Today I’m putting out a personal ad. No, I’m not looking for a missed connection or lost love. But I want to give a shoutout to a server — I was too rushed to grab his name and, in fairness, I wasn’t planning to write this story — at Kura in Watertown.

Kura is a new restaurant at Arsenal Yards. It’s a chain specializing in conveyor-belt sushi. Take a seat and watch as various miniature fish platters roll past your table, priced at about $3.25 for optimal sampling. Claim whatever catches your eye off that endlessly revolving belt, a lunchtime metaphor for life.

The odds were stacked against my excursion from the beginning. At first, I was skeptical of Kura because it’s not local. It was founded in Japan, and this is the 37th stateside location. Now, this isn’t inherently bad, but there are lots of Boston-based businesses that could use my support. However, my dining companion and I were looking for a halfway point, and Arsenal Yards was ours. She craved sushi; I obliged.

However, she has many dietary restrictions, which could have proved problematic. The assembly-line setup is fun, but I also assumed it would be impersonal: no servers to explain ingredients! Kurabots even scoot around the dining room to deposit condiments and drinks. Depressing, alienating, and kinda gimmicky.

Thirdly, there are no outdoor seats. My dining companion just got over COVID, and I am trying to avoid it like the plague that it is because my son is about to leave for camp. We decided we’d plunk beneath a tree after getting takeout.

No servers, no outdoor seats, no local flair. Safe to say I was jaded upon entering Kura. My lunch-mate, meanwhile, was nervous. She doesn’t dine out much, and she doesn’t usually eat sushi.

What followed was one of the best customer-service experiences I’ve had in a long time. We were greeted by a server who stood with us for 15 minutes in an absolutely packed restaurant meticulously explaining each dish (no small feat; there are dozens). My friend asked about the rice type, soy sauce ingredients, and wheat content, and our server fielded each question like John McEnroe in his prime. When he didn’t know the answer, he obligingly tracked it down. I began to feel nervous, not wanting to take up too much of his time — but he was endlessly patient.

After placing a wide-ranging and haphazard order, we decamped for shade. Kura doesn’t typically offer takeout (they should!), but he promised to call me when our meal was ready. Fifteen minutes later, my phone rang. He stood at the doorway with an enormous plastic platter of sushi fit for a wedding. Clumsy under the best of circumstances, I tried to open the door and grab the platter, plus two drinks and a condiment bag, at the same time. Seeing me struggle, he walked the unwieldy assortment out to me, held the door in true gentlemanly fashion, and ensured that I understood each item so that my cautious pal didn’t accidentally consume an unwanted morsel.

Oh, and by the way: The sushi was terrific! It’s easy to try so much stuff because the prices are low; most rolls come three pieces to an order instead of six. I recommend the red dragon roll (avocado and shrimp topped with tuna and spicy mayo); spicy popcorn shrimp topped with lots of green onion; and simple, supple salmon nigiri. While you can definitely get saucy, deep-fried rolls, the fish here is unquestionably fresh and stands fine on its own.

My friend and I sat on rickety metal chairs in front of Roche Bros. (note to Arsenal Yards: please create more outdoor seating!) and dug in. An unconventional lunch, maybe, but also a surprisingly reassuring one. I was reminded of an important lesson: Sometimes you find tasty food where you least expect it, and even chains employ local folks who are just doing the best they can. So thank you, mystery server. I’m sorry I abdicated my journalistic duty and failed to catch your name (you have glasses and curly hair, and are sort of tall). I hope your managers know how lucky they are.

Kura, 101 Bond Square, Watertown, 617-675-7575, www.kurasushi.com

Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @kcbaskin.

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