The restaurant business industry is one that deals with what people eat and hence, employers in this field are so strict with their employment processes. In this article, we will be sharing common restaurant interview questions and answers to get you ready to land a job in the restaurant business industry.
Employers in this field are extremely careful with the kind of people they employ and that is why they go for the best fits for the available jobs within their businesses. So, if you must fit in, you must be ready and well quipped.
Common Restaurant interview questions and answers
Here are about sixteen (16) common restaurant interview questions and answers that you will likely come across when selected for an interview at any restaurant. Below are the question with guides on how you should respond to them.
- Why have you chosen to build a career in the restaurant industry?
When this question is thrown at you, the interviewer wants you to give a straight forward answer that clearly states your drive for wanting to work in the restaurant industry and of course, the answer they expect is that of interest of offering the best satisfaction to people’s food desires. Ensure your answer is not out of context.
2. What do you understand by the word “hospitality” ?
This question wants to see if you understand the bedrock of why restaurants exists in the first place. Restaurants are known as hospitable spots where people can relax and eat meals of their choice based on available food menus and pay for it.
So, define hospitality in that regard to stand a chance of landing the job opening at the restaurant.
3. What do you do during your leisure times?
With this question, the interviewer wants to know what exactly you derive joy doing when you are not working at all. The response the interviewer desires to hear is that you keep yourself busy in leisure times with something related to food making.
4. What was your best customer experience ever?
With this question, the interviewer wants to know what you term ‘good customer service’. So, you must recall an excellent customer service you received in times past and share it. With this, they hope to see you replicate such if employed.
5. Which was your poorest customer service experience?
The employer wants to know if you really understand what bad customer service is and hence would ask this question to see if you have had a first hand experience of what it feels like not to be attended to the right way as a customer.
6. What would you say is your greatest strength?
At this point, the employer wants to hear from you what you know much about yourself as a strength and how that can help the business if peradventure you are employed into the system. So, you must share a great virtue which you possess that fits in at the restaurant business industry.
7. What would you say is your greatest weakness?
When an employer in the restaurant industry asks you this question, the answer they would not want to hear is that you are hot tempered. That will be a turn off because restaurant servers are not expected to be hot tempered as they will be dealing with different kinds of people daily.
8. How would you handle a customer who tries to cheat the business?
With this question, the employer wants to know how professional you can be in handling conflicts while on duty at work. Do well to learn how to handle difficult customers to be able to answer this question properly.
9. What do you love most about serving customers’ meals?
At this point, you must ensure that your answer really centers on the aims and objectives of restaurant owners. Answering out of context won’t do your quest any good.
10. What does being in a team mean to you?
The interviewer(s) will throw this question at you to see how much you love collaborating with other co-workers within a working environment. Ensure you give answers that depict the fact you have no problem working hand-in-hand with your fellow co-worker to help the business grow.
11. What do customers do that often get you angry?
When this question comes, be sincere enough to give a realistic answer but also end it with what you would professionally do after a customer gets on your nerves. This will help the employer know that you are a sincere person who values being professional than going all out on annoying customers.
12. What do you know about us?
This is a question that will reveal if you have done any research about the restaurant you want to be part of as an employee. Do well to research about the restaurant before you apply for a job there. It is very important.
13. Are there certain kinds of customers you wont want to serve?
This question is a personality test because restaurant owners hate it when a restaurant server doesn’t obey instructions as regards serving certain kind of customers. This question is aimed at finding out if you would be selective or not while discharging your duties as a restaurant server.
14. Why do you want to work here?
In all you say as an answer to this question, make sure you don’t say it is because of the money involved. Look for other good reasons why you desire to work in that particular restaurant that borders round the objectives of running a restaurant.
15. Do you think you will perform well at this job?
Your answer should be yes with a backup explanation that shows that you have what it takes to move the business forward even as a restaurant server. Make sure that you share with the employer or interviewer other skills you have that they will appreciate.
16. What nature of environment are you usually exposed to?
Restaurants are not an easy task based environments. They are usually busy, noisy and exhausting for its workers. This is why they work shifts at times. So, when this question comes, the employer wants to know if you can cope with the restaurant kind of environment.
