Reference check questions for restaurant servers

Most servers are good company in an interview. What you need to know is how they work at the peak of a Saturday night, with a full section, a large party seated all at once and the kitchen running behind. Their manager knows whether tables waited, whether orders went in right and whether the cash-out balanced. The chef knows whether allergies reached the kitchen clearly and how the server behaved when a ticket came back wrong.

Call restaurant references between lunch and dinner service, not during it, and ask about specific shifts and specific guests. A manager who says "great with people" has told you little. One who describes how the candidate won back a table that waited too long for its food has told you a lot.

Who to ask

• A general manager or front-of-house manager who scheduled the candidate, handled guest complaints and checked their cash-out.
• A shift or floor manager who ran the floor on the candidate’s busiest nights.
• A chef or kitchen manager who worked the pass with them and saw how they called in orders, changes and allergies.
• A bartender or lead server from the same shifts, for teamwork and how the candidate handled alcohol service.

Questions to ask, by competency

Choose the competencies that matter most for the position and two or three questions from each. Ask every reference the same set, and when an answer is a rating, ask for the example behind it.

Guest service under pressure

Tables get forgotten and guests leave unhappy when a full section, a large party and a slow kitchen all arrive at once.

1. Describe the candidate on your busiest night. How large a section could they run well, and what slipped first when they were stretched?
2. Tell me about a guest complaint at one of the candidate’s tables, such as a wrong dish or a long wait. What did they do before a manager stepped in?
3. How did the candidate pace a table through its courses without rushing the guests or leaving them waiting for the check?

Order accuracy and allergies

A wrong order costs a remade plate. A missed allergy can send a guest to the hospital.

1. How did the candidate pass allergy and dietary requests to the kitchen? Did you ever see one missed?
2. How accurate were the candidate’s orders and modifications when they rang them in? How often did the kitchen remake a plate because of a mistake on their ticket?

Teamwork with the kitchen and floor

Food goes out hot when servers run each other’s plates, finish their side work and speak to the kitchen with respect during a rush.

1. How did the candidate deal with the kitchen during a rush, especially when a ticket was late or wrong?
2. Did the candidate run food for other tables, help reset the dining room and finish their side work before leaving? Who finished it when they did not?
3. How would you rate the candidate as a teammate on a busy Saturday, from one for poor to five for excellent, and what is behind that rating? (rating)

Cash, comps and alcohol service

Servers handle cash, card tips and tip-outs, and they decide whether to bring the next drink. A lapse in any of these costs the restaurant money or worse.

1. At the end of a shift, did the candidate’s cash-out balance, and did they follow your rules on tip-outs, comps and voids?
2. Have you seen the candidate check a guest’s ID, or stop serving a guest who had had too much? How did they handle it?

Reliability on weekend shifts

A restaurant’s week is made on Friday and Saturday nights and holidays. A server who misses those shifts leaves the rest of the floor to cover.

1. Could you count on the candidate for Friday and Saturday nights and holidays, and were they on time and ready for pre-shift?
2. Did the candidate ever miss a shift without calling, and how did they arrange cover when they needed a night off?

Close the reference

End every reference the same way: ask whether they would hire or work with the candidate again and why, what support would help the candidate do their best work, and whether there is anything else you should know. The general question bank explains why the first of these matters most.

Checks a reference does not replace

• Food handler and alcohol service training. Check your state and county rules for the cards or certificates a server must hold, and confirm any the candidate has with the program that issued them.
• The minimum age to serve alcohol, if the server will carry or pour drinks. Check your state’s rule before scheduling them for drink service.

Warning signs to follow up

• Praise for the candidate’s sales and tips, and hesitation about how they treated the kitchen or other servers.
• A manager who mentions cash-out problems, or comps and voids without approval, then moves on quickly.
• Only coworkers as references, and no manager who ran the candidate’s shifts.
• A run of short restaurant jobs where the candidate cannot name a manager at any of them.

One warning sign is a reason to ask another question, not a verdict. Reference check red flags covers how to check a concern fairly.

Questions to leave out

Ask only about the work. Before an offer, the EEOC’s guidance says an employer may not ask a third party, such as a former employer, any question it could not ask the candidate directly. Leave out health, medical leave, age, family plans and other protected characteristics. What to leave out has the full list.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the requirements that apply to your organization, and in your state, with your counsel or HR policy office.