One “Big” Interview Question For A Restaurant Manager Position And How To Answer It}

Submitted by: Gail Wise

Great, your resume has got you the interview for the restaurant manager position you want so NOW its time to prepare your responses to at least one of tougher questions you might be asked in your hospitality job interview.

Hospitality job interviewers often ask you a lot of different questions during the interview process in order to ascertain whether youre qualified for the position youre interviewing for.

One of the biggies that interviewers often ask a hospitality job candidate

is: What do you feel are your strengths and weaknesses.

Or what they are really asking you is what skills or attributes makes you a good fit for the job of restaurant manager and what about you may hinder you from giving them your best job performance

Were going to give you some possible responses to that question but be aware that these answers are only guidelines for possible responses.

You should take the time to evaluate what answers honestly work for you and adapt your responses appropriately.

Lets imagine that youre at the interview and youre asked the question What are your strengths and weaknesses as a restaurant manager.

And your possible responses could be:

My strengths:

Guest Service: I thoroughly enjoy talking with the guests at my present position at XYZ Restaurant and take pride in my ability to make them feel relaxed and comfortable when they visit. Guests appreciate a manager taking the time to stop and ask them about their visit or how they enjoyed the food or inquiring about their family.

Multi-tasker: A good supervisor or manager has to be able to multi-task.

What I mean by this is you have to have the ability to see the whole restaurant at once and then be able to prioritize on the fly what you should focus on at that particular moment to make the restaurant run as efficiently as possible. This I feel I do very well.

Anticipate Problems: Rather than waiting for a fire to develop and then try put it out I try to anticipate any potential problems. For example if it the restaurant has an influx of guests I go to the kitchen and immediately alert the kitchen staff to prepare for a rush.

Or in walking through the dining room and speaking with guests I can see if a guest needs something or seems upset for some reason.

Calm amid Chaos: In any restaurant problems arise, guests might be unhappy because they feel the food is taking too long to come out of the kitchen etc. It is important for a supervisor or manager to remain calm no matter what is going on around them. If the supervisor or managers remain calm it can steady the employees so they handle the situation better. This I also think I do well.

Experience: I have worked in the restaurant industry for some time have had held various positions such as bartender, catering manager, server, and restaurant manager and therefore have a good working knowledge of many different aspects of the restaurant business.

I have also worked with many restaurant managers some really great at their jobs and some not so good. This has given me a better idea of what makes a great restaurant manager.

Employee Relationships: I try to create an environment for employees where they feel they can talk to me and I will listen.

I treat all the employees with respect and I feel I am respected in return. I dont put myself on a pedestal and I am not adverse to cleaning a table if a guest needs the table, or helping a server set up the restaurant if they are a little behind. I believe the employees appreciate that and work perhaps a little harder than they might normally.

My Weaknesses:

Perfectionism: No matter what job I do I always work hard to do the very best job I can. Unfortunately this causes me to sometimes take criticism too personally; rather than to see criticism as constructive and only as advice on how to do my job a little better.

Taking Work Seriously: Although I do take my work very seriously I think it may appear to others as though I dont because I like to enjoy my work and am a gregarious person. I think I may be perceived by some as not being serious enough and therefore not capable of a high level of responsibility.

Conflict: I do not like personal confrontation when it is aggressive and will sometimes avoid this kind of situation when it should be dealt with. I sometimes have a difficult time saying what needs to be said in a way positive and constructive way.

Relationships at Work: I have worked at my present position for four years and have become work friends with some of the employees. Although I do attempt in my job as manager to make sure everyone follows the rules and regulations; my “work” friendships could be perceived by some as a hindrance to me being a fair and effective manager.

*As a side note another question you might be asked at your interview is what you would like to or need to learn more about to become an even more effective restaurant manager. Some possible responses could be

1. Better working knowledge of (BOH) back of the house operations

2. Better working knowledge of food and labor costs and how to analyze this knowledge to make the restaurant more profitable.

Remember preparation is the key to a successful hospitality job interview.

The responses we provided to this one big interview question is just a guide from which to create your own responses.

Interviewers expect honesty so take time to think about what makes YOU a good manager and what qualities and skills you have that will make you an asset for the company.

About the Author: G Wise is a regular article contributor to Hospitality Jobs LA.

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