Interviewing at Toast, the leading restaurant management platform, is an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to join a high-growth tech company. However, Toast’s rigorous hiring process can also be intimidating. As someone who has gone through the process, I want to share my tips to help you ace your Toast interview.
Research the Company Thoroughly
Toast values candidates who understand their business and mission. Before your interview, thoroughly explore Toast’s website, blog, news coverage, Glassdoor, and social media channels. Understand their products, customers, culture, and values. Know Toast’s origin story and how they have grown over the years. This research will help you engage more meaningfully with your interviewers.
Expect a Rigorous Process
Toast’s interview process typically involves:
- Initial phone screen with recruiter
- Technical/coding challenge (for some roles)
- 4-5 rounds of interviews (mix of technical and behavioral)
- Reference checks
It can take 4-6 weeks from initial recruiter screen to offer, The key is staying patient and focused,
Most Common Toast Interview Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions during Toast interviews with tips to ace your answers:
Tell me about yourself
This open-ended question is often used to kick-off interviews. Structure your answer by highlighting your:
- Background (education, experience)
- Skills/expertise
- Motivations/passions
- Alignment with Toast’s mission
Keep it concise – 2-3 mins max.
Why do you want to work at Toast?
Show your passion for Toast’s mission of empowering the restaurant industry through technology Talk about specific aspects of their culture or values that resonate with you, Share how your skills would enable you to contribute
How would you design a restaurant point-of-sale system?
For technical roles, expect questions testing your technical knowledge. Explain your approach focusing on:
- User needs
- Key features
- Technical architecture
- Security considerations
Discuss technologies/frameworks you would use and why.
Tell me about a time you overcame a challenges on a project
Behavioral questions assess your past behavior and performance. Use the STAR method – Situation, Task, Action, Result – to structure your answers. Provide specific examples highlighting your problem-solving skills and resilience.
How do you prioritize tasks when everything is high priority?
Toast cares about your work ethic and time management abilities. Share how you prioritize effectively, communicate with stakeholders, focus on the most critical tasks, and deliver quality work on time. Provide examples of when your prioritization helped you meet tight deadlines.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Don’t just focus on titles or promotions. Share your passion for the work itself and eagerness to take on more responsibility over time. Emphasize learning and developing new skills. Show that you’re thinking long-term and aim for career growth.
Ace the Coding Challenges
For engineering roles, expect an intensive coding challenge assessing your skills on:
- Programming languages like React, Python, Java
- Data structures and algorithms
- System design and architecture
Brush up on CS fundamentals. Practice on platforms like LeetCode. Ask your recruiter for examples of previous challenges so you can prepare accordingly.
Ask Smart Questions
Toast wants candidates who are truly excited to join the company. Ask thoughtful questions that show your passion for the mission and genuine interest in the team/role. For example:
- How will my work contribute to Toast’s growth plans in 2022?
- What are the main challenges facing your engineering team right now?
- What opportunities are there for professional development and mentorship?
Avoid questions focused solely around compensation and benefits.
Follow Up Proactively
Don’t go silent after your interviews. Send thank you notes to your interviewers highlighting your interest in the role. If the process is moving slower than expected, politely check in with your recruiter for an update. However, avoid pestering aggressively.
Persist and Stay Upbeat
The process can be draining with multiple long interviews. But persist and maintain a positive attitude throughout. You want every interviewer to walk away excited about you. The offer will feel worth it once you land your dream job at this unicorn!
With these tips, you can tackle your Toast interview with confidence. Do your research, practice extensively, showcase your passion, and be your authentic self. You got this! As a Toaster myself, I’m excited to welcome you to the team soon.
Learn more about Sales at Toast
FAQ
Why do you want to work for toast?
What is a smart question to ask the interviewer?
What is the #1 question asked on a phone interview?
How hard is the interview process at Toast?
Focus on your restaurant knowledge and be confident. Best of luck. Coming up on my 1 year here at Toast as an AE and loving it. The overall interview process is pretty rigorous, but worth it. Toast offers one of the best company cultures and Product out there.
What is a first round interview on toast?
First round interview was with an engineer on Toast and was a LC medium problem. Asked questioned regarding Toast and projects the interviewer is working on. 3. Made it to onsite. Onsite round consists of four rounds. First round was coding round which is not LC problem but related with problems Toast is trying to solve.
What’s the experience like at Toast?
Of the more than 15 companies I interviewed with, the experience at Toast was one of the best. The Toast recruiter was very communicative and engaged throughout the entire process. They were clear on what’s unique with their culture, what to expect at each phase, and their questions for each panelist were well thought through and prepared.
Is toast a good company?
The platform is great, and the company culture is top of the line. As noted, definitely some things to improve on, but all in all, it’s one of the better companies I’ve worked for. Focus on your restaurant knowledge and be confident. Best of luck. Coming up on my 1 year here at Toast as an AE and loving it.
