Chef Interview Questions for Hospitality Hiring

Introduction

Hiring the right Chef is critical in hospitality. The Chef shapes menu quality, kitchen efficiency, food safety, and guest experience, all of which drive reputation and revenue.

This guide includes role-specific interview questions for Chefs, from basic to advanced, plus pre-screening one-way video interview questions ideal for early-stage screening on ScreeningHive.

Chef Interview Questions

Basic Chef Interview Questions

• What inspired you to become a Chef?
• How would you describe your culinary style or philosophy?
• What are the key differences between boiling, braising, and poaching?
• How do you ensure food safety and sanitation in a busy kitchen?
• Can you list common food allergens and how you would manage them in service?
• How do you prioritize tasks during a typical service shift?
• What tools or kitchen equipment do you use most often and why?
• How do you stay current with culinary trends and new techniques?

Intermediate Chef Interview Questions

• Describe a time you managed a sudden surge of covers. What steps did you take to maintain quality and timing?
• You need to reduce plate cost by 8 percent without harming guest satisfaction. How would you approach this?
• Explain how you would design a weekly inventory and ordering process to reduce waste.
• A guest reports a severe allergy reaction. Walk me through your immediate actions and follow up.
• How do you scale recipes for a larger service while maintaining consistency?
• Describe a conflict you had with a kitchen team member and how you resolved it.
• How do you train line cooks to plate consistently under pressure?
• Provide an example of a menu change you implemented and the results you achieved.
• How do you handle a supplier issue that affects key ingredients before service?
• Explain your approach to quality control during a multi-station service.

Advanced Chef Interview Questions

• Describe how you would design a kitchen layout to optimize flow and reduce cross-contamination risks.
• Explain a method you use for menu engineering to maximize profitability and guest appeal.
• How do you develop and enforce HACCP plans for multiple outlets or shifts?
• Discuss strategies you have used to control labor costs while maintaining morale and service standards.
• How do you evaluate and onboard new suppliers to ensure consistent ingredient quality and cost efficiency?
• Describe a project where you reduced food waste significantly. What metrics did you use to measure success?
• How do you implement technology or systems to improve kitchen operations and order accuracy?
• Explain your approach to succession planning and developing senior cooks into leadership roles.
• How do you use guest feedback and sales data to iterate on menu items and pricing?
• Describe a time you led a major operational change. How did you gain buy in and measure results?

Pre-Screening Video Interview Questions for Chef

These questions are ideal for one-way video interviews on ScreeningHive. They quickly reveal candidate fit on skills, leadership, and practical problem solving while saving time for hiring teams.

1. What makes you a strong fit for this Chef role?

   This evaluates motivation, communication, and alignment with the role and brand.

2. Describe your most successful menu item and why it worked with guests and operations.

   This reveals menu thinking, guest focus, and ability to balance creativity with practicality.

3. How do you ensure food safety during high-volume service?

   This checks knowledge of food safety procedures, crisis management, and attention to detail.

4. Tell us about a time you improved kitchen efficiency. What specific changes did you make and what were the results?

   This assesses process improvement skills and measurable impact on operations.

5. How do you coach a cook who consistently underperforms during service?

   This evaluates leadership style, coaching ability, and conflict resolution approach.

Conclusion

This set of Chef interview questions helps hiring managers, recruiters, and HR teams evaluate culinary skills, leadership, and operational judgment across experience levels. Candidates can also use the guide to prepare for interviews and one-way video screenings.

ScreeningHive supports efficient, standardized hiring with one-way video interviews that speed up pre-screening, reduce bias, and provide consistent evaluation data to make faster, more confident hiring decisions.