This is a scenario that all crew members will encounter occasionally, so you need to learn how the candidate would react. You can look at their demeanor to see if they seem irritated by the thought of this scenario, and their answer will tell you if they are likely to respond politely to an angry customer. Their response also provides insight into whether they would remember to stick to company policy. What to look for in an answer:

• Ability to follow restaurant policies
• Recognizes the importance of staying calm and polite
• Interest in helping even grumpy customers

When you ask this question, you find out whether the potential crew member has any knowledge about what your company sells. In addition to testing their interest in your business, it also helps you learn a little about their customer-service skills. You can find out how good they are at appealing to customers and using language to communicate concepts by asking them to sell the product. What to look for in an answer:

• Detailed, appealing descriptions of food
• In-depth knowledge about company products
• Enthusiasm for customer service

Including this question in your crew member interview is helpful because it encourages the candidate to elaborate on experience they have with the equipment they will be using. Even if the candidate has never used registers before, an intelligent answer about related skills they have lets you know if the person seems capable of learning how to use new equipment. What to look for in an answer:

• Familiarity with cash registers and ordering equipment
• Detailed answers about past experience
• Descriptions of mathematical and technical skills

This question helps to see if the person would waste time with friends at work. Candidates are more likely to honestly answer this question about a coworker's friends than if you asked them about their own friends coming by, so it helps you to learn about their priorities. Furthermore, this question lets you see how the person would interact with other crew members, so you can see if they would be a good fit for the team. What to look for in an answer:

• Tact in social situations
• A desire to work instead of socialize
• Interest in following policies and completing work honestly

Crew members often end up in situations where they are dealing with a lot of customers at once, and this question helps you find a crew member who will not get flustered when there are a lot of demands in a short amount of time. If their past experience is relevant to the food industry, it may indicate their suitability as a candidate to work in a fast-paced restaurant environment. What to look for in an answer:

• An organized and logical outlook
• Details about how the person solves time-management challenges
• Clear and confident answers