire in the game
2 Yone
Yone is another top-tier staff member that you can hire with a pretty solid all-around stat, which is second only to Maki when it comes to cooking. As she's a Diamond Rank Staff, you will need to put in the time before she becomes available. Once you do, combined with Maki, you will have a duo that will blow the competition out of the water.
Once you get her to level 20, she will have one of the best cooking ratings in the game. Add in skills such as Ingredient-Prep Expert and Cooking++, and Yone becomes an invaluable member of the Bancho Sushi family.
1 Maki
You will meet Maki and acquire her services early on in Chapter 2, your first hire. While her starting stats aren’t that impressive, she is a worthwhile investment to keep at Bancho Sushi. Leveling her up to 20 will give you the employee with the highest Cooking rating in the game.
In addition, her special skills include Cooking+ and Cooking++, which will speed up food preparation significantly. Just because Maki is the first employee you can hire in the game doesn’t mean you should replace her once you have more characters to choose from. Stick with Maki, and she will prove to be one of the best employees in the game.