Questions To Ask When Hiring Your First Restaurant Employees

Your first hire is a massive step in the life of your restaurant.

Do things the right way, and you’ll make sure that your first employees will be there for the long haul and be one of the greatest things to happen to your restaurant in its early days.

The positions you will need to fill will depend to some extent on the kind restaurant model atmosphere you want to have. However, most restaurants will need a manager, servers, and chef.

In general, the more service needed to run a restaurant, the more experience its employees will need to have.

You want to be careful with your finances, but you shouldn’t skimp on finding good help. Having proper time for training and having job descriptions defined will help develop and fill each position.

When you’re creating a team, it’s not just about making sure that customers walk away happy, and everything served on time and flavor fulfills. A positive workplace requires enough people, so no one is so overworked that their job becomes a nightmare!

Three Top Questions To Ask During Your Restaurant Staff Interviews

1. Why Do You Think You’re Right for this Job?

You will get a summary from the potential candidate on why they think they’re great! Here’s where they get a chance to sell themselves. You’ll find out:

  • They can do the job
  • They will fit in and be a great addition to the team
  • They possess a combination of skills and experience that makes them stand out from other candidates.

2. How Have You Dealt With a Difficult Customer? Chances are, every server, host person, manager, or chef in the restaurant industry has had a difficult customer, but you want to know how they handled it.

You will find out pretty quickly if they possess people and problem-solving skills.

Satisfying an unhappy guest can be frustrating. If they have handled fixing an issue with a not so pleasant customer in the manner that you feel is appropriate, it can be a deciding factor for hiring them. If they express that they don’t take it personally and that they made sure the customer’s concerns had bee heard, you may have a good hire in front of you.

3. Can You Describe Your Favorite Dish?

This question is more for a server or an order taker. The way they describe this dish to you is likely how they’ll explain it to guests. See if they can sell it!

Employee Satisfaction Matters Too!

When you’re creating a team, it’s not just about making sure that customers walk away happy! A positive workplace requires enough people, so no one is so overworked that their job becomes a nightmare!

You want to be careful with your money, but you shouldn’t skimp on finding good help.

Well, planned training and clearly defined job descriptions will mandate the degree of experience. In return, knowing when you know who you need to hire and their requirements will help set the pay standard for each position.

Every restaurant is different, and the number of employees you’ll need will vary depending on your service, location, and the type of restaurant concept you have, Step 3 of the Success Plan goes over the different restaurant concepts to choose.

If you want to start your successful restaurant, get my 7 Step Plan that I used to start and grow successful restaurants and catering businesses.

 

 

You can purchase all 7 steps at one time, or purchase each step separately. No matter where you are in your journey, these steps can be helpful.