Common hospitality interview questions
For bar staff, waiting staff, baristas, kitchen teams and supervisors. The questions managers ask, what they listen for and how to answer.
- 13 common questions
- What they want to hear
- What to avoid
What a hospitality interview is like
Hospitality interviews are often short and informal: a chat with the manager or head chef at a quiet time of day, sometimes on the day you hand in your CV. Many venues then offer a trial shift, so they can see how you work during a real service, and kitchens may ask you to cook a dish or work a section for a few hours.
Managers want to know three things: will you be friendly with guests, can you keep up when it is busy, and will you turn up. Have a short example ready for each, know your availability exactly and read the menu before you go.
The answers below are structures with made-up detail, to show the shape of a good answer. Use your own real examples and your own words.
Hospitality interview questions and answers
Questions marked STAR want a real example: the situation, your task, the action you took and the result. For the others, follow the steps. Keep each answer to about two minutes.
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Motivation
Why do you want to work here?
What they want to hear
That you know the venue: the style of service, the menu or drinks list and the kind of guests it gets.
Avoid
Saying you have never been in, or that you just need any job near home.
How to answer
- Start with
- Something specific you like, for example the seasonal menu or the busy weekend brunch trade.
- Then
- Link it to your experience: "I have worked a busy café counter, so I am used to queues out of the door."
- Finish with
- What you would bring: speed, a friendly welcome, coffee or cocktail skills.
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CustomerSTAR
Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult guest.
What they want to hear
That you stay polite and calm, put the problem right where you can and bring in your supervisor when needed.
Avoid
Arguing with the guest, or a story where you handed out free food or drinks without asking.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- A table complained loudly that their mains were taking too long on a full Saturday night.
- Task
- Calm things down and keep the rest of their meal on track.
- Action
- Apologised, checked with the pass for an exact time, kept them updated and asked my manager whether we could offer them a round of drinks.
- Result
- They stayed for dessert and left a good tip, and my manager mentioned it at the next team briefing.
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Food safety
A guest tells you they have a nut allergy. What do you do?
What they want to hear
That you take allergies seriously and follow the venue’s process every time: never guess, always check.
Avoid
Saying "I think it’s fine" or relying on memory. If you are not sure, say so and check.
How to answer
- First
- Note the allergy clearly on the order and tell the kitchen directly, not only on the ticket.
- Then
- Use the venue’s allergen information to check every dish they are interested in, and ask the chef if you are unsure.
- Finish with
- Make sure the right plate reaches the right person, and mention that you know the 14 allergens food businesses must give information about.
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PressureSTAR
How do you cope when it gets really busy?
What they want to hear
Evidence that you stay organised and friendly in a rush: prioritising, talking to the team and keeping standards up.
Avoid
Saying you never get stressed, or that you rush and sort out the mess later.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- A large group arrived at our bar just as a football match finished, on top of the usual crowd.
- Task
- Serve everyone quickly without mistakes on orders or payments.
- Action
- Took orders two at a time, agreed with the other bartender who covered which end of the bar, and kept the glass washer going between rounds.
- Result
- The queue cleared in about twenty minutes, and the till balanced at the end of the night.
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Licensing
What would you do if someone who looks under 25 asks for alcohol?
What they want to hear
That you know Challenge 25, or the venue’s own policy, and will refuse politely if there is no valid ID.
Avoid
Serving because you feel awkward, or because they say they know the manager.
How to answer
- Say
- "I would ask for ID, as the policy requires, however confident the person seems."
- Then
- Check it is an accepted form of ID, such as a passport, a photocard driving licence or a card with the PASS hologram, and that the photo and date of birth match.
- Finish with
- If there is no valid ID, refuse politely, record it if the venue keeps a refusals log, and tell your manager if the person becomes difficult.
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Licensing
What would you do if a customer has clearly had too much to drink?
What they want to hear
That you know you should not serve someone who is drunk, and that you would refuse calmly and involve a manager.
Avoid
Serving "just one more" to avoid an argument, or confronting them in front of other customers.
How to answer
- First
- Stop serving them alcohol, politely and without a scene, and offer water or a soft drink.
- Then
- Tell your manager or supervisor straight away, and let them take over if it escalates.
- Finish with
- Think about their safety, for example by offering to call them a taxi.
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Sales
How would you upsell to a table?
What they want to hear
That you can suggest things naturally, because you know the menu, rather than pushing.
Avoid
Pushy lines, or recommending something you have never tried.
How to answer
- Start with
- Knowing the menu well enough to recommend: "The special tonight is the lamb, and the Malbec goes really well with it."
- Then
- Offer at natural moments: drinks on arrival, sides with mains, dessert or coffee at the end.
- Finish with
- Read the table: a quick working lunch needs a different approach from a birthday party.
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TeamworkSTAR
Tell me about a time you worked well as part of a team.
What they want to hear
That you help colleagues without being asked, talk to each other during service and do your share of the less glamorous jobs.
Avoid
Taking all the credit, or criticising a colleague.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- A colleague phoned in sick before a fully booked Sunday lunch.
- Task
- Cover the extra tables without the service falling apart.
- Action
- Agreed with the supervisor which tables I would take on, helped run food when plates were waiting on the pass and stayed to help close down.
- Result
- Every table was served on time, and the supervisor later asked me to help train the next new starter.
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Food safety
What food hygiene training do you have?
What they want to hear
That you understand the basics: handwashing, temperatures, avoiding cross-contamination, allergens and cleaning as you go.
Avoid
Claiming a certificate you don’t have. Many venues will ask to see it.
How to answer
- Start with
- Any certificate you hold, such as a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate, and when you took it.
- Then
- One or two things you do every shift, such as checking fridge temperatures or using colour-coded chopping boards.
- If you have none yet
- Say you are happy to complete it, and show you already know the basic rules.
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Kitchen
Which sections have you worked, and how do you prepare for service?
What they want to hear
For kitchen roles: your level, the sections you can run on your own and how you organise your prep.
Avoid
Overstating your level. A head chef will find out on the trial shift.
How to answer
- Start with
- Your level and sections: "I am a commis chef, and I run the larder and pastry sections on my own."
- Then
- How you prepare: prep lists, labelling and dating, checking stock levels before service.
- Finish with
- How you work during service: listening for calls from the pass, timings and working with front of house.
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ExperienceSTAR
Tell me about a time you made a mistake on shift.
What they want to hear
Honesty, and what you did to put it right, quickly and without fuss.
Avoid
Hiding the mistake, or blaming the kitchen.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- During a busy lunch I put an order through for the wrong table.
- Task
- Get the right food out fast and keep both tables happy.
- Action
- Told the kitchen straight away, apologised to both tables, offered them drinks while they waited and checked the corrected orders at the pass.
- Result
- Both tables had their food within a few minutes, and I started reading every order back before sending it.
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CustomerSTAR
Tell me about a time you gave a guest a great experience.
What they want to hear
That you notice small things and make guests feel looked after.
Avoid
Long stories with no clear moment where you made the difference.
An example answer, with STAR
- Situation
- A couple mentioned when they arrived that it was their anniversary.
- Task
- Make the evening feel special without making a fuss.
- Action
- Told the kitchen, gave them a quieter table and brought their dessert with a candle and a card signed by the team.
- Result
- They booked their next visit before they left and later wrote a kind review that named the team.
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Practical
What hours can you work?
What they want to hear
Honest, exact availability: evenings, weekends, split shifts and holidays, and any times you cannot do.
Avoid
Saying you can work any time if you can’t. Rotas depend on it.
How to answer
- Start with
- Exactly what you can do: "Every evening from 5pm, and all day Saturday and Sunday."
- Then
- Any fixed limits, said plainly.
- Finish with
- Whether you can pick up extra shifts at busy times, such as December.
Questions to ask them
At the end you will usually be asked if you have any questions. Two or three thoughtful ones show you are serious about the job. Write them down and take them with you.
- What does a typical shift look like here, and how busy do weekends get?
- How do you train new staff on the menu, allergens and the till?
- Would there be a trial shift, and what would I be doing on it?
- Are there chances to learn new skills, such as bar work, coffee or supervising?
Practise out loud with mock interview questions
Answers sound different said out loud. With a free account, our interview prep tool gives you practice questions for a hospitality job, from your CV or the job title alone, with a tip for each one. Each practice set uses one free use.
Hospitality interviews: your questions
What is a trial shift?
A short shift, often a few hours, where you work alongside the team so the manager can see how you get on. Ask beforehand how long it is, what to wear and whether it is paid. Arrive early, be friendly and ask when you are not sure.
What should I wear to a hospitality interview?
Clean, neat and practical: a step smarter than the staff uniform. For a kitchen trial, ask whether to bring chef whites, your own knives and safety shoes.
Do I need experience to get a bar or waiting job?
Not always. Many venues train new staff. Show you are friendly, reliable and quick to learn, with examples from school, sport, volunteering or other jobs. A Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate helps.
What do chefs get asked at interview?
About the sections you can run, food safety, how you prepare for service and how you handle pressure. Many kitchens also ask you to cook a dish or work a trial shift, so expect to show your skills as well as talk about them.
Get the application ready
- Hospitality CV templateThe best designs for a hospitality CV, and what to put on it.
- Hospitality cover letter exampleA full example letter for this job, with what to mention in yours.
- Waiter and Waitress CV exampleA filled-in example CV to borrow structure and wording from.
Interview questions for other jobs: Nurse Healthcare assistant Care worker Teacher Teaching assistant Retail Customer service Administrator Receptionist Accountant Project manager Sales Marketing Software developer Electrician Warehouse Apprenticeship
Ready for the interview?
Pick three or four of these questions, write a few notes for each, and say your answers out loud before the day.