Questions to Ask When Hiring Restaurant Staff

While you may have certain questions that you're itching to ask your potential restaurant staff hires, don't forget to ask many of the following questions for a well-rounded look at your candidates. 

Why Do You Want to Work Here?

A great line of questioning is why they have chosen this specific restaurant. Is it the type of place they would visit as a customer? They may be a better representation of the company and understand the values you're trying to achieve if that is the case. Do they have specific experience in working with some of the menu ingredients? You can use this to your advantage, since such employees will have shorter learning curves and greater knowledge. 

What Training Do You Have? 

The type of training is important, but how recently they had the training is important too. Be sure to ask how current their food-preparation knowledge is. Some restaurants like to have employees take a test to ensure that they still have current food-safety knowledge.

What's Your Customer-Service Philosophy?

Even if the employee won't be in the front of the house, a good background in customer service can still be a great asset. There are likely times when your line cooks will have to interact with customers, so make sure that they have reasonable knowledge of restaurant etiquette. 

Do You Have Technology Skills?

While you may not use a lot of technology currently, it's likely that some types of software may be useful to you in the future. If you choose staff who understand technology well, they can do a great job of learning new inventory software and other management systems. 

Finding the right restaurant staff can be demanding. But it's certainly worth the effort to find the right staff who have long-term intentions. If you are careful about the people you allow to represent your restaurant, it easily pays off in terms of a more dedicated and efficient workforce and a positive presentation to your customers. 

Taking the time to prepare and complete interviews can be a big task for many restaurant managers, so don't be afraid to reach out to a food-service management-services company to get the job done without a lot of input on your end. A food-service consultant can help you to assess the factors that are most important in your new hire and go through the process of attracting and even training your new restaurant staff for you. 


Share