- Why do you want to work in a cafeteria?
- What motivates you to do a good job in this role?
- How do you balance working alone with operating within a team?
- Between preparing and serving food, which do you prefer the most and why?
- What is your favorite part of the job?
You can never be sure of what questions you will be asked during an interview for the cafeteria worker position.
But there is an excellent chance that you will be asked what you prepare for – that is, if you prepare well.
When you go through the cafeteria worker job description, you find out so many things that you were unaware of earlier. This contributes to your interview preparation.
Top 20 School Cafeteria Worker Interview Questions and Answers for 2022
Why do you want to work in a school cafeteria?
Let’s be honest. No children dream of working in a school cafeteria once they grow up. Most workers in cafeterias earn minimum wage, and that’s why people dream of other careers. Having said that, the job has actually some advantages. For example, you will end your day early, the stress levels are low, and you will have some contact with young people–which is always nice.
You can refer to these things in your answer. Say that the working hours suit you, or the type of work (considering your previous experience), or basically that in this stage of your professional career, you are looking for a stable job with low stress levels. The key is to find something positive on the job. They shouldn’t get an impression that you apply only because you have to, because you cannot get a better job at the moment.
Can you tell us more about your previous working experience?
If you’ve done a lot of things before, which is often the case with cafeteria workers, you do not need to mention everything. Pick just two or three most relevant roles. Job of a kitchen helper, cook, assistant cook, cleaner, or any other position you had in the kitchen, restaurant, hotel, or a similar facility.
You should show confidence in your ability to handle the job–regardless of your level of experience. If this is your first job application, you can mention at least experience from school, or from home (cooking, cleaning, etc). At the end of the day, this isn’t a difficult job, and you can learn to take care of your duties directly on the job.
I believe that there is a high similarity between these two roles. Apart from the fact that waiters working in restaurants do not handle food preparation duties, the work is more or less the same. Although, I believe that if one does have some food preparation experience, it only adds to one’s appeal when being hired as a waiter, as one may have a chance to diversify one’s skills!
I was once working in a school cafeteria, which had strict rules for food preparation since all customers were children. Some ingredients such as peanuts were not allowed in the vicinity of the cafeteria because many children had peanut allergies. A new cook, however, was either not made aware of this rule or forgot, and created the soup with peanuts crushed in it. A child with a peanut allergy started having breathing problems immediately after drinking it. Putting two and two together, I immediately rushed to him and provided CPR, saving his life.
You can never be sure of what questions you will be asked during an interview for the cafeteria worker position.
When you go through the cafeteria worker job description, you find out so many things that you were unaware of earlier. This contributes to your interview preparation.
But there is an excellent chance that you will be asked what you prepare for – that is, if you prepare well.
What are the Roles of a School Cafeteria Worker?
The interviewer is interested in knowing whether you are aware of what roles a school cafeteria worker does. Go ahead and list the duties and responsibilities you expect to handle.
Sample Answer
“A worker in this role is responsible for arranging and serving meals, cleaning utensils and equipment. They also assist the students and staff in making meal choices. They also collect payments for the food served to complete the transactions. They work in close collaboration with other team members to deliver a great customer experience.”
FAQ
What makes a good cafeteria worker?
What is the role of cafeteria worker in school?
What are cafeteria questions?
What questions will I be asked in an interview for a lunchtime supervisor?
- Do you have experience working with students?
- Tell me about your education.
- Are you interested in teaching?
- Have you worked in a lunchroom before?
- Do you have any childcare experience?
- How have your past positions prepared you for this role?
- Tell me about your last job.
