Questions to Ask in a Restaurant Interview
Questions to ask in a restaurant interview, for a candidate going for any job in the building: host, busser, food runner, line cook, prep cook, dishwasher or server. They run in the order the decision usually takes: the job itself, hours, pay and tips by position, training, what a busy night is like, and whether people stay and move up. The guide underneath picks out the ones that matter most for each position and shows how to check the answers before you accept.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The job
Can you walk me through a shift in this position, starting with the first hour?
Why ask it
The first hour shows what the job really is: a host sets up the book and the floor plan, a line cook stocks a station, a dishwasher starts on whatever the night before left behind. Let the manager carry on through the rush to the close. If the ad said 'team member' or named three jobs at once, the walk-through is also how you learn which one this is.
What do you need most from the person you hire for this spot?
Why ask it
For support and kitchen jobs the answer is very often reliability: on time, every shift, ready to work. If that is what you hear, say plainly which days you can always make, since it may count for more than experience. A narrower answer, such as speed on the grill or calm at the door, hints at what the last person lacked.
What do new people in this job find hardest in the first month?
Why ask it
The honest answers are concrete: quoting a wait to a hungry family, the dish pile at nine on a Friday, a prep list that has to be done before the doors open. Whatever is named, the natural follow-up is how the last new hire got past it. 'Nothing, it's easy' tends to mean nobody has watched a new person closely.
Would I do one job, or cover more than one in a shift, such as hosting and bussing or prep and dish?
Why ask it
Small restaurants combine roles, and that can be a quick way to learn the building. The detail that matters is which job you are clocked in under when you cover both, because the hourly rate and the tip share can differ by position.
Who would I answer to during service: you, the chef, a sous chef or a shift lead?
Why ask it
The interviewer may be an owner or general manager who is in the office by the time the dinner rush starts. On the line the boss is often a sous chef or lead cook, and on the floor a shift lead. Ask to say hello to that person before you go, even for a minute.
For a kitchen job, which station would I start on, and who works beside me?
Why ask it
Pantry, fry, grill and saute carry very different loads at seven on a Saturday, so the station named tells you how the chef has read your experience. The cook on the next station over is the one you will lean on when tickets stack up, which makes that name worth having too. Floor candidates can skip this one.
What are the opening and closing duties for this position?
Why ask it
A lot of restaurant work happens with no guests in the building: wiping menus and setting the stand, pulling floor mats, breaking down the line, draining the dish machine. Ask whether the list is written down. A posted checklist usually means the closing work is split the same way every night instead of falling to whoever is slowest to leave.
How physical is the job: hours on my feet, the heaviest thing I would lift, the heat on the line?
Why ask it
Get the heaviest regular lift by name, whether that is a full bus tub, a stockpot or a case of fryer oil, and how many stairs sit between the kitchen and the storeroom. If something is a limit for you, say so and hear how the restaurant has worked around it for others. This is better learned across the table than in the second week.
Hours
Is this opening for morning prep, lunch, dinner service or closes?
Why ask it
Restaurants usually hire to fill a specific hole in the week, and it is often the shift nobody on staff wants. Morning prep can start before the buses run and closes can end after they stop, so check the hours against how you get there and back.
How many hours a week does this position get in a busy week and in a slow one?
Why ask it
Hourly support and kitchen jobs live on hours, with little or no tip income to soften a thin week. Ask for both ends of the range and what the newest person in the job worked last week. If you need a minimum to cover rent, name it now.
Who writes the schedule for this position, and which day does it go up?
Why ask it
In many restaurants the chef schedules the kitchen and a manager schedules the floor, so the person interviewing you may not be the one to ask later. Get the name, the posting day, and whether it lives on an app or on a sheet by the office door. A schedule that appears two days before the week starts is hard to fit a class or a second job around.
If my availability is fixed around classes, childcare or a second job, can the schedule hold to it?
Why ask it
Bring the hours written down and hand them over. A manager who reads the page and says which shifts fit is giving you a real answer. 'We are flexible' with no detail often means the flexibility is expected from you.
If I need a particular Saturday off next month, what is the way to get it?
Why ask it
A real system sounds like a request book or an app, a deadline, and someone who signs off. Weekends are when a restaurant earns its money, so expect a limit on how many you can have, and find out whether a swap with a coworker settles it or still needs a manager's approval.
How long after the last table does this position usually clock out?
Why ask it
The dishwasher and the closing cook are commonly the last ones out, well after the posted closing time. Last Saturday's actual clock-out is the number to get. If you rely on a bus or a ride, raise it here, since the manager will know how the rest of the closing crew gets home.
On a slow night, is this one of the positions that gets sent home early?
Why ask it
A cut shift costs an hourly worker the rest of the night's pay. What you want to know is how often it happened last month and whether cuts rotate or always land on the newest hire. Pay for a shortened shift is covered by rules in some places and not in others, so have the manager say what this restaurant does.
Do people in this job work split shifts, with an unpaid gap between lunch and dinner?
Why ask it
A split can mean being tied to the restaurant for twelve hours and paid for eight. It suits someone who lives five minutes away and almost nobody else. If splits come with the job, pin down how many a week and whether you can turn one down. A place that serves dinner only makes this one unnecessary.
Is overtime common here, and who approves it?
Why ask it
Some kitchens run on overtime, and others send a cook home the minute the week gets near it. Either habit changes what a paycheck looks like, so it helps to know which one this is. How overtime is counted and paid depends on where you work, and the manager can tell you how it is done here.
When someone calls out sick, who finds the cover: the sick person, the chef or the manager?
Why ask it
Leave with an actual phone number and how much warning they want. Working sick around food is something health rules in many places address, so hear what the house policy is for a fever or a stomach bug. A restaurant that expects you in regardless has shown you how it treats its staff.
Are there days when nobody gets off, such as Mother's Day, graduation weekend or New Year's Eve?
Why ask it
Every restaurant has its blackout dates, and they tend to be the days your family wants you somewhere else. Hearing the list in the interview lets you raise a conflict before you are on the schedule. Holiday pay varies by employer, so check whether those shifts pay any differently here.
Pay and tips
What does this position pay an hour, and is that a full wage or one that counts on tips?
Why ask it
One restaurant may pay a host, a busser and a cook in three different ways. Rules on tipped wages change by state and country, so have the manager explain how it works for this job at this address. If you might be moved to another position partway through a shift, check whether the rate moves with you.
Does this position share in tips, and is the share based on sales, tips, hours or points?
Why ask it
Hosts, bussers and runners are often paid partly out of what servers tip out or from a pool. Each method behaves differently on a slow night, so get the formula and who runs it: a manager working from the sales report, or each server handing over cash at close. A sheet or an app you can look at afterward means the staff can check the sums.
Do cooks and dishwashers get any part of the tips or of a service charge?
Why ask it
Whether the kitchen may share in tips depends on local law and on how the restaurant pays its tipped staff, so ask how it is done here and leave the legal theory aside. Where the kitchen gets nothing, the next question is whether the hourly rate is set with that in mind.
Roughly what does the tip share add to a host's or busser's hourly pay in a normal week?
Why ask it
You want a figure per hour or per shift, for a weeknight and for a weekend. Managers remember the best night, so ask about a Tuesday as well. Treat the answer as an estimate until you have seen two or three of your own pay periods.
How are my hours recorded, and how often do paychecks come?
Why ask it
Many restaurants have staff clock in on the point of sale under a job code, and the code decides the rate. Ask how a missed punch or a shift that ran long gets corrected, and by whom. Keeping your own note of start and end times for the first few weeks costs nothing.
How does someone in this job get a raise here, and when did that last happen?
Why ask it
Raises in restaurants tend to follow something concrete: a set number of months, learning a second station, taking on closes or keys. The second half of the question is there for the reply 'we review it as we go'. A manager who cannot recall the last raise in this job has told you how often they come.
Is there a family meal or staff discount, and when do people actually get to eat?
Why ask it
A meal on every shift adds up over a month. The second half matters more to a cook or dishwasher, who may be working straight through the hours everyone else eats. Listen for a set time before service, because 'whenever it slows down' can mean standing over a trash can at ten.
What would I need to buy before my first shift: shoes, knives, a uniform?
Why ask it
Non-slip shoes are asked for in most kitchens and dining rooms, and who pays for them varies. Cooks should find out whether the kitchen supplies knives or expects a personal set, and whether aprons, coats and towels are laundered by the house. Hold off buying anything until you have a start date.
Are there benefits for hourly staff, and how many hours a week does it take to qualify?
Why ask it
Health cover, paid sick time and paid vacation are not a given in restaurant work, and what exists differs by employer and by place. If there is a threshold, compare it with the hours you were just quoted. A job scheduled an hour under the line is worth noticing.
Training
How many training shifts would I get, and are they paid at the regular rate?
Why ask it
A number is the good sign here, whether it is two shifts for a busser or two weeks for the line. Ask what you would be doing on the first one. Training pay differs from house to house, so get the rate before you agree to a date.
Who would I follow on my first few shifts?
Why ask it
A named person means someone answers for whether you learned the job. It also helps to know whether trainers get anything for it, because a busser handed a trainee on a slammed Saturday with nothing in return has little reason to teach more than the minimum.
Is there a trial shift or a stage before an offer, how long does it run, and is it paid?
Why ask it
Kitchens often want to see a cook work before hiring, and some floors do the same. Whether a trial has to be paid depends on where you are, so ask how this restaurant handles it. Find out what to bring, what you would be doing, and who decides at the end.
What should someone in this job know cold by the end of the second week?
Why ask it
The answer is a study list. For a host it is usually table numbers, the floor plan and the booking system; for a runner, seat numbers and what every plate looks like; for a cook, the station's recipes and pars. If the manager has no answer, you will be setting your own standard.
Are recipes, prep lists and pars written down, or do they live in the chef's head?
Why ask it
Written recipes and a daily prep list let a new cook work without asking a question every four minutes. A kitchen that runs from memory can still be good, but your training then depends on who is standing next to you and how patient they are.
How do hosts, bussers and runners learn the menu and the allergy rules?
Why ask it
Guests ask whoever is closest, and that is often the person refilling water. Ask what the house wants you to say when someone mentions an allergy to you. A clear rule, such as fetching the server or a manager every time, protects you as much as the guest.
Which permits or certificates does this position need, and does the restaurant cover the cost?
Why ask it
Food handler cards and similar requirements are set locally and can differ for kitchen and floor staff. The manager should know what applies and the deadline for getting it. If you already hold one, mention it, since it is one less thing between you and a start date.
Who shows a new hire the slicer, the fryer and the dish machine chemicals before they use them?
Why ask it
A careful kitchen walks you through each one and watches you do it once. Younger workers may be barred from some equipment depending on local rules, so if you are under 18, ask which tasks are off limits for you. 'You'll figure it out' is a poor answer where blades and hot oil are involved.
Busy nights
What does a busy Friday look like in numbers: covers, the wait at the door, tickets on the rail?
Why ask it
Numbers make it possible to compare this place with anywhere you have worked before. Two hundred covers through a kitchen of four is a different night from the same count with eight. If the manager does not know the figures, ask what time the rush starts and when it lets go.
How many people work this position on a full night, and would I ever be the only one?
Why ask it
One busser for sixty seats, or one dishwasher for a full book, is a different job from the same title with a partner. Set the answer beside the cover count you were just given. If you would sometimes be alone, find out which nights and who is meant to step in.
When tickets stack up, who runs the pass and decides what goes out first?
Why ask it
Someone has to call the board, usually a chef or an expediter standing where the kitchen meets the floor. With that person in place, cooks cook and runners run. Without one, a busy night turns into an argument about whose food is dying in the window.
How do the kitchen and the floor get along here?
Why ask it
Almost every restaurant has some friction across the pass, so a claim of perfect harmony is less believable than a plain account. Listen for how each side is described. If you are joining as a runner or busser, you will be the one carrying messages between them.
What happens when the dish pit falls behind or one station gets buried?
Why ask it
The useful detail is who steps in. A sous chef who jumps on dish for ten minutes, or a manager who buses tables when the floor is drowning, shows that help reaches the bottom of the roster. If the answer is that the person just has to catch up, picture that being you.
When the wait reaches an hour and guests get short with the host, who comes to the door?
Why ask it
A host hears most of the anger about a long wait and controls almost none of what caused it. A manager who walks up, takes over the conversation and lets the host get back to the list is the answer to hope for. Ask too who decides the quoted wait times, since guests hold the host to them.
How much of a busy night is takeout and delivery, and who bags and hands off those orders?
Why ask it
Delivery tickets land on the same line as the dining room's and can double a station's load with no extra cook. On the floor, packing and handing off bags may be a large part of a host's or runner's shift. Ask whether tips left on those orders reach the people who pack them.
On a long shift, when does someone in this position actually get to stop and sit down?
Why ask it
Break rules are set by law in some places and by the employer in others, so start with what the practice is here. Then ask when the dishwasher last got one on a Saturday. The gap between the policy and that answer is the real break schedule.
What happens when someone makes a mistake in the middle of a rush?
Why ask it
Ask for the last time it happened: a dropped tray, a steak sent out wrong, a party seated in the wrong section. You are listening for whether the fix came first and the conversation afterward, away from the line. Shouting described as passion is still shouting.
If I get burned or cut during a shift, what is the procedure?
Why ask it
Burns and cuts are ordinary kitchen injuries, and a prepared restaurant has a stocked first aid kit, a person to tell and a form to fill in. Ask where the kit is kept. How quickly the manager can answer says a good deal about how the kitchen is run.
Staying on
Who has been here the longest, and what job did they start in?
Why ask it
One answer covers both turnover and promotion. A sous chef who started on dish or a server who began at the host stand is proof that people stay and move. If the longest-serving person arrived eight months ago, ask what happened to everyone before them.
How did this spot come open?
Why ask it
A new patio, a busier season, a promotion and a walkout are four different stories. Follow up by asking how many people have held the job in the past year. Two or three in a row suggests the trouble is in the job and not in the people.
How does a host, busser or runner move up to serving here, and how long has it taken others?
Why ask it
If serving is where you want to end up, say so in the interview so the manager has heard it from the start. Ask what has to be shown first, such as a menu test or a set number of months, and who made the move most recently. A vague 'when a spot opens' is worth pressing once.
How does a dishwasher or prep cook get onto the line?
Why ask it
Many cooks started in the dish pit, and chefs who promote from it are usually proud to say so. Ask whether you could come in early to learn prep, and whether that time would be paid. A kitchen that hires every line cook from outside is telling you where the dish job leads.
What did the best person you have had in this job do that others did not?
Why ask it
Managers answer this with a specific memory: the busser who reset a table before being asked, the dishwasher who kept the line in clean pans all night. Whatever they describe is what gets noticed here, and you can aim at it from the first shift.
What do you like about working here that a guest would never see?
Why ask it
The last part steers the manager away from the food and the reviews and toward the staff side: a chef who teaches, a crew that covers for each other, an owner who turns up to help on a bad night. If nothing comes to mind, that tells you something as well. It is a friendly question to put just before the harder one about your own application.
Is there anything about my experience or availability that gives you pause?
Why ask it
For restaurant jobs the doubt is usually availability, transport or never having worked a rush. Each one can be answered if it is said while you are still in the room. Offer a trial shift if experience is the worry.
Could I see the kitchen and the station before I leave?
Why ask it
Thirty seconds in the back shows you things no answer will: how clean the floor is, whether the walk-in is in order, how people speak to each other during prep. For a floor job, ask to see the host stand or the service station instead. A manager happy to show you around is a good sign in itself.
If you want to take this further, what comes next, and how soon would I be on the schedule?
Why ask it
Restaurants often hire within days because someone has just left. The next step may be a trial shift, a second conversation with the chef or paperwork, so find out which and what documents to bring. Leave with a name and the best time of day to call, which is rarely in the middle of lunch or dinner.
Getting useful answers in a restaurant interview
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Which questions matter most for your position
Host
The door is where a restaurant's planning problems show up first. Put the questions about who backs you up on a long wait, who sets the quoted times and how the tip share is worked out near the top. Ask as well how late a host stays, since some are cut once the last reservation is seated and others close with the floor.
Busser or food runner
Your pay usually depends on other people's tips, so the tip share questions under Pay and tips come first: the formula, who works it out and what it came to last weekend. Then ask how many of you are on for a full dining room, and how people have moved from this job to serving.
Line cook or prep cook
Start with the station, the hours and who runs the pass. Ask about written recipes, the trial shift and what you would need to bring. Pay for cooks is mostly the hourly rate times the hours, so get both ends of the weekly range, how overtime is handled, and whether the kitchen sees any tips or service charge.
Dishwasher
Three answers decide whether this is a good dish job: what time you really clock out, who helps when the pit is buried, and whether anyone has moved from dish to prep or the line. Ask also about the staff meal and who shows you the machine and its chemicals. A chef who answers these with respect for the job is the best sign you will get.
Server or bartender
This page is built for every position, so it leaves out section sizes, check averages and bar questions. Take the hours, training and busy-night groups from here and add the tip and section questions that only apply to your job.
When and how to ask
Expect a short interview between services
Restaurant interviews are often held in the quiet stretch of the afternoon, at a table in an empty dining room, and may last fifteen minutes. The chef or manager may be called away halfway through. Have four or five questions chosen in advance and put the one that could change your mind first.
Know who you are talking to
A general manager can answer for pay, the schedule and the floor. A chef can answer for stations, kitchen hours and how the line is run, and may not know how the tip pool works. If your question belongs to the other one, ask who to put it to and whether they are in the building.
Ask about money in plain words
Nobody in a restaurant is surprised by a candidate asking about the hourly rate or the tip share. Raise it after you have asked about the job itself, and ask for numbers. 'It works out well' should be followed by 'What did it come to last week?'
Let a question carry something about you
'Which closes are hardest to fill? I can do Sundays and Mondays' tells the manager something useful and gets you a straighter answer about the schedule. The same works for stations: 'I have worked fry and pantry. Where would you start me?'
Checking what you were told
Go at a busy hour before you accept
Eat there, or stand near the door for ten minutes on a Friday. Watch whether the host is alone, how fast tables are cleared and how staff speak to each other when the room is full. Compare what you see with the staffing and the wait times you were quoted.
Do the trial shift if one is offered
A few hours in the building answers most of this list by itself. Notice whether anyone shows you where things are kept, whether the person training you seems glad of the help, and whether the family meal happens. Settle before you arrive whether the shift is paid.
Ask someone who does the job
If you get a moment with a cook, a busser or a host, one question is enough: what time did you get out last Saturday, or how long have you been here? An answer that matches the manager's is reassuring. One that does not match deserves a second look before you say yes.
Repeat the pay terms back before you leave
Say the rate, the tip arrangement, the expected weekly hours and the training pay out loud and ask whether you have them right. Write them down the same day. If an offer follows by text or email, check that it says the same thing.
Look up the local rules yourself
Tipped wages, who may share in a tip pool, break times, overtime, unpaid trial shifts and what workers under 18 may do are set by national, state or local rules, and they are not the same everywhere. The manager's account is how this restaurant does it. The labor department for your area is where to confirm what applies to you.