These questions are written for hiring a line cook specifically. Each one includes what you learn from asking it and what a strong answer sounds like.
1. Walk me through how you set up your station before a dinner service.
Why ask it: Shows whether the candidate has real mise en place habits and thinks about the whole night, not just the first ticket.
A strong answer: Describes checking the prep list, stocking and labeling, setting up tools and sanitizer, tasting, and prepping backups for the expected volume.
2. Which stations have you worked, and which one are you strongest on?
Why ask it: Tells you where to schedule them and whether their claimed experience matches the concept.
A strong answer: Names specific stations and gives real details, like what the volume was and what dishes they ran, and is honest about the ones they are still learning.
3. It is Saturday at 7 pm and you are five tickets behind. What do you do?
Why ask it: Reveals how the candidate handles pressure and whether they ask for help or hide it.
A strong answer: Stays calm, reads the board, prioritizes by fire time, tells expo and the sous chef the real timing, and asks for a hand instead of letting tickets die.
4. How do you know when a steak, chicken breast, or piece of fish is done?
Why ask it: Checks real cooking judgment and awareness of safe temperatures.
A strong answer: Mentions touch, color, and carryover cooking, uses a probe thermometer for proteins that need it, and knows to rest meat and to check temperatures regularly.
5. A cook next to you is clearly overwhelmed. What do you do?
Why ask it: Shows teamwork and whether the candidate protects the kitchen's rhythm.
A strong answer: Offers help once their own station is covered, communicates with the sous chef, and does not complain about the person behind their back.
6. Tell me about a time you made a mistake on a plate. What happened?
Why ask it: Tests honesty and how the candidate takes ownership.
A strong answer: Admits the mistake plainly, explains how they corrected it immediately, and describes what they changed to keep it from happening again.
7. How do you handle an allergy ticket?
Why ask it: Allergy handling is a critical safety skill and a legal exposure for the restaurant.
A strong answer: Describes changing gloves, cleaning the surface and utensils, using separate pans, plating it away from other food, and confirming with the server or expo.
8. What is the difference between sweating and sauteing, and when would you use each?
Why ask it: Tests technique knowledge beyond just following a recipe.
A strong answer: Explains that sweating uses low heat to soften without color while sauteing uses higher heat for color and flavor, with an example of each.
9. What are your knife skills like, and how do you take care of your knives?
Why ask it: Knife work drives speed, safety, and consistency on the line.
A strong answer: Talks about dicing, mincing, and breaking down product efficiently, and about honing, sharpening, washing, and storing knives properly.
10. How do you organize your station so you do not lose time during a rush?
Why ask it: Station organization is the clearest sign of a cook who has worked a real line.
A strong answer: Describes putting the most-used items closest, labeling containers, keeping a clean towel and sanitizer ready, and restocking before running out.
11. How would you feel about being asked to cover a different station or help prep when it is slow?
Why ask it: Checks flexibility and willingness to do the less glamorous work.
A strong answer: Says yes and means it, and shows that they see prep and cleaning as part of the job and a way to learn the whole kitchen.
12. What would you do if you saw a coworker store raw chicken above ready-to-eat food?
Why ask it: Tests food safety instincts and willingness to speak up.
A strong answer: Fixes it immediately, tells the coworker or a lead calmly, and explains that raw proteins go on the lowest shelves to avoid cross-contamination.