Waiter Or Waitress Interview Preparation Guide

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Because I focus on making customers happy, I can get quite stressed. I understand you can't make every customer happy but I want to show I'm good at my job.

You need to be careful with this question. Being too honest can dash all hopes of you getting the job.

Interviewers in restaurants need to hear that you are comfortable upselling. Tell the interviewer that you might offer each table the opportunity to buy dessert or an after dinner drink. Mention that you might ask if appetizers are of interest. And, if the restaurant offers the same plate in two portion sizes, state that you would ask the customer if they would like to order the next size up for a small increase in price.

This is a question that is almost sure to be asked! Think about something that you would like to improve upon, but something that is not detrimental to you getting the job. This is actually a great time to showcase your talents. Talk about past work experiences where you have had trouble and how you have learned and grown from them.

A great example would be talking about how you have had trouble disseminating work amongst your peers in the past, but have now learned how important trust and teamwork are in the workplace. Make sure that you are able to recall a specific example of this in order to show the interviewer that you aren’t simply making up an answer that you think they would want to hear.

Actually, it was a really fun work environment. A bunch of people worked there that I knew, and we just had a good time every day.

I think my greatest strength would be my experience, I've worked as a waitress for three years and I'm used to working independently and part as a team.

This question is a popular question for most types of interviews. It's the kind of question, an interviewer asks to see if you're well suited for the job. To give the best answer you need to make it relevant to your job.

We recommend reviewing the restaurant website before arriving at your interview to review their wine menu options. Popular responses to this question might include the house wine or any specials that are currently being offered. The interviewer wants to hear that you have some knowledge of wine and is not seeking one specific response, so feel free to share your wine of choice along with what menu item you would pair it with.

This question is to find out how can one handle hard situations. This will reveal the capability of a candidate. You should not hint them that you are arrogant and impatient. Only tell them the story in which you played a good role.

Put yourself with a story which gist with an excellent potential skills that will tell the interviewer how you handled the customer.

This shows whether the candidate is eligible to land this job. The answer should be very impressive.

You can answer like “I will always try not to get negative feedback, but if I get one, will take it in a positive manner. I would always ask my customer for feedback which is very important to develop myself. It will try to analyze my mistake so that I will improve my waitress skills while facing my next customer.”

This is a great restaurant interview question, especially when hiring a server or bartender! The ability to build a relationship with guests throughout their experience can make the difference between a one-and-done guest or a loyal advocate for your establishment. Having interests outside of work is essential for making small talk, as well as maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Any of us who have worked in F&B can attest to how easy it is to burn out when your job is to make others happy!

There will be a reason behind every action. So prepare yourself why did you choose this field and answer the interviewer smartly.

Do not say that you do not have any option so you have come to this interview. Highlight the importance of serving the customers. How passionate you were towards hotel management and serving. Let them know how important it is for you to land this job.

☛ What made you want to work in the restaurant industry?
☛ Do you have any food allergies?
☛ Tell me about a time you gave excellent customer service.
☛ Tell me about a time you made a customer service mistake.
☛ What do you think are the most important qualities in a server?
☛ What made you apply here compared to other restaurants?
☛ Are you comfortable working in a fast paced, demanding environment?
☛ Are there any people you refuse to serve?
☛ How would you deal with a demanding customer?
☛ How do you feel about a customer that doesn’t leave a big tip?
☛ How do you feel about sharing tips/tip sharing?
☛ What are your career goals and how long do you plan on staying?
☛ What hours are you available to work?
☛ Do you have any mnemonic tools you use to remember orders?
☛ Do you consider yourself a patient person?
☛ Have you dined at our establishment before?

☛ What is your experience with customer service and how does that relate to this position?
☛ Describe your last dining experience and how it could 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 outcome?
☛ What would you if your customer tried to combine some special offers that can’t be combined?
☛ How do you stay organized while taking orders?
☛ How would you rate your upselling skills?
☛ How would you handle getting a bad tip?
☛ What would you do if your car broke down on the way to work?
☛ Recall a time a team member wasn’t doing their share of the work. How did you handle it?
☛ What are your feelings on tip sharing?
☛ Have you dined with us before? What do you think we could do better?

☛ Tell me about yourself
☛ Why should we hire you?
☛ Why do you want this job?
☛ What is your greatest strength?
☛ What is your greatest weakness?
☛ What are your salary expectations?
☛ What motivates you?
☛ Give some examples of teamwork
☛ Describe a difficult work situation project and how you overcame it
☛ What can you contribute to this company?

It’s a given that the candidates probably don’t know the policy when it comes to special offers at your restaurant, and you may not even have offers in the first place! The “correct” answer lies in their reaction. Do they clam up, get nervous? Or do they stay calm and keep a smile on their face?

One of the first questions you will likely be asked when you are being interviewed for a position as a waiter or waitress is whether or not you have any previous experience. Since you will be required to perform a variety of tasks which include taking orders, delivering orders, prepping workstations, handing disgruntled customers and even handling money, most employers prefer experienced wait staff. If you have experience, simply provide this information. If you do not, a statement such as, “While I don’t have formal experience, I enjoy working with people and I learn very quickly” should suffice.

This question actually will be helpful for the candidate, this is a chance to impress the employer. It will be an addition if you had experience in having some food at their restaurant so that you can share your good experience how you enjoyed it.

You may answer like this “I am a food lover, and enjoy serving food at home. So this is the best place where I can show my talent, I heard a lot about this restaurant its pretty famous in the town so I will be privileged if provided to work with your organization. This will really help for my career growth. I am happy to attend the interview for this prestigious hotel.”

This is your opportunity to show the interviewer that you are wise and do not allow these unplanned situations to get the best of you. Start off by telling the interviewer that you would assess how much time you have until your shift starts. Taking into account this amount of time, you would call/text a couple of friends or family members to see if they could get you to work on time. If they are unavailable, you would call for a cab, take city transportation, or walk depending on how far away you are. Finally, be sure to mention that you would call the restaurant to let them know what happened if you will be arriving a few minutes late due to the setback.

I have experience working in another restaurant, I worked busy shifts and I'm used to serving large parties. From my experience I feel comfortable talking to customers.

Perhaps one of the biggest deal breakers. Not many managers want newbies working in their restaurant - that's why it can be so hard to get experience. Make sure you have some work experience on your CV.

Most probably the employer might try to get some negative opinion from a candidate about his / her previous job experience. But the way of handling such question would be that when a candidate is approached by such question then he / she needs to project the positive side of his / her previous job.

And also have to keep in mind that a candidate needs to present only positive side of the restaurant or company even if they are no longer working in that particular restaurant or company.

What are you good at and how does that make you a great match for this job? Multitasking is something that you will have to be able to do in order to be a waitress and is something that can be easily tied into multiple situations. Think of a time where you have had to multitask in the past and how you were able to successfully accomplish all tasks. This question will allow for you to talk about how past experiences will help you succeed in this job. Other possible examples include:

☛ Great customer service
☛ Excellent listener
☛ Reliable
☛ Incredible communication skills
☛ Team player
☛ Dependable

Most waiters and waitresses do not have any degrees or certificates that are specific to their fields. Thus, if you are able to obtain any certifications such as those in food handling or even a certificate in foodservice, you will be a much more valuable asset to your employer. “I earned the Oregon State Food Handing Certification in 2013 and I took a six-week course in proper foodservice techniques in 2015” would be a great reply. You should bring any certificates with you to the interview and present them when this question arises.

The answer should be positive otherwise it will lead to disqualify you for not being flexible. It should be something like

“Yes I am ready to serve the organization whenever they need my help.

Sometimes the restaurant may be houseful with crowd and short of staff. Then I will be always there to work hard for the success of the restaurant.

The dictionary defines hospitality as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.” A great candidate will sum this up in their own words, giving you a warm and fuzzy feeling.

As with any business, restaurant patrons will sometimes have complaints and it will likely be your responsibility to resolve them. Perhaps a steak was underdone; perhaps another member of the wait staff was rude or unkind to the customer. Whether or not the example you can provide is directly related to the restaurant business is often irrelevant. For example, “When I worked in retail sales, I once assisted a woman who had purchased a defective product. Although she had to go through the manufacturer for a replacement which made the process difficult, I walked her through it each step of the way to achieve a resolution” is a perfect answer.

Waitressing gives me the opportunity to learn on my feet and I get to serve different customers. As there are new people in the restaurant every day, it means every day is different.

Interviewers want to see you have passion for the job. Use this opportunity to show why you applied for a waitressing job rather than an office vacancy.