5 Great Questions to Ask During Restaurant Interviews:

We love interviewing. It’s part of who we are and what we do. We recruit the best, most qualified leadership talent for top hospitality organizations across the western U.S. and British Columbia and get to know them in an interview. We know that interviews can be dry and boring, never really telling the characteristics and commitment of each candidate – so we ask the good questions. Questions that will enable you to choose and hire the best for your staff.

Asking revealing questions during each interview reduces the risk of making a bad hire.  Apart from traditional interview questions reviewing previous employment rolls, etc. there is more to each candidate that matters and should be discussed in an interview.

1. Describe a stressful evening at the restaurant of your previous employment and how you handled it.  Asking for previous examples shows their true colors- what happens when they are in leadership and how do they respond to stress.  Without a doubt, stress will come from a variety of situations and you want to hire someone who can manage the stress well.
2. What issues to you disagree most often with your current (or most previous) boss? It’s a good idea to understand how each candidate responds to authority.
3. What ideas and ways are you committed to ensuring your restaurant staff is motivated and working their hardest each shift? A restaurant manager has to be able to “drive the car when it’s low on gas”…. What can be done to make it a great evening of serving, even when no one wants to be there?
4. Explain a situation in which last minute changes happened, and how did you respond? It’s essential to have a restaurant manager that can wear many hats and has a variety of talents. Changes will come- problem solving is essential for moments like this.
5. What drove you to apply for this positions? Is he/ she looking for more money? A different location? Small/ larger business? Whatever is the reason for the application is, ensuring it’s a good one will help to decipher if this candidates is looking to commit and make a difference in their employment, verses living a lifestyle the is come and go at the best offer possible.