Questions for servers, bartenders, line cooks, hosts and managers, what a good answer sounds like, and what you should not ask.
By Rob Bruni, founder of OpsEdge Hospitality, twenty years running restaurants, bars, clubs and resorts. Updated November 2026.
Most restaurant interviews are a ten minute chat between rushes, and most bad hires come from them. A short set of prepared questions, asked the same way to every candidate and scored right after, will beat instinct every time. This guide gives you the questions by role, what a good answer sounds like, the questions to stay away from and a simple way to score.
| Question | What you are listening for |
|---|---|
| Walk me through your last job. What did a normal shift look like? | Real detail about volume, station and pace, and whether it matches the resume |
| Why did you leave, or why are you looking? | Ownership of the story without blaming everyone else |
| Tell me about the busiest shift you ever worked. What went wrong and what did you do? | Staying calm, helping teammates, a specific fix |
| Tell me about a time you disagreed with a manager. | Raised it directly and respectfully, then got on with the job |
| What does your availability look like, including weekends and holidays? | A clear answer that fits the schedule you actually need |
| What would your last manager say you need to work on? | Self awareness and an honest example |
A short written test on recipes and alcohol service rules is worth adding for bartenders. The bartender training plan covers what to test in the first 30 days.
A paid working trial on a quiet shift tells you more than any answer. Rules on trial shifts and pay differ by state, so check with your state labor department before you run one.
The host stand guide covers pacing, waitlists and seating in more depth.
| Question | What you are listening for |
|---|---|
| What were your food cost, labor cost and prime cost at your last restaurant, and what did you do to move them? | Knows the numbers without looking, and can name a specific action and its result |
| Walk me through how you write a schedule. | Starts from a sales forecast and a labor target, not from last week's schedule |
| Tell me about someone you had to let go. | Clear expectations, documented coaching, a respectful ending |
| Tell me about someone you developed who was promoted. | Takes pride in other people's growth |
| A server no call no shows on a Saturday night. Talk me through the next hour and the next day. | Covers the floor first, then follows the policy consistently |
| What do you look at first when you walk in the building? | Cleanliness, the team, reservations, last night's log and numbers |
| How do you run a pre shift meeting? | Short, specific, the same time every day |
For what each management role should own, see the restaurant manager job description and duties.
The Restaurant HR Kit has 15 job descriptions from dishwasher to general manager, interview questions with guidance on what you can and cannot ask, an applicant tracker, a hiring checklist and a 56 page employee handbook. Editable Word and Excel files, one time purchase.
See the Restaurant HR Kit Hiring and training guideKeep every question about the job. In the United States, federal law and most state laws protect applicants from discrimination, so stay away from questions about:
Rules vary by state and city, and this guide is not legal advice. Check with your state labor department or an employment attorney, and train every manager who interviews.
Pick the three or four things the job needs and score each from 1 to 5 right after the interview. Write one line of evidence next to each score.
Candidate: [name] Role: Server Interviewer: [name] Date: [date]
Reliability: 4. Two years at the last job, open weekends, gave notice.
Guest warmth: 5. Described a complaint recovery in detail, guest came back.
Pace under pressure: 3. Worked 80 cover nights, we run 200.
Product knowledge: 4. Sold the short rib well, light on wine.
Total: 16 of 20. Decision: Offer, with extra wine training in week one.
Check at least one reference for anyone who will handle cash or alcohol, and make the offer in writing with the pay, the schedule and the start date.
Five free calculators turn these guides into results in a few minutes: prime cost, food cost, labor cost, break-even and pour cost. Each one shows the gap to the benchmark for your concept in dollars a year. No signup.
Open the free calculators See the benchmarksAsk about past behavior, not hypotheticals: a normal shift at the last job, the busiest shift they worked and what went wrong, a guest complaint they handled, a disagreement with a manager, and their real availability. Then add four to six questions specific to the role.
Ask what they do first when triple sat, how they handled an unhappy guest, how they respond to a stated allergy, and ask them to sell you a dish from their last menu. Strong servers answer with specifics and usually know their own sales numbers.
Ask for the specs of three classic cocktails, how they work a busy well with service tickets waiting, how they handled cutting someone off, and how they treat comps for regulars. Add a short written recipe test.
Ask for their food cost, labor cost and prime cost at the last restaurant and what they did to change them. Then ask how they write a schedule, about someone they let go, about someone they developed, and how they would handle a no call no show on a busy night.
Twenty to thirty minutes is enough for an hourly role when the questions are prepared. Plan 45 to 60 minutes for a manager, plus a second conversation with the owner or general manager.
Avoid questions about age, race, national origin, religion, marital or family status, pregnancy, disability, health, sexual orientation and gender identity, and in many places arrest record and pay history. Rules vary by state and city, so confirm with your state labor department or an employment attorney.
