- ‘Tell us about yourself. …
- ‘What experience do you have in catering or hospitality? …
- ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses? …
- ‘How do you handle working under pressure? …
- ‘How do you handle difficult customers? …
- ‘How do you work within a team?
In this post, you can reference some of the most common interview questions for a catering staff interview along with appropriate answer samples. If you need more job interview materials, you can reference them at the end of this post.
Catering Interview Questions
6 Caterer Interview Questions and Answers
What are the details of a party you’ve planned, including what you served, how you decorated and guest response?
Catering and party planning have a great deal in common. By asking a caterer candidate to describe a party he or she planned, whether successful or not, you can see where the person put his or her attention and how creative and/or practical his or her focus was. For example, was the food unique and theme-specific or was it economical and easy to make en masse?
What to look for in an answer:
- Creativity in designing event-specific meals and presentations
- Practicality and realistic planning
- The ability to effectively execute on an idea
How would you handle a difficult client or one of his or her guests?
Catering an event always doubles as an audition to cater the next event. The impression you, as the caterer, make with clients and their guests is therefore paramount. If anyone in attendance complains to you or presents you with an issue, solving it must take precedence without interfering with the flow of the event. This takes a careful balance of planning, coordination and communication.
What to look for in an answer:
- Listening and communication abilities
- Quick-thinking and creative problem-solving skills
- Patience, courteousness and compassion for others
What experience have you had in the field of hospitality?
Catering is primarily a hospitality job. From the taste of the food to its presentation, the success of a caterer is wholly dependent on the guests’ experience. If a candidate hasn’t worked in food service, in particular, it helps if he or she at least has some customer service experience. This lets you know a candidate understands how to put the customer’s needs first.
What to look for in an answer:
- Experience serving and dealing with customers
- A desire to serve others and a willingness to put others’ needs first
- An amiable and engaging demeanor
How do you handle high-pressure situations and deal with on-the-job stress?
Catering involves intense planning and the coordination of many moving parts. You must meet many deadlines before the event and, at the event, spend hours on your feet ensuring that everything goes right. Throughout the event, various unforeseen things can crop up at any point. How a caterer candidate navigates these unavoidable pressures and manages his or her stress levels is a major measure of their suitability for the job.
What to look for in an answer:
- Ability to manage stress and stay focused and organized
- Calm and poised demeanor
- Experience in high-pressure situations
What is your food handling experience, including preparation, serving, storing and cleanup?
Handling food is not like handling other products, as there are certain health and safety considerations to keep in mind at all times. All food service workers, including caterers, are required to abide by local, state and federal government food safety and public health guidelines, including wearing protective clothing like hair nets and storing food properly to prevent spoilage and contamination.
What to look for in an answer:
- Awareness of public health and food safety guidelines
- Commitment to maintaining a clean and sanitary environment
- Personal health and hygiene
Tell me about your knowledge of food handling.
Caterers must be knowledgeable about every aspect of food handling, including following and enforcing food safety and public health regulations. Interviewers use this question to determine how well a caterer candidate understands and follows health and food safety guidelines. A skilled caterer candidate’s answer should demonstrate in-depth knowledge of food handling practices to prevent food poisoning and ensure guests get an excellent dining experience at events.
A candidate’s answer should emphasize:
- Knowledge of food health and safety guidelines
- Use of protective gear
- How to prepare food to deliver superior guest experience
An answer to this question could look like this:
Can you describe emerging trends you’ve noticed in event catering?
Highlights industry knowledge and also potential weaknesses.
Tell me about a time when you handled a customer complaint. What happened?
Demonstrates interpersonal and problem-solving skills and reveals whether the candidate has a customer-oriented approach.
Interview Questions for Catering Managers:
Determines whether the candidate’s knowledge and experience match the job requirements and also reveals potential weaknesses.
Why did you decide to apply for this position with us?
Let’s be honest. No little kid dreams of working as a caterer. Owners of catering businesses and interviewers are not naive. You should not try to convince them of something that’s highly unlikely. Therefor I suggest you to be honest, but at the same time find something positive about the vacancy.
Perhaps you want to run your own catering business one day. Or you try to gain some experience, to have something you can put on your resume. It will make your situation easier when applying for other jobs in the future.
Or, in this stage of your professional career, or in the particular life situation you experience right now, it suits you perfectly to work in events and conferences, to perhaps work in the evening or in the night, or on weekends, while you study during the day, or have another job, or take care of other commitments.
What’s more, you like food, and believe to have the skills to be a decent caterer–attention to detail, organizational skills, communication skills, etc.
What field experience do you have for a CATERING STAFF POSITION?
Answer tips
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.
If you are being asked this question from your employer then you can explain your experience. Tell the employer what responsibilities you were performing during your job. You can tell what programs you developed and what modules you worked on. What were your achievements regarding different programs.
Answer sample
I have been working with computers since 2001. I also have a degree in network support/computer repair. I have built my last 3 computers, have work with Dell as an employee. So I have around 15 years experience working with computers.
Tell me about your ability to work under pressure?
Answer tips
You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an example that relates to the type of position applied for. Mention routine pressure you face, such as dealing with deadlines on a regular basis. Try not to use an example where you created the pressure yourself, by waiting too long to start something, or by handling a task irresponsibly at the beginning. For example, working under pressure to meet a customer’s deadline could be a good example, but not if you had waited too long to start the project. Answer samples
“Pressure is actually a catalyst to my work. When there is an imperative deadline, I refocus my energy into my work which in fact, has helped me to produce some of my best works. (Give examples) I guess you can say I thrive under pressure.”
FAQ
What questions are asked in a catering interview?
- What experience have you had in the field of hospitality? …
- How do you handle high-pressure situations and deal with on-the-job stress? …
- How would you handle a difficult client or one of his or her guests?
Why are you interested in catering?
What are the skills of a caterer?
Strong leadership and supervisory skills. Knowledge of dietary restrictions and the ability to come up with menus accordingly. Understanding of safe food handling policies and procedures. Excellent communication skills for conversing with clients, guests and employees.
What are food interview questions?
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why do you want to work in the restaurant industry?
- Do you have any prior experience in the restaurant industry?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- What hours are you available to work?
- Why our restaurant?
