Chef interview questions: what they ask and how to answer
Chef and sous chef interviews test whether you can run a kitchen as a business, not just cook well. Expect to pitch menu ideas that fit their concept, talk food cost in percentages, explain how you lead and correct a brigade, and narrate your dishes at a tasting or trial shift. Answer with numbers from kitchens you have run.
A chef interview is three interviews
Most head chef and sous chef hiring has three parts, and each needs a different way of speaking:
| Part | Who's listening | What to sound like |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation | Owner, general manager or executive chef | A manager who knows numbers |
| Menu discussion | Owner and sometimes front of house | A cook who understands their guests |
| Tasting or trial shift | Executive chef or owner, tasting | Calm, clear, explaining choices as you plate |
Cooks moving up to sous chef often over-prepare the food and under-prepare the talking, because line cook interviews were mostly about speed and station skills. The owner already assumes you can cook. They are deciding whether to trust you with their money and their staff.
Menu ideas: start from their guests, not your favorites
"What would you put on our menu?" is not an invitation to describe your dream restaurant. Show you have eaten there or read the menu, then suggest changes that fit.
Example answer: "I ate here on Thursday. The steak frites and the burger are clearly carrying the menu, so I wouldn't touch those. I'd tighten the starters from nine to six, because three of them use ingredients nothing else uses. And I'd add a weekly fish special using whatever's best from the supplier, which gives regulars a reason to come back without adding a permanent line."
Bring two or three dish ideas, each with a price point and the station it would run on.
Food cost: say the number
Expect "What food cost did you run?" and "How do you cost a dish?" A chef who can't answer in percentages loses a lot of owners right there.
- Know your last number. "We ran around 29 to 31 percent food cost over the year." Use your real figure; if you weren't responsible for it, say what you did own, such as ordering for your section.
- Cost a dish out loud. List each ingredient's portion cost, add them, then divide by the menu price. "Plate cost is $4.80, menu price $16, so that's 30 percent."
- Name the levers. Portion control, yield testing, using trim in specials, reworking a supplier order, cutting dishes that sell slowly.
Example answer about waste: "Our salmon yield was poor because we were buying whole sides and over-trimming. I retrained the prep cooks, used the trim in a fishcake special, and our waste log for that item dropped by about half over two months."
Leading a brigade
"How do you lead a kitchen?" and "Tell me about a cook you had to correct" test whether you can be firm without making a kitchen miserable. Owners worry about chefs who shout and chefs who can't say no.
Example answer: "In service I'm direct and short, because that's what keeps it moving. Corrections that need more than a sentence happen after service, one to one. I had a talented grill cook who kept leaving his station dirty at close. I showed him the exact standard, wrote it on a close-down list, and checked for two weeks. He got it right after that. If he hadn't, the next step would have been a written warning, and I'd have told him that clearly."
The general version is on what is your leadership style.
The tasting or trial shift
The tasting is a presentation as much as a cook. Explain each plate in about 30 seconds as you serve it:
- What it is, in menu language.
- Why it fits their restaurant.
- The plate cost and a suggested price, if you know them.
- What you would change with more time or a different supplier.
Example line: "This is the roast chicken with charred leeks and a brown butter jus. It's built for your Sunday lunch trade, it runs on one oven and one pan, and the plate cost is about a quarter of a $24 price."
On a trial shift, cook clean, label everything, talk to the cooks politely, and taste out loud: "Needs acid." Owners notice how you treat the dishwasher.
Hygiene and inspections
Sous and head chefs answer for inspections. Say what system you ran: temperature logs, labeling, cleaning schedules, allergen records, and what happened at your last inspection. If something failed, say what you fixed.
How to prepare
- Eat at the restaurant or read the full menu.
- Prepare your food cost figure and one waste or cost story.
- Rehearse a 30-second description for each tasting dish, out loud.
- Practice the menu pitch with someone who disagrees. A partner who follows up, such as Speaking Coach's built-in "Pitch your big idea" scene, helps you hear where your pitch is weak.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between sous chef and head chef interviews?
Sous chef interviews focus more on running service, training and stock. Head chef interviews add menu ownership, food cost, budgets and working with the owner.
Should I bring a portfolio?
Photos of your dishes and a sample menu help, especially for a head chef role. Keep it short; the conversation matters more.
What if I've never managed food cost?
Say so, then show you understand it by costing one dish out loud. Owners value honesty plus the method.
How do I handle a tasting that goes wrong?
Say what went wrong before they do. "The sauce split, I'd normally catch that, here's how I'd fix it" shows the judgment they are hiring for.