These questions are written for hiring a sous chef specifically. Each one includes what you learn from asking it and what a strong answer sounds like.
1. Describe how you run the pass on a busy Friday night.
Why ask it: Shows if the candidate can control the pace and quality of a full service.
A strong answer: Explains calling tickets clearly, checking each plate, staging tables, and keeping communication open with the line and servers.
2. How do you handle a cook who keeps making the same mistake?
Why ask it: Tests coaching skill and fairness.
A strong answer: Talks about private feedback, showing the correct technique, setting a clear expectation, documenting it, and escalating only if it continues.
3. How do you build a prep list for the week?
Why ask it: Planning drives labor efficiency and waste.
A strong answer: Uses sales history, reservations, par levels, and shelf life, and adjusts for events and weather.
4. How do you manage food cost without hurting quality?
Why ask it: Sous chefs are expected to protect margins.
A strong answer: Mentions portion control, waste tracking, vendor comparison, using trim, and watching yields.
5. Tell me about a time a service fell apart. What did you do?
Why ask it: Reveals resilience and leadership when things go wrong.
A strong answer: Describes taking control, simplifying where needed, communicating honestly with front of house, and debriefing afterward.
6. How do you decide when to step in on the line and when to let a cook figure it out?
Why ask it: Checks judgment between helping and micromanaging.
A strong answer: Says they step in when service is at risk and coach after the rush, letting cooks learn when the stakes are lower.
7. What is your approach to scheduling and handling call-outs?
Why ask it: Call-outs are a daily reality for kitchen leaders.
A strong answer: Explains keeping a backup list, cross-training, clear policies, and communicating changes early.
8. How do you train a new hire in their first week?
Why ask it: Strong onboarding reduces turnover and mistakes.
A strong answer: Describes a station-by-station plan, recipe walkthroughs, shadowing, and check-ins with feedback.
9. What would you do if the walk-in cooler failed during service?
Why ask it: Tests food safety knowledge and crisis response.
A strong answer: Moves product to working units or ice, checks temperatures, documents what is discarded, and calls the chef and repair service right away.
10. How do you work with front of house when the kitchen is behind?
Why ask it: Kitchen and floor friction is common, and a sous must manage it.
A strong answer: Gives honest timing to servers, offers solutions like comping a side, and stays respectful under stress.
11. What does a good health inspection look like to you?
Why ask it: Inspection readiness reflects daily habits.
A strong answer: Describes daily temperature logs, clean stations, proper labeling, sanitizer concentration checks, and training the team to keep standards.
12. Why do you want to be a sous chef here, and what do you want to learn?
Why ask it: Checks motivation and long-term fit.
A strong answer: Shows genuine interest in the concept and chef, and names specific skills like ordering, costing, or menu development they want to grow.