What To Ask When Hiring

Bringing new staff into your business can be a very daunting experience. From knowing where to find candidates to what to look for with consideration to your business, the hiring process can be very stressful and unclear.

It certainly doesn’t help that a million different people have suggested a million ways as to how the hiring process works. With trends showing that hiring will increase in the foodservice industry in 2021, we’ve asked our industry experts to keep it simple, and have compiled the best interview questions to ask potential waitstaff.

What Characteristics Should You Look For In Waitstaff?

Hiring the right people is important, and your waitstaff are the first impression customers receive of your business. That’s why it’s crucial to find people who uphold what you want your business to be.

We believe that hiring for attitude can go a lot further for businesses than just skillsets, which staff can be trained in. Key experience for waitstaff includes customer-facing experience and experience with handling cash.

On top of that, you should consider the personality of your waitstaff. Are they outgoing and eager to please? Do they have the stamina to be on their feet for long shifts? Do they have high attention to detail and an ability to know the menu inside out? Can they upsell without being pushy? What are they like in teams?

Try out these questions for your next interview and discover what your candidates are like as a person.

·      What is your experience with customer service? How does that relate to this position?

·      Describe your last dining experience. How could it have been improved?

·      What do you know about our main competitors?

·      What are some food trends that you’ve recently noticed?

·      What wines do you often recommend to your customers?

·      Recall a time you handled a customer complaint. What was the situation and the outcome?

·      How do you stay organised while taking orders?

·      How would you rate your upselling skills?

·      Have you dined with us before? What do you think we could do better?