Introduction:

Hey restaurant managers and future restaurant managers! Today, I’m going to teach you how to master your job interview and get your next job. I put together 5 of the most common modern-day questions that you’ll likely be asked or that you should be prepared to answer in the interview. 

As you go into this interview, definitely be prepared. Go through 20 or 30 questions that you might be asked, including the ones we talk about today, and have answers for those written down and rehearse them. But also, be prepared for the job requirements. If it’s a restaurant manager position, ask ahead of time for a job description before you come into the interview. Review that and make sure you’re comfortable with all of the skills that are required on that job description.  

When I was an owner and operator, I would love for a candidate to call me and ask, “Would you mind sending me the job description ahead of time.” Or also ask, “Would you mind giving me a list of the five or ten most important things that you expect in this position ahead of the interview so I can make sure that I am the right candidate for this job?”

5 Common Questions and How to Answer Them

1) One of the questions you’re going to be asked in any interview is, “Can you tell me about yourself?” They aren’t looking for your history, your hobbies, interests and the things you like. If they do, they’re going to specifically ask you that. When they ask you this question, what they’re looking for is:

1. Company you recently worked at 
2. Your title
3. Time in that role
4. Major responsibilities 
5. Any achievements and accomplishments

You’re will go through these points for each of your recent positions (maybe one to three but not beyond that). So make sure that your listings things out, are prepared with answers to these, and you have them in your notes so you’re not caught off guard. 

2) The second question you might be asked is a tricky one, but it’s becoming common and is a very important topic right now. That question is: Do you have any strategies for managing millennials? Here is a great answer to that question: “As somebody who might even be considered a millennial, I believe that people are people. While it is common to think that millennials are difficult to manage. The reality is that all people and personalities, at the core, are the same. I believe in creating a community that people want to be a part of. Nobody, especially millennials, wants to be told what to do. However, everybody wants to be a part of a winning team. It is important that we create an environment where your team wins together, has fun together and works hard together. I want to show your employees where they fit in on the bigger team and how important their role on that team is, then I want to show them how much more can be accomplished if everybody works together.”

The most important thing about “managing” millennials is that they fit in. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. If they can’t see how their role is important and how their involvement is good for the betterment of the team, they’re not going to thrive in that environment. What I gave you above is a great pre-written answer for you to put into your own words. 

3) The third question is: Why are you applying for the restaurant manager position?
It’s really important to personalize this answer so I’m only giving the start of the answer then it’s up to you to follow it up on your own: “I’ve been doing research on different companies in the area and based on what I have read in online reviews and job listing sites, this is a company that I want to be a part of.”  

Now I need you to improvise a bit. Come up with one or two of your goals and how they match this restaurant in particular. For example, if you’re applying for a higher-end fine dining restaurant, talk about your passions, travels, and experiences with great high-quality and cutting-edge food and how this restaurant is leading the charge on that in your community. If it’s quick service, talk about how you’re an entrepreneur at heart and you want to really develop more management skills because one day you want to be an owner or franchisee operator of a similar type concept. If it’s concept has a specific ethnicity and you’re part of that ethnicity or you have a passion for it, then talk about that and make it personal. But, again, write those out and be prepared for it.  

4) The fourth question is: Can you walk me through how you would handle a customer that’s complaining about their meal? If you’re not familiar with this method yet I want to teach you the L.A.S.T (Listen. Apologize. Solve. Thank.) method:

1. Listen to the guests’ complaints because people want to be heard. Don’t just sit there and say, “Okay, all right here’s your free meal.”  Really listen to the words, watch the customer, and really pay attention to their needs. That’s one of the most important things you can do, so talk about this to the person that’s interviewing you.  
2. Apologize whether you agree or disagree with them. If they don’t feel that the service or the quality of the food isn’t what they wanted then you have to apologize for that. 
3. Solve the problem whatever it is.  
4. Thank them genuinely. 

A complaint is a gift because you can learn from that and improve from it. Talk about the L.A.S.T. method, how you use it, and why it’s important to you. But the most important thing to say about solving customer challenges or complaints is that nobody leaves our business or this restaurant without being happy. Your staff has to be attentive when someone says ‘everything is fine’ and they have to dig deeper into that.

5) The last question is: What skills and qualifications do you have that make you a good fit for our restaurant?  Here is my answer: “I have reviewed the job requirements in your posting and am confident that I am a good fit for several reasons. I am passionate about delivering a high level of customer care, I am flexible and available to work the less desirable that are important to this position. I love working in a team environment and more importantly, I love mentoring and helping others achieve their goals. I believe in doing what I say I am going to do, this means making sure the projects and tasks that are assigned to me are completed on time. I also feel that is what managing is about – making sure that everybody on the team is doing their job and doing it well. My past experiences in this profession have prepared me for this position.  The combination of my computer, financial and restaurant-specific hard skills with my communication, timeliness and interpersonal soft skills make me a perfect for your manager position.”

Make sure to put these answers into your own words! Copy them, edit them and make them to whatever you want but chances are you’re going to be asked 3-4 or even all 5 of these questions in your next interview. I hope you absolutely go out and crush it!