4 restaurant manager interview questions to find the right fit

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If you’re running a restaurant, few decisions will be as important as the one that leads to you hiring a manager. While a restaurant manager’s job description is usually well established, the types of people who can adequately fill that role are varied and far from specific. You need to ask strategic restaurant manager interview questions to make sure you’re hiring the right person for your context.

As food service veterans know, many different types of people call the restaurant industry home. While management skills, communication skills, and customer experience are key, figuring out just who should be in charge of your restaurant staff can be a make-or-break decision that decides the future of your organization.

So, if you’re filling management positions, consider these potential questions as a part of the job interview—and, most importantly, think about how the individual in question would fit as a part of your team. These questions and answers don’t need to be heavily scripted, as any good hiring manager makes it feel like a free-flowing conversation. However, having some touch points to come back to can truly help winnow the wheat from the chaff.

Question #1: What’s your experience in the restaurant industry?

Answer to look for: At least a few years working in a restaurant, ideally in a leadership role.

This question may seem like a no-brainer to start, but there’s a lot to it. Before becoming a manager, many managers have had significant experience in the restaurant industry—be it as a server, shift lead, line cook, head chef, or something else. Any experience at all in the industry should be counted as a plus, but managing a specific sector of the house will color a person’s experience and give them a good indication of just how a restaurant operates in reality and not on paper.

Do note that a good manager does not necessarily need to have management experience before filling the role. This is often the way the industry works: People who have been involved in the restaurant industry for several years work their way up through an organization or switch organizations for higher status and higher paying gigs. It’s crucially important that a potential manager has had industry experience before becoming a leader on the team.

Why is that? Simple: The restaurant industry is unique in the way it works, especially in the camaraderie department. Interpersonal skills are crucial, from managing often-boisterous kitchen staff to multi-tasking and training new employees. A steady hand is one that has weathered many storms, and generally speaking, the more experienced an employee is in the industry the more reliable they can be as a manager.

So, do past experiences trump formal education? In my experience as a restaurateur, I’d say yes. Management and hospitality school are wonderful credentials, to be sure, but they don’t hold a candle to real-life experience actually working in and running a restaurant.

Question #2: What are your career goals?

Answer to look for: Management dreams and beyond.

Asking a potential manager about their career goals is one of the most important restaurant manager interview questions you can ask. You should assume from the start that no one will stay with your organization forever, especially if they’re ambitious.

Interviewees who want to be a restaurant manager should ideally have career goals that extend beyond the job in front of them. Whether they have more back-of-house or front-of-house experience, the gumption to move on up to another level should show that they have not only interest in the industry but in furthering themselves. An ambitious manager is worth their weight in gold, and can be the difference between a successful restaurant and one that’s static.

Finding someone truly talented on the way up and giving them responsibility can be one of the best ways to improve your brand while taking some of the effort off of your back.

So, if the answer to the question about a potential manager’s career goals extends beyond your restaurant, take that as a positive sign and not a negative one.

Question #3: What are your restaurant business qualifications and skills?

Answer to look for: Confidence in their ability to juggle every task on the job description.

A restaurant manager has to handle many different aspects of the business and needs to understand them all. From knowing menu items backwards and forwards to being able to handle complex staffing, budgeting, and customer satisfaction issues, managers must be well-versed in many different aspects of the restaurant industry.

Consequently, managers have to be able to do much more than satisfy customers, run spreadsheets, or expedite orders in the kitchen. They have to be able to do all of that without batting an eye.

Indeed, being a restaurant manager is largely an exercise in complex problem-solving skills. Flexibility is a key skill above all, since a manager will have to insert themselves in all aspects of the business.

For example, an excellent manager will be equally talented in team retention and managing revenue reports. Years of experience in the industry are the main indicator as to potential success here, but experience is no guarantee of that success. The best manager could be a server who has been a natural leader on your team for years, knows your restaurant inside and out, majored in business, and has proven themselves to be a quick learner.

Question #4: Can you describe your management style?

Answer to look for: Excellent people skills, can diffuse tension and create harmony, flexible

As the title “manager” might suggest, a manager has to manage people. Whether you’re talking about a general manager, a front-of-house manager, an assistant manager, or anywhere in between, a manager has to have excellent relational skills.

Ideally, a restaurant manager should be someone all team members can get along with. Rather than a “nice-to-have,” that’s an absolutely critical part of the job. Having experience on your specific scheduling software is nice and all, but if you don’t have a manager who gets along with your restaurant staff, you won’t have an effective restaurant.

So, what should you look for in this question and answer series? Simply put, it’s this: flexibility. Because no two people are alike, a manager will have to understand how to handle different people in different ways. This is true in management of any variety, but it’s especially true in the restaurant industry, where the right touch can be the difference between satisfied and unsatisfied staff.

Yelp can Help

If you’re reading this article, you’re likely on the lookout for an amazing manager. That’s great—that means you’re making strides in your restaurant and genuinely care about the direction your staff is under.

Another great way to help your staff besides hiring talented managers is to give your staff the tools they need to succeed in this uber-competitive marketplace. These tools are where Yelp Guest Manager comes in to help your business shine.

Ready to upgrade your waitlist and reservation tools? Want to allow your guests to check in without even needing to talk to the host? Reach out to us for a free demo and we’ll be thrilled to show you around. After all, having good software on your side is just like having an additional manager on hand.