Asking the Right Restaurant Cook Interview Questions: A Guide for Hiring Managers

Finding a reliable and skilled prep cook can be challenging. This person is in charge of some of the most important tasks in the kitchen and making sure the restaurant runs smoothly.

From the experience of assisting hundreds of restaurants, we’ve compiled these interview questions divided into five distinct categories.

As a restaurant hiring manager, finding cooks with the perfect blend of culinary talent, technical skills, and teamwork is crucial yet challenging. Asking insightful interview questions allows you to thoroughly evaluate candidates beyond just their resumes.

This comprehensive guide will explore the most effective restaurant cook interview questions to ask. We’ll cover key topics like training techniques food safety knowledge, handling pressure, and more. Read on to learn how to craft interview questions that give cook applicants the chance to prove they have that secret sauce!

Why Ask the Right Interview Questions?

Thoughtfully designed cook interview questions reveal vital insights, including:

Culinary Expertise What cuisine styles, dishes, and cooking methods are they fluent in?
Technical Skills: How well do they know important skills like how to use a knife or keep the temperature stable?
Food Safety: Do they know about health codes, cleanliness, avoiding cross-contamination, and allergen rules?
Teamwork: Do they collaborate smoothly with co-workers and accept constructive feedback?
Problem Solving: Can they think on their feet, improvise, and salvage dishes or resolve conflicts?
Passion: Do they genuinely love cooking and take pride in their work?
Work Ethic: Will they hustle in a fast-paced kitchen yet meticulously prepare each dish?

Asking the right questions helps reveal all of these vital traits and more in your cook applicants.

Effective Restaurant Cook Interview Questions to Ask

Now let’s explore examples of specific cook interview questions that will uncover if applicants have that winning recipe to excel at your restaurant.

Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions encourage the candidate to speak extensively, revealing key insights into their experience, skills, and personality.

What first sparked your passion for cooking and made you pursue it as a career?
Walk me through your culinary training and experience. What styles of cuisine and cooking techniques are you most confident in?
Describe your approach to simultaneously preparing multiple dishes with different cooking times during a busy service.
What are the most important safety and sanitation practices kitchen staff should follow?

Technical Questions

These questions directly assess their core cooking knowledge and mastery of culinary fundamentals.

Please explain proper knife skills, cuts, and how to hold/use knives safely.
How do you tell when meat is cooked to the proper temperature?
What does cooking something “al dente” mean?
How do you balance seasoning a dish perfectly and adjusting flavor profiles?
Describe how to make a roux and what it’s used for.

Scenario-Based Questions

These “what if” situational questions evaluate their problem-solving abilities.

If you noticed another cook violating food safety protocols, how would you handle it?
How would you adjust if we were short-staffed before a busy dinner service?
If a customer had a complaint about an undercooked or over-seasoned dish, what steps would you take?
You’ve run out of an ingredient for your signature dish an hour before service. What do you do?
If the oven breaks down mid-service, how can you adapt to get dishes to the dining room on time?

Culture Fit Questions

Assess if they’ll thrive within your work environment and team dynamics.

How would you encourage teamwork between kitchen staff during a stressful service?
Tell me about a time you had to collaborate closely with co-workers to get orders out quickly and correctly.
This role requires lifting heavy boxes, standing for hours, and repeating motions – are you comfortable with these physical demands?
Our kitchen aims for excellence but also values positive energy and fun. Do you feel you’d enjoy this work culture?

Tailoring Questions by Cook Role

While the examples above apply broadly, you may also tailor questions based on the specific cook position you’re hiring for:

Prep Cook Interview Questions

Describe your approach to prepping ingredients – how do you stay organized?
How do you ensure prep lists are comprehensive and completed on schedule?
How do you prevent cross-contamination when prepping meats, produce, and other ingredients?

Line Cook Interview Questions

How do you stay energized and focused when cooking back-to-back services?
Give examples of how you modify dishes to accommodate allergies or preferences on the fly during service.
How do you keep your cool in a fast-paced kitchen when orders pile up?

Sous Chef Interview Questions

How would you gather kitchen staff feedback to improve service or morale?
How have you motivated and mentored junior cooks to elevate their skills?
Describe your strategies for quality control and consistency across all dishes.

Best Practices for Conducting Cook Interviews

Follow these tips to get the most insightful responses from your cook applicants:

Ask Follow-Up Questions: Don’t move on too quickly – dive deeper into their answers to uncover red flags or lacking experience.
Probe for Examples: Ask for specific stories to illustrate their skills versus vague claims about strengths.
Incorporate Role Play: Have them demonstrate knife skills or dish flavor balancing techniques.
Encourage Questions: This shows their engagement and gives insights into their priorities.
Conclude with Culture Fit: End by assessing if they seem an ideal match for your restaurant’s kitchen culture.

Sample Restaurant Cook Interview Questions and Answers

Here are examples of stellar responses to common restaurant cook interview questions:

Q: What culinary skills are your strongest assets?

A: I’m extremely confident in fundamental French techniques like proper sauce making. For example, I excel at emulsified sauces from beurre blanc to Hollandaise, using the right ratios of butter and gradual seasoning to achieve the ideal smooth, creamy texture and balanced flavor. My knife skills are another strength – I can uniformly julienne a pound of vegetables or debone poultry efficiently. I also have extensive experience properly resting and slicing beef wellington and other complex entrees.

Q: A customer complains that their steak is overcooked. How do you respond?

A: First, I sincerely apologize and notify the manager. I’d ask the server to determine whether the customer would prefer a remake or a different dish on us. If they want it remade, I’d have the grill cook prepare a fresh one, making sure to validate the temperature after cooking. I’d quality check it myself before sending it out. I’d also like to invite the customer to provide direct feedback so I can continue improving.

Q: How do you handle the pressure of a chaotic Saturday night service?

A: Staying cool under pressure is key in any kitchen. When multiple orders come in, I take a deep breath and tackle one task at a time, prioritizing by cooking time. I ask for help restocking ingredients or plating if needed; teamwork is crucial. No matter how slammed the kitchen gets, I focus on every detail – seasoning properly, monitoring doneness, adding the right garnishes. At the end of service, I reset my station and reflect on successes and areas I can improve next time. The busier service is, the more important it is to work clean, stay organized, and communicate clearly with co-workers.

Asking intelligent, strategic interview questions makes it exponentially easier to identify cooks who are the right match for your restaurant’s kitchen. Use this guide to shape questions that reveal their culinary vision, technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, passion, and team player attitude. Find cooks who thrive under pressure while turning out amazing dishes. With preparation and practice, your next exceptional hire is right around the corner. So don your chef’s coat, grab your notebook, and get ready to grill candidates until you find just the chef your kitchen needs!

Interview Questions Focused on Soft Skills

How do you deal with disagreements with your team? For example: “I believe in open communication.” If I don’t agree with someone, I talk to them about it and try to find a middle ground. ”.
Tell me about a time when you helped a coworker who was having a bad shift. One time, a coworker was overloaded with work, so I offered to help him with some of his preparations to make sure service didn’t suffer. ”.
What keeps you going during long or hard shifts? For example: “Thinking about the guests and their dining experience keeps me going.” I also rely on the camaraderie of the kitchen team. ”.
How do you make sure you fit in well with a new kitchen team? For example: “I take the time to get to know everyone, learn how things work, and stay open to feedback and learning.” ”.
When you’ve done something wrong, how do you deal with it?
How do you make sure you keep a good attitude even when things get tough?
Tell me about a time when you were in charge in the kitchen.
How do you handle receiving multiple tasks at once?
How do you manage stress in the kitchen?
Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond in your job as a prep cook.

Questions About Experience and Background

Describe your most recent experience as a prep cook. “I recently worked at an Italian bistro where I made fresh pasta every day, kept track of the ingredients, and helped with meals for special events.” ”.
What was the hardest dish or preparation you’ve ever done? For example: “I once had to make a delicate fish tartare dish that required accuracy and knowledge of the ingredients.” ”.
What do you do to keep boring tasks interesting? For example: “I focus on the end result and think about how happy our guests will be when they eat the meals I made.” ”.
Can you describe a time when you had to act quickly in the kitchen? Example answer: “Once, our delivery was late, so I had to make do with the ingredients we had on hand to make sure we didn’t run out of popular menu items.” ”.
Which kitchen tools or equipment do you feel most comfortable using? For example: “I’m good with knives and have used different types of kitchen equipment, like mixers and blenders.” ”.
How do you deal with people who want to change or substitute something in a recipe?
Which cuisines or types of food do you know the most about?
Tell me about a time when you made a process better in your old kitchen.
What have you done in the past to help keep food from going to waste?
What was the most important piece of feedback you got, and how did it change the way you did your work?

Assistant Cook Interview Questions And Answers

FAQ

How to pass a cook interview?

Highlight the cooking techniques you excel in and briefly explain how you use them to elevate your dishes. Mention specific techniques, such as sautéing, braising, grilling, or pastry-making, and provide examples of dishes where you’ve showcased these techniques.

Why should I hire you as a cook?

You want to hear that they are passionate about the job and that they have a desire to work in the culinary arts field. Sample Answer: I am passionate about cooking and serving great food. I have a desire to work with people and help them enjoy their dining experience.

What should I cook for a cooking interview?

Some chefs give their candidates a mystery basket, some expect them to come in prepared to cook a favorite dish or two, and others—especially old-school chefs—ask for a simple preparation on the fly, such as an omelet or a sauteed fish fillet.