Restaurants interview questions

One concept is losing money, and its lease renewal is due in six months. How do you decide what to do?

Situational · Fix or close

Strong answer

Reviews the P&L trend, separates fixable problems from structural ones, prices a remodel or relaunch, weighs lease terms and closing costs, and plans for the team either way.

Red flags

Renews to avoid a hard call, or closes without looking at a fix.

A food safety incident at one restaurant is on the local news. What do you do in the first two days?

Situational · Public food safety incident

Strong answer

Puts guests first, gets the facts, cooperates with the health department, issues an honest statement, fixes the cause, supports the team and checks every location's systems.

Red flags

Denies it, goes silent, or blames one employee publicly.

How do you decide where to open your next restaurant?

Technical · Choosing new sites

Strong answer

Weighs demographics, traffic, competition, occupancy cost against expected sales, the local labor market, concept fit, and whether there's a manager ready to run it.

Red flags

Opens where a landlord offers a deal.

Tell me about a time you raised capital or renegotiated financing for a restaurant group.

Behavioral · Financing

Strong answer

Explains the need, the options considered, the terms won, and how they kept lenders or investors informed afterward.

Red flags

Describes it vaguely, or let the CFO handle it without understanding the terms.

Tell me about a senior leader you hired who made the business better, and how you chose them.

Behavioral · Senior hiring

Strong answer

Defined the gap and what success looked like, used a structured process with references, and shows what changed after the hire.

Red flags

Hired a friend or a big name without a process.

Tell me about a restaurant you opened that underperformed, and what you did.

Behavioral · Underperforming openings

Strong answer

Owns it, diagnosed it, acted, and names the lesson they applied to later openings.

Red flags

Blames the market and changed nothing.

Walk me through how you'd build a labor model that every GM schedules from.

Technical · Building a labor model

Strong answer

Staffing guide by covers and daypart for each position, minimum crews, productivity targets, labor cost by sales level, built into the scheduling tool and reviewed regularly.

Red flags

Tells GMs to hit a labor percentage and figure it out.

Cooling log problems show up at three restaurants in one month. What do you do?

Situational · Repeated inspection findings

Strong answer

Treats it as a system issue: tools such as ice wands and shallow pans, a simpler log, training with the Culinary Director, and an audit focus until it's fixed.

Red flags

Writes up three managers and changes nothing else.

Your broadline distributor raises prices across the board at renewal. How do you respond?

Situational · Distributor renewal

Strong answer

Benchmarks prices, gets competing bids, negotiates on volume and pricing terms, and reviews specs before switching.

Red flags

Accepts it, or switches on price alone and breaks supply.

Tell me about a restaurant opening you led and what you'd do differently next time.

Behavioral · Openings

Strong answer

Walks through the timeline, hiring and training plan, what went wrong, and a specific change they'd make.

Red flags

Says everything went fine, or can't describe the plan.

Tell me about a time you rolled out new technology, such as a POS or scheduling system, across locations.

Behavioral · Technology rollout

Strong answer

Piloted first, trained managers, supported the launch on site, and measured adoption and problems afterward.

Red flags

Turned it on and left GMs to figure it out.

Tell me about a serious incident you managed, such as a major injury or a liquor liability claim.

Behavioral · Serious incidents

Strong answer

Describes the immediate response, documentation, insurer and legal steps, and the system change that followed.

Red flags

Handled it as a one-off and changed nothing.

Walk me through how you'd build the financial model for a new restaurant site.

Technical · New-site model

Strong answer

Sales forecast from covers and check average with a ramp-up period, build-out and pre-opening costs, rent and occupancy, prime cost, controllables, cash flow and payback, plus a downside case.

Red flags

A single sales number and a gut feel.

Comps and voids at one restaurant doubled after a new manager started. What do you do?

Situational · Comp and void spike

Strong answer

Reviews by reason, time and manager login, checks voids after payment, works with the Director of Operations, and tightens approval limits if needed.

Red flags

Assumes the new manager is stealing, or ignores it.

A loan covenant is at risk after a slow quarter. What do you do?

Situational · Covenant risk

Strong answer

Tells the CEO, forecasts the next quarters, plans cost actions, and talks with the lender early about options.

Red flags

Waits and hopes the next quarter is better.

Tell me about a control you put in place that stopped cash, comp or inventory loss in a restaurant.

Behavioral · Controls that worked

Strong answer

Names the control, such as blind drawer counts, void approvals or weekly inventory, how it caught a problem and what it saved.

Red flags

Controls existed on paper but no one checked them.

Tell me about a time your analysis changed a decision to open, remodel or close a location.

Behavioral · Numbers that changed decisions

Strong answer

Describes the model, the decision it changed, such as walking away from a lease, and what happened afterward.

Red flags

Built analysis that leadership ignored and didn't push back.

Tell me about a time you helped a GM understand their P&L well enough to act on it.

Behavioral · Teaching P&Ls

Strong answer

Walked the GM through specific lines such as labor or beverage cost, agreed on one action, and the line improved.

Red flags

Emails reports and assumes GMs read them.

Profit has been behind budget for two months while sales are on plan. Where do you look?

Situational · Profit behind budget

Strong answer

Walks the P&L: food, beverage and labor cost, comps and voids, controllables and price changes, compares actual to theoretical with the chef, and sets fixes with owners.

Red flags

Cuts staff hours without looking at the lines.

The health inspector cites cold-holding temperatures and an expired manager certificate. What do you do?

Situational · Health inspection findings

Strong answer

Discards product that can't be proven safe, gets the cooler fixed, puts certified food protection manager coverage in place as your local code requires, retrains, and corrects by the inspector's deadline.

Red flags

Argues with the inspector, or fixes the cooler and stops there.

Walk me through how you review the weekly comp and void report.

Technical · Reviewing comps and voids

Strong answer

Looks by manager, server, reason and time, watches for voids after payment and comps with no reason, ties them to cash, and follows up.

Red flags

Doesn't review it, or only looks at the total.

Tell me about a time you cut turnover among servers or cooks.

Behavioral · Reducing turnover

Strong answer

Used exit data to find the cause, such as scheduling, pay or a manager, made specific changes, and shows the drop.

Red flags

Has no numbers, or the fix was a staff party.

Tell me about a time you disagreed with your chef and worked it out.

Behavioral · Working with the chef

Strong answer

Brought data and guest feedback, listened to the kitchen's side, and reached a decision both supported.

Red flags

Went around the chef to the owner, or gave up.

Tell me about a time you had to let a kitchen or floor manager go.

Behavioral · Firing a manager

Strong answer

Set clear expectations, documented coaching, involved HR, and handled the exit and the team announcement with respect.

Red flags

Avoided it for months while the team suffered.

The same dish tastes different at two locations. How do you find out why?

Situational · Consistency across kitchens

Strong answer

Visits both, compares recipe steps, product brands and specs, equipment, portioning and training, then fixes the cause and retrains.

Red flags

Blames one chef without checking.

Walk me through how you cost a new dish and set its menu price.

Technical · Costing and pricing

Strong answer

Recipe card with yields and trim loss, portion cost, garnish and sides, target food cost, menu mix and the market price, then tests it.

Red flags

Prices by what competitors charge.

Walk me through how you'd keep every kitchen's allergen chart accurate when a supplier changes a product.

Technical · Allergen accuracy

Strong answer

Approved product specs, ingredient statements required, substitution alerts, chart updates before the product hits the line, and training.

Red flags

Updates charts when someone notices.

Actual food cost at one kitchen is far above theoretical. Where do you look?

Situational · Food cost gap

Strong answer

Count accuracy, receiving and pricing, waste, portioning, recipe yields, menu mix and possible theft, with the chef.

Red flags

Tells the chef to cut portions.

Tell me about an Executive Chef who was struggling and how you handled it.

Behavioral · Leading chefs

Strong answer

Named the specific gap, such as cost control or leading the team, set a plan with dates, supported them, and either they improved or a change was made.

Red flags

Took over the kitchen personally, or let it drift for months.

Tell me about a menu change that didn't work and what you did.

Behavioral · Menu misses

Strong answer

Uses menu mix or cost data to show why it missed, changes the dish, price or placement, and checks the result.

Red flags

Blames the guests or the cooks, or kept a failing dish for months.

Two restaurants of the same concept have about the same sales, but one runs prime cost [four points] higher. Walk me through how you'd track down the difference.

Technical · Reading the P&L

Strong answer

Splits prime cost into food, beverage and labor, then labor into hourly, management, overtime and taxes. Checks actual against theoretical food cost, vendor prices, comps and voids, and clocked hours against covers by daypart. Rules out one-offs like a counting error or a training week, then visits during service.

Red flags

Tells the GM to cut hours, or blames the GM, without looking past the bottom line.

Tell me about a restaurant you took over that was losing money or slipping. What did you change first, and what happened to the P&L?

Behavioral · Reading the P&L

Strong answer

Names the problem in numbers and the cause underneath it, often a person or a missing system. Made a few changes in a clear order, can give the results over the following months, and says what didn't work.

Red flags

Has no numbers, or blames the last GM or director for everything.

Your highest-sales GM has the worst audit scores in the group, and [four] servers and the sous chef quit there this quarter. The COO loves this GM's numbers. What do you do?

Situational · Holding GMs accountable

Strong answer

Visits unannounced during service, reads the audit details and learns why people left, then sets a written plan with dates. Checks it weekly, tells the COO the facts and the risk, holds the GM to the plan regardless of sales, and quietly plans cover in case it fails.

Red flags

Lets it slide because the sales are strong, or fires the GM on the spot.

Tell me about the last time you replaced a general manager. Walk me through it, from when you first saw the problem to the new GM's first month.

Behavioral · Holding GMs accountable

Strong answer

Set expectations with dates, documented the coaching, brought in HR, made the call when the plan failed, held a private and respectful exit, had the assistant GM or themselves running the restaurant the next day, and gave the new GM a plan for the first month.

Red flags

Fired without warning or notes, or kept a failing GM for most of a year.

Tell me about a manager you developed into a general manager. What did they need to learn, and how did you teach it?

Behavioral · Developing GMs

Strong answer

Names the gaps, like the P&L, hiring or hard conversations. Gave ownership step by step, like the weekly P&L review or a week running the restaurant alone, coached on a set rhythm, and the person succeeded as GM, shown in that restaurant's results.

Red flags

Claims the promotion but can't name one thing they taught, or has never developed a GM.

On a Tuesday visit you find the GM in the office building next week's schedule while lunch backs up and no one is at the host stand. Walk me through the next hour.

Situational · Developing GMs

Strong answer

Gets the GM to the floor quietly, not in front of staff, and covers the stand only if guests are waiting. Afterward asks why scheduling happens at lunch, agrees on a fix like set office hours or a trained assistant, and checks it next visit.

Red flags

Adds it to the fix list and leaves, or criticizes the GM in front of the staff.

Walk me through an unannounced visit to one of your restaurants, from the parking lot to the written fix list.

Technical · Audits and systems

Strong answer

Covers the outside and the greeting, then probes food temperatures against the logs, checks labels, handwashing sinks and sanitizer, bar IDs and pours, cash and the comps report, the manager log and staffing. Fixes health hazards on the spot and leaves a signed list with owners and dates.

Red flags

Has a meal and a talk with the GM, and nothing gets written down.

On a visit you see the GM's name on the tip pool sheet along with the servers and bussers. The GM says the team agreed to it. What do you do?

Situational · Audits and systems

Strong answer

Takes the GM out of the pool that day and explains why, brings in HR, payroll and counsel to work out what's owed and pay it back, checks the other restaurants' pool sheets, and makes sure the tip policy and GM training cover it.

Red flags

Leaves it because the team agreed, or tells the GM to keep it quiet.

One restaurant's average online rating has slid from [4.5] to [4.1] over [three] months, while its sales and audit scores held steady. What do you do?

Situational · Guest experience

Strong answer

Reads the low reviews and sorts them by theme, day and daypart. Checks ticket times, comps and the complaint log for the same shifts, visits and eats at those times, fixes the specific cause with the GM, and tracks the rating monthly.

Red flags

Ignores online reviews, or blames the reviewers.

Tell me about a restaurant you helped open. What went wrong in the first month?

Behavioral · Opening restaurants

Strong answer

Names their own role and the timeline, a specific problem like staffing, kitchen flow or a permit delay, how they fixed it, and a habit they now use, like starting plan review early, mock services before opening or borrowing trainers from other restaurants.

Red flags

Has no specifics, or says nothing went wrong.

Walk me through how you'd write next week's front-of-house schedule from forecast covers and a labor budget.

Technical · Scheduling to a labor budget

Strong answer

Starts from covers by shift, reservations, large parties and events, staffs by the house guide, staggers start times and planned cuts, checks the result against the labor budget, and posts on time within any local scheduling rules.

Red flags

Copies last week's schedule, or staffs by who wants hours.

Comps on one Floor Manager's shifts are double everyone else's. What do you do?

Situational · Comp and void patterns

Strong answer

Pulls the comp report by reason and table, checks whether the kitchen had problems on those nights, talks with the Floor Manager privately, and coaches or tightens limits based on what they find.

Red flags

Ignores it because guests seem happy, or accuses the manager before looking at the data.

A new server finished training but failed the menu and allergen test. You're short-staffed this weekend. What do you do?

Situational · Training standards

Strong answer

Doesn't give them a full section. Adds shadow shifts, retrains on the gaps, retests by a set date, and covers the weekend another way.

Red flags

Puts them on the floor anyway because the restaurant needs bodies.

Tell me about the best front-of-house hire you've made and what you saw in the interview that told you.

Behavioral · Hiring hourly staff

Strong answer

Names specific signals, such as how the person handled a role-play or talked about past guests, and how the hire performed.

Red flags

"Good vibe," or can't recall what they looked for.

Tell me about a time you held an experienced server to a standard they didn't want to follow.

Behavioral · Holding standards

Strong answer

Explained why the standard mattered, was specific and private, followed up, and the server either came around or faced consequences.

Red flags

Let it go because the server had big sales.

Tell me about a time you were the manager in charge and something went seriously wrong during service.

Behavioral · Running the building

Strong answer

Stayed calm, made a clear call, protected guests and staff, communicated, and logged it for the GM.

Red flags

Waited for someone else to decide, or hid it from the GM.

Pour cost is up several points this month. Walk me through how you'd find out why.

Technical · Pour cost variance

Strong answer

Checks count accuracy, invoice prices, the waste and comp logs, POS sales against product used by brand, pour spot checks and menu mix changes, then acts on the cause.

Red flags

Tells bartenders to pour less and moves on.

A bartender cut off a regular's friend, and the regular is now yelling at the bartender. What do you do?

Situational · Backing up a cut-off

Strong answer

Steps in, backs the bartender, talks calmly with the guests away from the bar, holds the decision, helps arrange a safe ride, and logs the incident.

Red flags

Overrides the bartender to keep the regular happy.

A distributor rep offers free cases if you make their vodka the well brand. How do you respond?

Situational · Supplier inducements

Strong answer

Recognizes that free goods for placement can break your state's alcohol trade rules, declines or checks with the GM and the state agency first, and keeps buying decisions on price and quality.

Red flags

Takes the free product, or doesn't see why it matters.

Tell me about a time you built or changed a drink menu to hit a cost target.

Behavioral · Building a menu to cost

Strong answer

Describes costing each drink, the target, the changes made, such as pour size, spirit choice or price, and sales and cost results afterward.

Red flags

Built drinks they liked without costing them.

Tell me about a time you suspected a bartender of giving away drinks.

Behavioral · Suspected giveaways

Strong answer

Gathered facts from POS, inventory and observation, talked privately, followed policy with HR, and didn't accuse without evidence.

Red flags

Accused publicly, or ignored it because the bartender was popular.

Tell me how you trained a bar team on ID checks and cut-offs, and how you knew the training worked.

Behavioral · Training on alcohol service

Strong answer

Hands-on practice with sample IDs and role-plays, plus spot checks, incident logs and follow-up coaching.

Red flags

Had people sign a policy and assumed it worked.

Walk me through what goes on a banquet event order so the chef, GM and bar can run the event without calling you.

Technical · Writing BEOs

Strong answer

Date, timeline, guarantee and final count deadline, room setup, menu with counts, allergies by count or seat, bar package and alcohol rules, staffing, rentals, contacts and billing.

Red flags

Lists the menu and headcount and leaves the rest to the restaurant.

The day before an event, the client adds fifteen guests and a vegan entrée. How do you handle it?

Situational · Last-minute changes

Strong answer

Checks with the chef and GM on product, staff and space, answers yes or no with the price under the contract, updates the BEO, and confirms in writing.

Red flags

Says yes without checking, or no without asking the kitchen.

At an off-site event, you find the hot-holding equipment isn't keeping the food hot enough. What do you do?

Situational · Off-site food safety

Strong answer

Checks food temperatures, reheats where the food code allows, tracks time, discards what's past its safe window, and tells the client honestly.

Red flags

Serves it anyway because guests are waiting.

A client refuses to pay the final balance, saying service was slow. How do you handle it?

Situational · Payment disputes

Strong answer

Listens, reviews the BEO and what happened, documents, offers a fair resolution within authority, brings in the GM, and follows the contract.

Red flags

Argues, or waives the balance without review.

Tell me about the largest event you sold and ran, and what nearly went wrong.

Behavioral · Running a big event

Strong answer

Specific event, planning steps, what nearly broke and how they fixed it in the moment.

Red flags

Can't describe the planning, or says everything was perfect.

Tell me about a time you turned a one-time event client into a repeat client.

Behavioral · Repeat business

Strong answer

Followed up within days for feedback, sent a thank-you, pitched the next occasion such as a holiday party, and names the repeat bookings that came from it.

Red flags

Treats the job as done when the event ends.

Your weekly count shows actual food cost [two points] over theoretical, and it was close last week. Walk me through how you find where it went.

Technical · Food and labor costs

Strong answer

Checks the count first for missed items, wrong units and transfers. Then compares invoice prices with recipe card costs on the biggest-dollar items, reads the waste, comp and staff meal logs, weighs portions at the pass, checks protein yields and delivery credits.

Red flags

Tells the cooks to cut portions, or blames the vendor, without looking at anything.

Kitchen labor has run over budget [three] weeks in a row. Your cooks say they're stretched thin, and the GM wants hours cut. What do you do?

Situational · Food and labor costs

Strong answer

Compares clocked hours with covers by day and shift to find where the hours go, like overtime from an open job, prep starting too early or a slow Monday staffed like a Friday. Fixes that, cross-trains, protects the busy shifts and brings the GM a plan with numbers.

Red flags

Cuts hours on the busiest nights, or ignores the budget and says the kitchen needs what it needs.

Your main vendor's price on [your top protein] has gone up two weeks in a row, and the rep says it will stay high all season. What do you do?

Situational · Buying and receiving

Strong answer

Recosts the dish right away, gets a second quote at the same spec, looks at a different cut or pack size the recipe allows, and brings [the owner or culinary director] options: a price change, a swap or a special. Never quietly shrinks the portion.

Red flags

Cuts the portion without telling anyone, or doesn't notice until the month-end report.

Tell me about the last time you changed how your kitchen orders, like resetting pars, adding an order day or dropping a vendor. What made you change it?

Behavioral · Buying and receiving

Strong answer

Names what set it off, like the waste log, items 86'd on weekends, repeated shorts or product aging out. Describes the exact change and can say what happened to waste, outages or food cost afterward.

Red flags

Orders the way the kitchen always has and can't name a change they've made, or can't say why one was made.

An hour before doors on Saturday, a cook tells you they threw up twice this morning but feel fine now. You're already a cook short. What do you do?

Situational · Food safety system

Strong answer

Thanks the cook and sends them home, however short the kitchen is, then follows the reporting and return-to-work rules in your state's food code. Records the report, has their station sanitized, reminds the crew to report symptoms, and covers by moving people or trimming the menu.

Red flags

Keeps the cook working anywhere in the kitchen, including dish or prep, instead of sending them home.

Tell me about the worst health inspection or internal audit a kitchen you ran has had. What did you change afterward?

Behavioral · Food safety system

Strong answer

Names the violation and owns it. Traces it to a gap in the system, like a log nobody owned or a torn gasket never put on the repair list, assigns an owner and a daily check, trains the crew, and says what the next inspection found.

Red flags

Blames the inspector or the crew, or says no kitchen of theirs has ever been written up.

The GM forwards guest comments: the short rib is great on weekends and dry on Mondays, your night off. What do you do?

Situational · Same plate every shift

Strong answer

Comes in on a Monday or has the sous send photos, then checks the build card, the batch date, how it's held and reheated, and who's cooking. Fixes the cause, retrains with the sous, adds a check at the pass and tells the GM what changed.

Red flags

Blames the Monday crew or the sous without looking, or says the dish is fine when they taste it.

Tell me about the last menu change you rolled out, from the first test to the first busy weekend.

Behavioral · Same plate every shift

Strong answer

Costed and tested each dish, wrote build cards with photos, timed the dishes on the line to balance the stations, trained cooks, walked servers through the dishes and their allergens, reset pars and orders, ran a soft service, then checked sales mix, send-backs and ticket times.

Red flags

Changed the menu on short notice with no build cards, and the cooks learned it during service.

Think about the cooks who left your kitchen in the last year. Why did they go?

Behavioral · Building the team

Strong answer

Knows roughly how many left and why, separates the ones they wanted gone from the ones they lost, and names something they changed, like posting the schedule earlier, a written training plan or a talk with the owner about pay. Hires with set questions and a short paid stage.

Red flags

Doesn't know, or says cooks always leave and nothing can be done about it.

Your sous chef cooks beautifully, but on your nights off ticket times climb, and the cooks say the sous yells and jumps on stations instead of running the pass. What do you do?

Situational · Leading through the sous chef

Strong answer

Watches a night firsthand, then talks privately with specific examples. Sets the standard: run the board and correct cooks calmly. Has the sous run the pass with the chef beside, then alone on slower nights, tracks ticket times and what cooks say, and sets a date to decide.

Red flags

Lets it go because the sous is a great cook, or replaces the sous without any coaching.

A guest says they found a hair in their pasta. They're polite but upset. What do you do?

Situational · Complaints at the table

Strong answer

Goes to the table, apologizes sincerely, removes the dish, offers a replacement or alternative, comps it within their limit with the reason recorded, and tells the kitchen.

Red flags

Questions whether it's real, or comps the whole table without thinking.

A server tells you one guest at a six-top is clearly drunk and ordering shots for the table. What do you do?

Situational · Over-served tables

Strong answer

Goes to the table, speaks privately and calmly with the guest, stops alcohol service to them, offers food and water, helps arrange a ride, backs the server and logs it.

Red flags

Lets the server handle it alone, or embarrasses the guest in front of the room.

Two servers call out an hour before a full Saturday book. What do you do?

Situational · Call-outs

Strong answer

Works the call list, reworks sections, has the host pace seatings, pulls in help from other roles, and closes a section if needed.

Red flags

Leaves the remaining servers with huge sections and no plan.

Walk me through how you close the night: server checkouts, tip-outs and the deposit.

Technical · Closing out

Strong answer

Matches each checkout to the POS, calculates tip-outs under the written policy, counts drawers and the deposit with a second person, documents any variance, and finishes the shift log.

Red flags

Eyeballs checkouts, or pays out before checking.

Tell me about a time you gave a staff member direct feedback in the middle of a busy service.

Behavioral · Feedback during service

Strong answer

Kept it short, private and specific, such as pulling the server aside at the station, and the behavior changed that night.

Red flags

Waited weeks to say anything, or corrected them in front of guests.

Tell me about a time a cash count didn't match at close.

Behavioral · Cash discrepancies

Strong answer

Recounted with a second person, checked voids, paid-outs and tips, documented the difference and reported it.

Red flags

Made up the difference, or ignored it.

A server says a manager has cut their shifts since they complained about the tip-out math. What do you do?

Situational · Possible retaliation

Strong answer

Treats it as a possible retaliation complaint, investigates quickly, compares schedules, protects the server, and checks the tip policy with payroll or counsel.

Red flags

Tells the server schedules are the manager's call.

A GM wants to hire a high school student as a host and put them on late closing shifts this weekend. What do you do?

Situational · Minors' work rules

Strong answer

Checks federal and state rules for minors' hours, tasks and any work permit before the first shift, and adjusts the schedule to fit.

Red flags

Lets the GM schedule them anyway.

Walk me through how you'd keep food handler and alcohol service certifications from lapsing across all locations.

Technical · Certification tracking

Strong answer

A tracker by employee and location with expiration dates, reminders well ahead, manager reports, and no scheduling for alcohol service once a required card lapses.

Red flags

Relies on employees to remember.

Tell me about a harassment investigation you led in a restaurant or other shift-based workplace.

Behavioral · Harassment investigations

Strong answer

Started promptly, interviewed both sides and witnesses, kept it confidential, documented, reached a finding and acted on it.

Red flags

Took sides early, or skipped interviews.

Tell me about a time you used exit or stay interviews to change something for hourly restaurant staff.

Behavioral · Reducing turnover

Strong answer

Describes how they gathered reasons, the pattern they found, such as late schedules or tip-out disputes, the change made with the GMs, and the turnover trend afterward.

Red flags

Collected the reasons but nothing changed, or has no numbers.

Tell me about a time you coached a manager through a termination.

Behavioral · Coaching managers

Strong answer

Reviewed the documentation first, made sure the process was fair and consistent, planned the meeting, and the exit was respectful.

Red flags

Let the manager handle it alone, or skipped the documentation check.

Tuesday nights are slow at three locations. What do you do?

Situational · Slow nights

Strong answer

Looks at covers by night and daypart, tests a tracked offer or event rather than a deep discount, uses local partners, and measures covers against a baseline.

Red flags

Runs a big discount everywhere and doesn't measure it.

On a holiday, guests show up at a location that online listings said was open, but it's closed. What do you do?

Situational · Wrong holiday hours

Strong answer

Apologizes to guests who reach out, fixes every listing that day, and sets a process to confirm holiday hours with each GM before every holiday.

Red flags

Blames the GM and changes nothing.

Walk me through how you'd prove a campaign filled seats.

Technical · Proving results

Strong answer

Reservation source tags, codes or tracked menu items, covers compared to a baseline or the same period, and cost per cover.

Red flags

Reports likes and views as the result.

Tell me about a time you handled a review or social post that could hurt a restaurant's reputation.

Behavioral · Brand risk

Strong answer

Replied quickly and calmly in public, moved the conversation offline, and made sure the cause was fixed.

Red flags

Argued online, or deleted it and moved on.

Tell me about a holiday or gift card push you ran and its results.

Behavioral · Big days

Strong answer

Describes the plan, timing, channels and the numbers against the year before.

Red flags

Can't give results, or only reports reach.

Tell me about a time you worked with a chef to launch a new dish or menu.

Behavioral · Working with chefs

Strong answer

Planned the shoot and the story with the chef, timed it to the launch, and tracked sales of the dish.

Red flags

Posted a photo and never checked whether the dish sold.

Friday at seven-thirty, the screen shows twenty-two open tickets. A twelve-top just fired mains, grill is two tickets behind, and sauté is caught up. Walk me through the next ten minutes from the pass.

Situational · Running the pass

Strong answer

Times the twelve-top so it lands together, tells grill exactly what to fire next and has sauté hold its plates, moves a cook or steps onto grill briefly only with someone calling the board, tells the floor manager about the wait, and checks every plate before it leaves.

Red flags

Yells at grill, sends the twelve-top out in pieces, or doesn't tell the floor.

Tell me about a night you had to ask the floor to slow down seating because the kitchen was falling behind. How did you handle it?

Behavioral · Running the pass

Strong answer

Saw it coming on the board, called it early with a specific ask, like holding big parties for [fifteen] minutes, got the kitchen back on pace, and afterward fixed the cause, like a station short on prep.

Red flags

Has never asked the floor for anything, or blames the floor for seating too fast.

In the rush, a steak comes to the pass a shade past the temperature ordered, and its sauce looks thin. The rest of the table is ready, and a re-fire takes [eight] minutes. What do you do?

Situational · Holding the standard

Strong answer

Pulls it and re-fires, holds or re-fires the rest so the table eats together, tells the server the wait so a manager can visit the table, tells grill briefly what was off, fixes the sauce for the next plates and logs the remake.

Red flags

Sends it as is because the table is waiting, or re-fires without telling the floor.

Tell me about a time you sent back a plate made by a cook who had more years in kitchens than you. How did it go?

Behavioral · Holding the standard

Strong answer

Made the call on the spec, not seniority, said it briefly and specifically during service, followed up privately afterward, listened, and kept the working relationship. Can say how the cook's plates changed.

Red flags

Lets senior cooks' plates through, or argued with the cook in front of the line.

The chef is away for a week and leaves you the ordering. Walk me through how you build Thursday's order for the weekend.

Technical · Running the kitchen alone

Strong answer

Counts on hand, checks pars against the reservation book, private events and the last few weekends, plans for specials, delivery days, order cutoffs and shelf life, orders from approved vendors, then checks the delivery against the invoice for weights, quality and credits.

Red flags

Copies last week's order, or lets the vendor's rep suggest it.

The chef is off. At three on Saturday the walk-in reads warm and is climbing, and [140] covers are booked. What do you do?

Situational · Running the kitchen alone

Strong answer

Probes the food, not just the dial, moves the most sensitive product to reach-ins or ice, calls the repair vendor, tells the chef and GM, discards and logs anything that can't be shown safe under your code, and adjusts the menu and tells the floor before service.

Red flags

Keeps cooking from the walk-in and waits for the chef, or throws everything out without taking temperatures.

Tell me about the last cook you trained to run a station alone. How did you decide they were ready?

Behavioral · Training cooks

Strong answer

Describes the steps: build cards and setup, working beside the sous, then the station on a slower night with the sous close by. Signed off against a clear standard, like every dish to spec at the station's ticket pace, and knows how the first solo weekend went.

Red flags

Says the cook learned by watching, or put them on a Saturday to see if they'd sink or swim.

Your best sauté cook has been late [four] times this month, and twice the station wasn't set at line check. What do you do?

Situational · Coaching and discipline

Strong answer

Talks privately that day with the dates and what was missing, restates the standard, agrees on what changes, writes it down as policy requires, and follows up. If the cook raises a health or family matter, listens and brings in the chef or HR about leave or accommodation.

Red flags

Lets it go because the cook is the best on sauté, or chews them out in front of the line.

During service you hear a line cook make a comment about a server's body as the server picks up plates. The server laughs and walks off. What do you do?

Situational · Coaching and discipline

Strong answer

Stops it right then in a few words, keeps service moving, reports it to the chef or HR the same night as policy says, checks on the server privately, writes down what was said, and does the same if the cook is a friend.

Red flags

Treats it as kitchen joking and does nothing.

Walk me through how you'd reconcile one restaurant's daily sales report to the bank.

Technical · Daily sales reconciliation

Strong answer

Ties POS sales by tender to the cash deposit, card batches to processor deposits after fees, delivery app payouts after commissions, gift card sales and redemptions, and tips paid out. Flags variances to the GM.

Red flags

Checks only that a deposit arrived.

A vendor statement shows invoices you never received and a credit for shorted product that never posted. What do you do?

Situational · Vendor statements

Strong answer

Requests copies, checks receiving records with the restaurant, gets the credit memo, and doesn't pay until it's matched.

Red flags

Pays the statement balance to keep the vendor happy.

Cash at one location has been a little short every week for a month. What do you do?

Situational · Recurring cash shortages

Strong answer

Tracks shortages by date, shift and manager, reviews drop logs, voids and paid-outs, and brings the pattern to the GM and CFO without accusing anyone.

Red flags

Treats each shortage as a rounding error.

Tell me about a time you caught a duplicate or wrong invoice before it was paid.

Behavioral · Catching duplicates

Strong answer

Explains how they spotted it, such as a matching invoice number or a price that didn't fit the order guide, and the check they added afterward.

Red flags

Found it after it was paid and never followed up.

Tell me about a time you closed the books on time despite missing information.

Behavioral · Closing on time

Strong answer

Chased what they needed early, used documented estimates where allowed, and noted what to true up later.

Red flags

Missed the deadline, or plugged numbers with no notes.

Tell me about a time you explained a financial issue to a manager who wasn't a numbers person.

Behavioral · Explaining numbers

Strong answer

Used plain words and one clear example, such as a single invoice or a day's deposit, and the manager acted on it.

Red flags

Used jargon, or gave up when the manager didn't follow.

You walk in thirty minutes before doors on a Friday. The ice wells are half full, last night's close left the beer cooler short, and there's one clean rack of wine glasses. Walk me through the next half hour.

Situational · Staying ahead of the bar

Strong answer

Fills the ice first, since the bar can't make drinks without it, gets the dish pit started on wine glasses, restocks the cooler with warm cases behind the cold ones, checks the par sheet with the opening bartender and names what's still short at doors.

Red flags

Starts with whatever is easiest, or waits for a bartender to say what's needed.

It's nine on a Saturday and the bar is packed. On one loop you see the well ice getting low, two bartenders down to their last rocks glasses, and the house red almost gone. What's your order, and why?

Situational · Staying ahead of the bar

Strong answer

Brings a rack of rocks glasses and a fresh bucket of ice first, since drinks stop without them, then pulls the red from the liquor room and signs it out. Tells the bartenders what's coming and how long, and raises the pars with the manager afterward.

Red flags

Fixes whatever a bartender shouts for first, or lets one station run dry while working another.

Think of a time, at any job, team or event, when someone else did the work people saw and your part was making sure they had what they needed. Walk me through it.

Behavioral · Working with bartenders

Strong answer

Names a specific setup, like a stage crew, a kitchen or a team bench, describes watching for what would run out and handling it before anyone asked, and explains what they did when something still ran short.

Red flags

Has no example, or only talks about their own tasks.

A wine glass breaks against the rim of the ice well during the rush. The bartender says only a couple of pieces went in and asks you to pick them out so they can keep pouring. What do you do?

Situational · Ice and glass safety

Strong answer

Says the well is closed, sets the bartender up with fresh ice in a clean bucket, then burns the well: empties all of it, melts the rest with hot water, cleans, sanitizes and refills it. Has any drink scooped from it since the break remade.

Red flags

Fishes out the shards they can spot, or lets the bartender keep scooping from that well.

A bartender is low on ice for drinks. The tub chilling the bottled beer is full of ice right next to them, and the ice machine is in the back. Someone hands you a pint glass to scoop with. What do you do?

Situational · Ice and glass safety

Strong answer

Leaves the beer tub alone because that ice has touched bottles from the storeroom, fills a clean bucket at the machine with the scoop, turns down the pint glass because it can break in the ice, and puts the scoop back in its holder, not in the ice.

Red flags

Fills the well from the beer tub, or scoops with the glass.

Mid-rush, the draft IPA starts spitting foam and then stops. The bartender says the keg's empty, and the spare is in the walk-in. The bar manager signed you off on keg changes last week, and this is your first one alone. What do you do?

Situational · Kegs and gas

Strong answer

Tells the bartender how long it will take, brings the keg on the hand truck, follows the trained steps in order, and stops for the bar manager if the coupler sticks, a fitting hisses or the new keg pours only foam. Not yet signed off? Gets the manager.

Red flags

Forces a stuck coupler, tries a fix they weren't taught, or skips the hand truck.

You're swapping a gas cylinder in the small keg room the way you were trained. After you tighten the regulator, you hear a steady hiss, and the bar is calling for you. What do you do?

Situational · Kegs and gas

Strong answer

Leaves the room right away and gets the manager instead of staying to fix the fitting, and stays out until the manager says the room is aired out. Knows a gas alarm means get out and stay out, and warns the bartender the taps may go flat.

Red flags

Keeps working on the fitting in the closed room, or ignores the hiss to get back to the bar.

Your bartender steps away for a minute, and a regular at the bar asks you to pour them a beer, since you're standing right at the taps. What do you do?

Situational · Product and the rules

Strong answer

Tells the guest politely the bartender will be right with them and lets the bartender know, without pouring or taking money. If the bartender says to pour anyway, still says no and points to the house rule. Pours only where your policy and state law allow it and after training.

Red flags

Pours it, or pours it free because it's a regular.

Tell me about a time someone corrected you in front of other people during a busy moment, at work, in a sport or at school. What did you do next?

Behavioral · Working with bartenders

Strong answer

Describes a real moment, fixed the thing right away without arguing, asked later how to do it right if it was unclear, and can name the habit that changed because of it.

Red flags

Argued in the moment, ignored the correction, or has no example.

At close, a bartender hands you a pair of bottles from the liquor room, asks you to carry them out to their car with the empties, and says to leave them off the sign-out. What do you do?

Situational · Product and the rules

Strong answer

Says no, leaves the bottles in the liquor room and follows your inventory rule that nothing leaves without a sign-out. Tells the bar manager that night, and if told the manager approved it, checks with the manager directly before moving anything.

Red flags

Carries them out, or does it once because it's a coworker they like.

It's late on a Friday, the bar is three deep, and a guest slides over an out-of-state license you've never seen. The photo matches, but the card feels thin and one edge is lifting. What do you do?

Situational · Checking IDs

Strong answer

Takes the card out of the wallet and checks photo, birth date and expiry, then the feel and the security features, using the ID guide or scanner if the house has one. Brings in the manager, and if the card can't be verified, declines politely without accusing anyone.

Red flags

Waves it through because the face looks old enough or the crowd is pushing.

You card a group of four at the bar. Three are of age and one isn't, so you serve the three. Twenty minutes later you see the fourth one drinking from a friend's glass. What do you do?

Situational · Checking IDs

Strong answer

Takes the drink away calmly, tells the group the house rule, stops serving the friend who passed it as house policy says, tells the manager right away and logs it.

Red flags

Lets it go because the IDs were checked, or says what guests do after is not their problem.

A regular you get along with has had four drinks in about two hours, is slurring a little, and asks for one more for the road. You know they drove here. What do you do?

Situational · Cutting off service

Strong answer

Stops service, tells them privately and kindly, offers water or food, brings in the manager, offers to call a ride as house policy allows, tells the other bartenders so no one serves them, and logs it.

Red flags

Pours the last one because it's a regular, or quietly makes it weak so they won't notice.

Walk me through the last time you cut off a guest or turned one away, and they didn't take it well.

Behavioral · Cutting off service

Strong answer

Gives a specific case. Stayed calm, let the guest keep their pride, didn't change the decision, brought in the manager or security early, and kept other guests out of it.

Red flags

Backed down once the guest got loud, or says they've never had to refuse anyone in years behind a bar.

The service bar has a ticket for four of the house margaritas. Walk me through how you make them to spec and fast.

Technical · Drinks to spec

Strong answer

Reads the spec, lines up four glasses and measures every ingredient with a jigger or the pour system. Builds all four at once, cheaper ingredients first so a mistake costs less. Checks their pours in a measuring glass at setup and spot-checks again later in the night.

Red flags

Eyeballs every pour once the tickets pile up.

Six tickets are hanging on the service bar, three guests at the bar are waving for you, and a bar guest's food is up in the kitchen window. What do you do?

Situational · Two bars at once

Strong answer

Greets the bar guests with a quick word and a time, works the tickets in order and batches like drinks, asks a barback or runner to bring the food, and tells the manager if the tickets keep growing.

Red flags

Ignores one side completely until the other is done.

Tell me about the busiest night you've worked, behind a bar or at any job, when orders came in faster than you could fill them.

Behavioral · Two bars at once

Strong answer

Gives a specific night. Kept the work in order, asked for help early, let small things wait but never the IDs or the specs, and changed something in setup afterward.

Red flags

Can't recall a busy night, or skipped checks and measuring to keep up with orders.

A regular asks you to take care of their friend's drink, meaning don't charge for it. Your house rule is that comps go through a manager. What do you do?

Situational · Honesty with product

Strong answer

Rings the drink, asks the manager if a comp makes sense, logs it if approved, and tells the regular kindly that the manager decides comps.

Red flags

Hands it over unrung because the regular tips well.

Think of a time a coworker gave away drinks, skipped ringing them in or took product, and you knew about it. What did you do?

Behavioral · Honesty with product

Strong answer

Stayed out of it, told a manager soon after, and can say what unrung drinks and missing product cost the business.

Red flags

Kept quiet to protect the coworker, or took part.

At the bar, one guest keeps sliding closer to a guest sitting alone, making comments and sending over drinks that weren't asked for. The guest alone looks uncomfortable and catches your eye. What do you do?

Situational · Keeping the bar safe

Strong answer

Checks in quietly with the guest alone, offers a new seat or to call a ride, stops sending over drinks the guest didn't ask for, and brings in the manager to deal with the other guest. Knows the manager takes over if the comments turn to them.

Red flags

Stays out of it, or keeps sending the drinks because the other guest is paying.

A four-top has paid but is still talking, water glasses full. The host has a party of four waiting and asks you to start clearing around them so they get the hint. What do you do?

Situational · Reading the floor

Strong answer

Leaves the guests alone apart from anything empty, tells the host honestly how close they look to leaving, points out a table that's on dessert or just got the check, and has a tub and fresh setup ready to reset the moment the four-top stands.

Red flags

Starts stacking plates and wiping around the guests, or hovers at the table.

On a full Saturday, three tables in your section stand up within a minute of each other, and the host has a waitlist of six parties. How do you handle the next ten minutes?

Situational · Turning tables

Strong answer

Asks the host which table fits the next party and starts there, clears each in one trip, wipes the table with a cloth from the sanitizer bucket, brushes off the seats, sets it to standard and tells the host as each is done. Asks a free runner for help.

Red flags

Wipes with a dry or grubby rag, leaves crumbs on the seats, or leaves the host guessing.

You're carrying a full bus tub past a booth, and a water glass slides off and shatters next to a family with a toddler who are still eating. What do you do?

Situational · Spills and broken glass

Strong answer

Sets the tub down out of the way, checks no one is hurt, asks the family to stay put, keeps people back while they get a broom and dustpan, never bare hands, checks under the table and seats, and tells the server so anything glass could have reached is replaced.

Red flags

Picks up glass by hand, or cleans the floor and leaves the family's food and drinks as they are.

Clearing a table, you pick up a basket with four rolls nobody touched. A coworker tells you to put them back in the warmer, since they're still good. What do you do?

Situational · Food that comes back

Strong answer

Throws them out and says simply that anything that went to a table can't be served again, even if it looks untouched. Knows the same goes for butter from a dish, lemon wedges and open sauces, and brings it to the manager if the coworker keeps doing it.

Red flags

Puts them back in the warmer, or saves the ones that look untouched.

Your server is buried: one table needs drink refills, another wants extra plates to share an appetizer, and food for a third is sitting in the window. You're between resets. What do you do?

Situational · Backing up servers

Strong answer

Grabs the share plates and refills on one trip, tells the server the food is up, and runs it only if they know the seats and it isn't an allergy plate. Lets the server know what's done so nothing gets done twice.

Red flags

Waits to be asked, or stays on side work while the section falls behind.

Describe a time you made someone else's work go better without getting the credit, at a job, in a sport or on a group project.

Behavioral · Backing up servers

Strong answer

Names who they helped and what they did, explains how they spotted the need before anyone asked, and can say what came of it. Talks about it with pride, not resentment.

Red flags

No example, or describes resenting the person they helped.

Tell me about a task you did over and over, at work, at home or as a volunteer, where the details mattered every time. How did you keep from skipping steps when you were busy?

Behavioral · Turning tables

Strong answer

Names a specific routine, like closing a store or setting up for an event, describes a check they used, like a set order or a last look, and owns a time they slipped and what they changed.

Red flags

Admits skipping steps when busy, or has no example.

As you crumb a table, a guest quietly asks you for a to-go box and the check, and mentions the steak was cold. Their server is across the room. What do you do?

Situational · Reading the floor

Strong answer

Thanks the guest, brings the box, tells the server right away about the check and the cold steak so the server or manager can respond, and doesn't promise anything about the bill themselves.

Red flags

Ignores the comment, argues with the guest, or promises to take the steak off the bill.

Halfway through a busy Friday, you reach into your side station for silverware and it's empty, with no backup rolled. A rack of clean forks and knives is sitting at the dish pit, and two tables are waiting to be reset. What do you do?

Situational · Turning tables

Strong answer

Grabs enough clean silverware for the two tables, touching only the handles, resets them, then rolls or racks a batch in the next lull or asks a runner to. Tells the manager the station opened short, and checks it against the par list before doors next shift.

Red flags

Sets the tables without silverware, takes it from another server's station without a word, or grabs clean forks by the tines.

During the Friday rush you check the dish machine, and the reading is below the line on the log sheet. The line needs plates now. What do you do?

Situational · Sanitizing right

Strong answer

Stops using the machine, lets the chef or manager know at once, pulls back and rewashes every rack run since the reading was last right, moves urgent items to the three-compartment sink, and writes the reading and what was done on the log.

Red flags

Keeps running racks because the line needs plates, or doesn't check the reading at all.

A cook tells you to pour some bleach into the floor cleaner to make it stronger for the grease by the fryers. What do you do?

Situational · Chemical safety

Strong answer

Doesn't mix them, says politely that bleach should never go in with another cleaner because of the fumes, uses the degreaser the way its label says, and checks the safety data sheet or asks the manager if unsure.

Red flags

Pours the bleach in, since a senior cook asked.

While you swap an empty chemical jug on the dish machine, some splashes on your arm and near your face. What do you do?

Situational · Chemical safety

Strong answer

Stops and rinses the skin with plenty of water at once, flushes at the eyewash if any got near the eyes, tells the manager, follows the first aid steps on the label or safety data sheet, and puts on gloves and eye protection before the next jug.

Red flags

Wipes it off, keeps going and tells no one.

It's the dinner rush and you're alone in the pit. Bus tubs are stacking up, the bar wants glasses, and the sauté cook is out of pans. What do you do first?

Situational · Keeping the pit moving

Strong answer

Gets the sauté cook pans first, since the line can't cook without them, then glasses for the bar, scrapes and stacks tubs so they don't overflow, gives the chef a quick status, and calls for a hand before plates run out.

Red flags

Washes in the order things arrived and tells no one.

Think of any job, class, team or volunteer work. Tell me about a time you had to go fast and still get every piece right.

Behavioral · Keeping the pit moving

Strong answer

Gives a real example, names the checks they kept doing, like looking over each item, says what they let wait instead, and can say how it turned out.

Red flags

Admits cutting corners to finish, or has no example.

As you unload a rack, you spot a plate with a small chip on the rim. A cook is waiting for that stack. What do you do?

Situational · Speaking up

Strong answer

Pulls the plate before the stack goes up, puts it in the breakage bin or wherever the kitchen wants damaged dishes, hands over the rest, and tells the chef if chips keep turning up.

Red flags

Sends it up because it's a small chip and the cook is waiting.

From work, school or volunteering, tell me about something unsafe or wrong you noticed and reported.

Behavioral · Speaking up

Strong answer

Describes something specific, like a spill, a broken tool or a skipped rule, told the right person soon, said it plainly, and followed up if nothing changed.

Red flags

Stayed quiet to avoid trouble, or can't think of an example.

Tell me about something, a job, a team or a class, where people counted on you to be there at a set time, week after week.

Behavioral · Showing up

Strong answer

Names a specific commitment, showed up as promised, and when they couldn't, gave notice early and helped find cover.

Red flags

Can't name a commitment, or skipped shifts without calling and shrugs it off.

Five plates for a six-top are up, but the well-done burger needs four more minutes. What do you do?

Situational · Keeping a table together

Strong answer

Holds the five without letting them die, tells the server, gets the burger pushed, and refires any plate that's no longer right. Next time fires long cooks earlier.

Red flags

Sends five and leaves one guest waiting, or sends tired plates.

You catch a plate at the pass with the wrong sauce on a ticket flagged for a dairy allergy. What do you do?

Situational · Catching allergy errors

Strong answer

Stops it, has it remade from scratch, confirms with the cook, tells the server and manager about the delay, and logs the remake.

Red flags

Scrapes off the sauce and sends it.

Ticket times are climbing past target, and the host is about to seat a party of twelve. What do you do?

Situational · Warning the floor

Strong answer

Tells the host and Floor Manager to hold or stagger seating, warns servers with long tickets, and asks the Sous Chef for help on the line.

Red flags

Stays quiet and hopes the kitchen catches up.

Walk me through how you call a ticket to the line so the table's food finishes together.

Technical · Calling tickets

Strong answer

Reads the whole ticket, calls by station with counts and modifiers, fires long cook times first, gets "heard" back, and calls for runners when plates are up.

Red flags

Reads tickets one item at a time as they print.

Tell me about a time you had to tell someone more senior that their work wasn't right, in the middle of a rush.

Behavioral · Correcting seniors

Strong answer

Said it quickly and specifically, without making it personal, and the work was fixed before it reached the guest.

Red flags

Let it go to avoid friction.

Tell me about a time you stayed organized while everyone around you was stressed.

Behavioral · Calm under pressure

Strong answer

Names specific actions, such as calling tickets in order, lowering their voice or asking for help, and how the team responded.

Red flags

Got louder and more scattered along with everyone else.

Expo hands you a six-top's mains. The ticket has seat numbers, but when you reach the table, two guests have swapped chairs and their server is nowhere in sight. What do you do?

Situational · Getting the seat right

Strong answer

Sets down the plates for seats that didn't move, quietly confirms the two swapped dishes with those guests, names the allergy as that plate goes down, and tells the server and expo so dessert lands right.

Red flags

Sets plates down by the ticket's seat numbers anyway, or auctions every plate.

Here's a made-up ticket for a four-top: seat one, salmon; seat two, burger medium, no onion; seat three, gnocchi flagged dairy allergy; seat four, burger medium-well. Walk me through checking the plates at the window before you walk.

Technical · Getting the seat right

Strong answer

Checks each plate against the ticket, looks for the missing onion, asks expo how the burgers are marked if unsure, confirms the allergy marker on the gnocchi and carries it apart from the others, and plans the set-down order by seat.

Red flags

Grabs the plates and walks, planning to sort it out at the table.

The ticket says seat two has a peanut allergy. The plate in the window has the kitchen's allergy marker, but there's a crunchy garnish on top that looks like the regular one. Expo says it's probably fine, just run it. What do you do?

Situational · Allergy plates

Strong answer

Doesn't run it. Tells expo plainly the garnish may be peanut, keeps the plate in the window until the chef checks it, and expects a remake under your allergy policy if it's wrong, never a scrape. Makes sure the server tells the guest their plate is a few minutes behind.

Red flags

Runs it because expo said it's fine, or picks the garnish off and sends it.

As you walk away, you realize you just set table twelve's two steaks at table twenty-one, and one guest there has already started cutting. What do you do?

Situational · Recovering from mistakes

Strong answer

Goes back right away, apologizes, tells expo at once so table twelve's steaks are refired and twenty-one's own order is checked, tells both servers, and leaves any comp to the manager. Never carries plates from the wrong table to the right one.

Red flags

Says nothing, or takes the plates back and walks them to table twelve.

It's eight on a Friday. Expo is calling for hands on three tables at once, and you're the only runner at the window, with two plates already in your hands. What do you do?

Situational · Talking to expo

Strong answer

Takes only what they can carry safely, tells expo which table is going and asks which is next, calls a busser or free server for hands by table number, and comes straight back to report what's down.

Red flags

Stacks more than they can carry, or leaves plates in the window to finish side work.

A plate from under the heat lamp is too hot to hold, expo is telling you to go, and there are no dry towels at the pass. What do you do?

Situational · Safe carrying

Strong answer

Tells expo they need a moment, gets a dry cloth from the linen stock or uses a tray, takes the out door and calls behind or corner on the way, warns the guest the plate is hot, and restocks the towels after.

Red flags

Carries it bare-handed, or rushes it and sets it down hard near a guest.

Think of something with a lot of parts you had to learn fast, like a map, a playbook, a set of names or a menu. How did you get it down?

Behavioral · Getting the seat right

Strong answer

Names a method they used, like drawing it out, saying it aloud or quizzing themselves, how long it took, and how they tested it before it counted.

Red flags

No example, or says they just remember things.

Describe a moment when you had to warn a boss, coach or teacher that something was going wrong. What did you say, and how?

Behavioral · Talking to expo

Strong answer

Describes a specific problem, raised it promptly with the right person, said it plainly with what they'd seen, and checked back if nothing changed.

Red flags

Kept quiet to stay out of trouble, or has nothing to describe.

Think of a mistake you made while a customer, or someone you were helping, watched. What did you do in the next minute?

Behavioral · Recovering from mistakes

Strong answer

Said so on the spot, fixed it or brought in help fast, let the person affected know, and can name a habit they changed afterward.

Red flags

Covered it up, pointed at someone else, or has no example.

Saturday at seven-thirty, four groups are waiting, the phone won't stop ringing, and a party of eight with no reservation asks how long it'll be. What do you do?

Situational · Honest wait times

Strong answer

Puts the caller on a short hold, looks at which tables have the check or are on dessert and which can be pushed together for eight, quotes a range on the safe side, suggests the bar or texting them, adds them to the list, and picks the phone back up.

Red flags

Guesses a short wait to keep the party, or lets the phone ring out.

A couple quoted thirty minutes has now waited forty-five. They come to the stand angry, and the next table for two won't open for another ten minutes. What do you do?

Situational · Honest wait times

Strong answer

Apologizes without excuses, gives a real updated time from the floor, offers a seat at the bar if one fits, checks with the manager before offering anything on the house, and quotes longer for the rest of the night.

Red flags

Points the finger at the kitchen or at other guests, or argues that the wait was only an estimate.

The kitchen just dug out of a rush. A party of ten, a party of eight and three tables of four are waiting, and five tables open at the same moment. How do you seat them?

Situational · Pacing the floor

Strong answer

Checks with the manager or kitchen, seats the parties a few minutes apart with the big ones in different sections, keeps the rotation fair, and tells waiting guests honestly that their table will be ready shortly, with a time.

Red flags

Fills every open table right away with whoever is next.

A server you get along with asks you for the next big party because they've had a slow night. It isn't their turn in the rotation. What do you do?

Situational · Pacing the floor

Strong answer

Says no kindly, explains the rotation, and sends the server to the manager if there's a real reason to change it. Answers the other server honestly.

Red flags

Gives them the party because they're friends or because they asked.

Walk me through taking a phone reservation for six. The caller mentions a severe tree nut allergy and a birthday, and asks if you can promise the dessert is nut-free.

Technical · Getting details right

Strong answer

Reads back the name, date, time, party size and phone number, records the allergy and birthday in the reservation notes, makes no promise about the food, says the manager or chef will go over it, and tells the manager at pre-shift.

Red flags

Promises the dessert is nut-free, or doesn't write the allergy down.

A guest arrives with a dog in a harness. Another guest in line says they're allergic and asks you not to seat the dog nearby. What do you do?

Situational · Welcoming every guest

Strong answer

Welcomes the guest and the dog. Asks for no papers and nothing about a condition; if the dog's job isn't obvious, asks only the two allowed questions or gets the manager. Seats both parties in the main room, apart where possible. Leaves any removal to the manager.

Red flags

Turns the dog away, asks for papers or about the guest's condition, or tucks the party into a back corner because of the complaint.

Think of a time several people wanted your help at the same moment, at a job, at school, on a team or as a volunteer. Walk me through what you did.

Behavioral · Calm at the door

Strong answer

Gives a specific case. Let each person know they'd been seen, took them in an order that made sense, kept the waiting ones updated, and called for help once it was more than one person could handle.

Red flags

Shut down, or served one person and let the others stand there.

Tell me about a time someone wanted something from you that you couldn't give, at a job, at school or anywhere else. How did you tell them?

Behavioral · Calm at the door

Strong answer

Gives a specific case. Said no warmly and plainly, gave the reason, offered something they could do, and the person walked away still feeling respected.

Red flags

Caved to dodge the awkward moment, or was rude.

Tell me about a time you kept a list, schedule or sign-up straight for other people, at work, school, on a team or anywhere else.

Behavioral · Getting details right

Strong answer

Gives a specific case. Had a simple system, updated it the moment things changed, checked it before it mattered, and told people about changes right away.

Red flags

Can't name a time, or lost track and left others to sort it out.

You're on grill with [seven] tickets on the rail. While you're plating table nine, expo calls "fire twelve," a six-top with three steaks at three different temperatures. Walk me through the next five minutes.

Situational · Reading the rail

Strong answer

Calls back "heard, fire twelve," finishes and sells nine, then lays twelve's steaks on staggered by doneness so they rest and land together. Keeps the rail in fire order by moving or marking tickets, and gives expo an honest time.

Red flags

Cooks tickets in the order they printed, or fires all three steaks at once and lets the early one sit.

Tell me about the worst night you've had on the line, when you went down in the weeds. How did you get back out?

Behavioral · Reading the rail

Strong answer

Names the night and the station, says what tipped it (a big party, running out of mise), told the sous or expo early with a specific ask, cleared the rail in fire order, and changed something after, like a bigger par or a cleaner layout.

Red flags

Says they never go down, or blames the servers, the prep cook or expo.

Walk me through setting up your station for a busy Friday dinner, from the moment you walk in until the sous chef's line check.

Technical · Station setup

Strong answer

Sets up from the par sheet and the covers on the book, checks leftover product by label and date, keeps mise in the same spot every night with backups close, temps the wells and reach-in, tastes sauces, and lays out sanitizer, dry towels and a probe.

Red flags

Expects prep to have everything ready, or is still setting up when the first tickets print.

A ticket has chicken thighs and a burger cooked medium-well. Walk me through how you know each one is done, and safe to send, with the rail full.

Technical · Cooking to spec

Strong answer

Probes the thickest part of each, sanitizes the probe between items, and cooks the chicken to the minimum on your line check sheet and the burger to your house temperature for medium-well. Checks the thermometer in ice water before service, and gives expo the real time when chicken needs longer.

Red flags

Goes by color, touch or time for everything, chicken included, or sends it when expo pushes.

Tell me about a time a chef changed how you had to make a dish, and you thought your old way was better.

Behavioral · Cooking to spec

Strong answer

Cooked it the new way every time from the first shift, asked why, and brought their idea to the chef after service with a reason, like a taste or a ticket-time problem.

Red flags

Kept cooking it their own way, or argued about it during service.

A ticket for the pork chop comes in flagged for a tree nut allergy. The chop normally gets a romesco made with almonds, and every pan and pair of tongs on your station has touched it tonight. What do you do?

Situational · Allergy and food safety

Strong answer

Calls back the allergy, checks every part of the plate against the allergen chart or recipe book, gets a clean pan, tongs and board, washes hands and changes gloves, cooks and plates it apart, and tells expo or the sous if any part is in doubt, rather than guessing.

Red flags

Scrapes the sauce off, or treats the flag like a preference and just leaves the romesco off.

Mid-rush, you drop the last portion of halibut on the floor. The ticket is for a regular, and the cook next to you says to rinse it off because nobody saw. What do you do?

Situational · Allergy and food safety

Strong answer

Throws it out, tells expo and the sous right away that halibut is 86'd, and offers what they could fire instead and how long it would take, so the server can go back to the guest.

Red flags

Rinses it and cooks it, or hesitates because no one saw.

Expo sends back a steak you cooked medium instead of medium-rare. The rest of that table's food is sitting in the window. What do you do?

Situational · Owning mistakes

Strong answer

Says "heard, re-firing" with an honest time, gets a new steak on at once, lets expo decide whether to hold or re-fire the rest of the table, keeps the other tickets moving, and probes the next steak.

Red flags

Argues the steak was right, or rushes the re-fire and sends it under.

Tell me about a dish you sent out wrong that reached the guest. How did you find out, and what did you do?

Behavioral · Owning mistakes

Strong answer

Names the dish and the mistake, like a missed modifier or a wrong garnish, owned it to the chef without excuses, helped fix it for the guest, and changed a habit, such as reading modifiers aloud.

Red flags

Can't name one, or blames the ticket, the server or expo.

Tell me about the last time you had to cover a station you didn't know well, like being moved from fry to sauté on a busy night. How did you get ready?

Behavioral · Learning new stations

Strong answer

Names the station and the night, read the recipe cards and plating photos, set up from the regular cook's layout, asked the sous to check the setup, saved questions for before service, and can say how their tickets went.

Red flags

Refused, or winged it and asked no one.

You walk in and the sous chef has left a note: build today's list yourself from the par sheet. Walk me through how you decide what to make, how much, and in what order.

Technical · Working the prep list

Strong answer

Counts what's on hand and checks its dates, subtracts from par, adjusts for reservations or a private party, starts the long jobs first (stocks, braises, anything that has to cool), then each station's opening needs, then quick cuts, and checks the plan with the sous chef.

Red flags

Makes the full par of everything regardless of what's on hand, or waits to be told.

It's an hour before the line arrives, and you can see you have about two hours of prep left. What do you do?

Situational · Working the prep list

Strong answer

Tells the sous chef as soon as they see it, with what's done and what's left, finishes what each station needs to open first, and asks before changing any recipe step to save time.

Red flags

Just works faster and hopes, or rushes a step like cooling or labeling to finish.

Walk me through cutting a whole beef tenderloin into steaks, and how you know you got the yield you should.

Technical · Knife skills and yield

Strong answer

Sets a damp towel under the board and uses a sharp knife. Takes off silverskin and the chain with little meat lost, saves usable trim for the chef's use, cuts to weight and checks each steak on the scale, records the yield, and tells the chef if it falls short.

Red flags

Cuts by eye with no scale, or throws out trim the kitchen uses.

Tell me about a time you made a batch from a written recipe, at work or in culinary school, and it didn't come out right.

Behavioral · Following the recipe

Strong answer

Tasted against the recipe before it went to the line, rechecked the measures (weight against volume, a doubled recipe), told the chef before it was used, and changed a habit, like weighing everything or reading the whole recipe first.

Red flags

Sent it out anyway, or says recipes are just a guide.

A full stockpot of chili just came off the heat, and you leave in an hour. Walk me through what you do with it.

Situational · Cooling and storage

Strong answer

Moves it into shallow pans or an ice bath, stirs, uses an ice wand if there is one, leaves it uncovered or loosely covered where your rules allow, probes and logs time and temperature against your cooling log's limits, and hands off the next check time.

Red flags

Lids the full pot and sets it in the walk-in as is, or leaves it on the range to cool on its own.

Walk me through putting away a delivery of raw chicken, ground beef, fish, produce and dairy in the walk-in.

Technical · Cooling and storage

Strong answer

Puts cold items away first, keeps ready-to-eat food and produce above raw proteins, keeps each raw protein in its own pan with poultry on the bottom, puts new stock behind old, dates anything opened or repacked, and keeps cases off the floor.

Red flags

Puts new stock in front of old, or raw meat above produce.

The sous chef asks you to clear out anything past its date. You find a container of pesto with no label, and a quart of soup that's still in date but smells off. What do you do?

Situational · Labeling and rotation

Strong answer

Throws out both and logs them on the waste sheet, since an unlabeled container can't be proven safe and a date doesn't make spoiled food good. Tells the sous chef which items and suggests a fix, like labels and a marker at every station.

Red flags

Labels the pesto with today's date, or keeps the soup because it's in date.

The morning delivery arrives before the sous chef does. The chicken case feels warm, and the invoice lists [ten] cases of romaine but only [eight] came off the truck. What do you do?

Situational · Speaking up

Strong answer

Probes the chicken between packages, holds or rejects it under house rules if it's warmer than your receiving limit, notes the short romaine and any rejected product on the invoice before signing, calls the sous chef, and gets the rest of the cold product put away fast.

Red flags

Signs the invoice as is and puts everything away, warm chicken included.

Tell me about a time you were asked to use a machine or tool you hadn't been trained on, like a slicer, a mixer or a food processor.

Behavioral · Speaking up

Strong answer

Said plainly they hadn't used it, asked to be shown, learned the guard, the off switch and how to unplug and clean it with a cut glove, and practiced with someone watching.

Red flags

Used it without knowing how, or took a guard off to work faster.

Tell me about a shift, at any job, when you had a long list of tasks and no one around to check in with. How did you decide what to do first?

Behavioral · Working the prep list

Strong answer

Read the whole list first, ordered it by what others needed first and what took longest, checked pace against the clock, left a question or a note when unsure, and told the next person exactly what was left.

Red flags

Worked top to bottom, stopped when stuck, or left without saying what wasn't done.

A guest tells you about a severe sesame allergy and asks whether the house burger is safe. The bun has no seeds on top, but you don't know what's in the sauce or what else goes in the fryer. What do you do?

Situational · Allergy safety

Strong answer

Won't guess. Looks at the allergen chart, asks the chef or manager about the bun, the sauce and the shared fryer oil, tells the guest plainly what the kitchen can and can't promise, rings it with the allergy flag on that seat, and checks the plate before it lands.

Red flags

Says it's probably fine, or rings it without the flag and hopes the kitchen notices.

Think of the last time a guest or customer told you about a food allergy. Take me step by step through what you did, from the moment they told you to the moment they ate.

Behavioral · Allergy safety

Strong answer

Gives a specific case. Asked what the allergy was and how serious, checked with the kitchen, flagged the order, told the chef or manager directly, and checked the plate or had it run by the right person. Can say how the guest knew it was handled.

Red flags

Can't remember one, or treated it as a preference and let the kitchen sort it out.

A four-top orders. Seat one wants the steak medium-rare with no butter, two guests share an appetizer, and seat four wants the soup brought with the mains. Walk me through how you ring it so the kitchen and the runner get it right.

Technical · Order accuracy

Strong answer

Rings by seat number, uses the POS modifiers instead of loose notes where it can, marks the shared appetizer, holds the soup to come with the mains, fires the mains when the appetizer is nearly finished or as the house times it, and reads the screen back before sending.

Red flags

Rings everything at once from memory and plans to fix mistakes when the plates come up.

A guest at a table of eight is getting loud, slurring a little, and orders another round for everyone. They're a regular, and the table is celebrating. What do you do?

Situational · Responsible alcohol service

Strong answer

Names signs like slurred speech, clumsy movement or a sudden change in mood. Tells the manager before the round goes out, doesn't serve that guest, offers food and water, speaks privately and without blame, and watches for drinks passed along. Follows state law and house policy.

Red flags

Serves the round to keep the table happy, or quietly makes the drinks weaker without telling anyone.

A guest has eaten half the steak, then says it was overcooked and asks you to take it off the check. What do you do?

Situational · Handling hard guests

Strong answer

Apologizes without debating the half that's gone, offers a fresh steak or another dish, and gets the manager, since only a manager approves a comp or void here. Checks back afterward and tells the kitchen what happened.

Red flags

Argues with the guest, takes it off the bill alone, or pays for it out of pocket to avoid the manager.

A guest at the next table keeps commenting on a coworker's body and grabs at the coworker's arm each time they pass. Your coworker looks rattled but keeps working. What do you do, and when do you bring in a manager?

Situational · Handling hard guests

Strong answer

Gets a manager right away, before anyone serves that table again, and says exactly what happened. Checks on the coworker and offers to cover their tables. Leaves the guest to the manager. If brushed off, goes to the next person the policy names, and expects the same help for themself.

Red flags

Treats it as part of the job and does nothing, or confronts the guest and starts a scene in the dining room.

Tell me about a time you suggested something to a guest or customer, at any job, that they were glad they bought. What did you notice about them first?

Behavioral · Selling with care

Strong answer

Gives a specific case. Noticed what the person liked or what they were having, made one fitting suggestion in plain words, took a no gracefully, and can say how they knew the guest was glad.

Red flags

Pushes the most expensive item at every table, or doesn't suggest anything at all.

You're slammed. One table is waiting to order, one wants the check, your food is up in the window, and the host just sat a new table. What do you do, and in what order?

Situational · Running the section

Strong answer

Gets the hot food out first, or asks a runner to take it, greets the new table on the way and sets a time, drops the check, then takes the order. Asks a teammate or manager for help early.

Red flags

Freezes, lets the food die in the window, or ignores the new table until the old ones are done.

Think of a busy shift, at any job, when a coworker was falling behind and you had a little room. What did you do?

Behavioral · Running the section

Strong answer

Gives a specific case. Noticed early, asked what would help most, did it without taking over, and was back on their own tables quickly. Has also asked for help when buried.

Red flags

Can't think of a time, or says helping others isn't their job.

Walk me through a mistake you made at work with an order, a check or a cash count, and what happened once you noticed it.

Behavioral · Order accuracy

Strong answer

Describes a real error, raised it with the manager that shift, helped put it right for the guest, and now does something different, like reading the screen back before sending.

Red flags

Says they don't make mistakes like that, or puts it on the kitchen, the POS or another server.