How to Decide on Restaurant Duty Manager Interview Questions

Date modified: 1st May 2025 | This article has been written by Pilla Founder, Liam Jones, click to email Liam directly, he reads every email.

Key Takeaways

Step 1: Define What You're Looking ForPrioritise calm shift leadership, guest complaint handling, and operational control. Clarify which responsibilities are essential versus beneficial. If you need to do this, check out our article on writing Restaurant Duty Manager job descriptions. Step 2: Plan the Interview Structure Adapt structure based on venue complexity: - Simple: Quick interview and scenario questions for junior roles. - Full: Leadership deep dive, incident-based scenarios, and optional task review. - Extended: Complex case study and team interaction for senior or multi-site managers. Step 3: Use Behavioural and Scenario-Based Questions - Behavioural: Ask for real examples of guest recovery, shift incidents, or team management. - Scenario-based: Test judgment under pressure (e.g., fire alarm, allergy complaint, missing cash). Step 4: Observe How They Lead Under Pressure Watch for: - Calm, structured thinking in emergency scenarios - Guest-first mindset across all responses - Clear, logical prioritisation of safety, service, and operations Leadership tone that supports — not blames — staff Avoid candidates who panic, deflect blame, or ignore guest impact. Step 5: Evaluate Using a Scorecard Use weighted scoring to balance decision-making, leadership, and service instincts: - Shift Leadership and Incident Management – 40% - Operational Problem-Solving – 30% - Guest Service Focus – 30%

Article Content

Step 1. Define What You're Looking For

Before you start interviewing, get clear on the leadership, guest service, and operational management skills your Duty Manager needs. Use the table below to prioritise what’s essential versus nice-to-have:

AttributeMust-HaveNice-to-Have Calm, decisive leadership during service✅ Guest complaint resolution and recovery skills✅ Cash handling, end-of-day reporting experience✅ Basic knowledge of licensing, health & safety rules✅ ## Step 2. Plan the Interview Structure

Duty Manager interviews should focus on leadership under pressure, service protection, fast operational decision-making, and basic financial control.

Simple Structure (Good for Smaller Restaurants or Junior Duty Managers)

  • •Short Interview (20–30 minutes): Focus on shift leadership, guest experience handling, and basic incident response.
  • •Scenario-Based Questions (10–15 minutes): Cover guest complaints, shift management, and emergency handling examples.

When to use it: Small to mid-size venues where the Duty Manager mainly oversees service and staff during peak hours.

Full Interview Structure (Recommended for Most Hires)

  • •Welcome and Icebreaker (5 minutes): Set natural tone and observe communication style.
  • •Formal Leadership Interview (30 minutes): Dig into service protection leadership, guest recovery strategies, and operational problem-solving.
  • •Scenario-Based Situational Questions (20 minutes): Focus on service incidents, health & safety issues, cash handling errors.
  • •Optional Pre-Prepared Task (10–15 minutes): Review a short incident report writing task or shift handover notes.
  • •Debrief and Candidate Questions (10 minutes): Understand their leadership instincts and career goals.

When to use it: High-volume restaurants, hotels, multi-outlet operations needing strong Duty Managers every shift.

Optional: Set a Pre-Interview Task

Setting a small task before the interview can help you check for practical operational thinking and communication clarity. Good examples:

  • •"Write a short incident report after a guest slips and falls during a busy service."
  • •"Outline a checklist for shift handover between Duty Managers."

Tip: Keep tasks practical and service-focused — you want to check thinking, not formal writing ability.

Extended Structure (For Senior or Multi-Site Duty Managers)

  • •Pre-Interview Task (Required): Case study around multi-site issues or major service disruption handling.
  • •Full Interview (45–60 minutes): Focus on leadership resilience, safety and security handling, revenue protection, and staff welfare management.
  • •Optional Team Interaction: Allow informal introduction to staff if relevant to observe natural leadership fit.

When to use it: Large restaurants, hotels, or Duty Managers who cover multiple sites or critical operational responsibilities.

Step 3. Create Leadership and Scenario-Based Questions for Duty Managers

Duty Managers must show calm leadership, service protection instincts, operational judgment, and guest focus under pressure. Structure your questions carefully:

  • •Behavioural Questions: Real examples of service leadership and guest recovery.
  • •Scenario-Based Questions: Test logical thinking under time pressure and realistic incidents.

How to Build Behavioural Questions:

  • •Focus on shift leadership, incident handling, complaint recovery, and operational resilience.
  • •Push for real examples where they personally led or solved a service issue.

How to Build Scenario-Based Questions:

  • •Focus on live service breakdowns, staff no-shows, guest incidents, and cash discrepancies.
  • •Observe decision-making order: safety first, guest experience next, operational fix after.

Example Behavioural Questions:

  • •"Tell me about a time you handled a serious guest complaint — what did you do, and what was the result?"
  • •"Describe a situation where you had to take charge during an unexpected staff shortage or incident."
  • •"Give an example of how you managed a shift when technical systems failed (e.g., tills, booking system, or card machines)."

Example Scenario-Based Questions:

  • •"Imagine a fire alarm goes off during dinner service — walk me through your immediate actions."
  • •"Halfway through a busy shift, you realise the end-of-day cash isn’t balancing. What would you do?"
  • •"A guest claims they had allergic symptoms after eating — how would you handle the situation?"

Tip**:** Push candidates for real-world detail — you’re hiring them to make quick, practical decisions that protect people, service, and your brand.

Step 4. Manage the Interview to Test Operational Leadership Instincts

Duty Managers are judged by how they react under pressure. Use the interview itself to observe their natural decision-making instincts.

Key Things to Watch During the Interview:

  • •Calm under hypothetical pressure: Do they stay logical during scenarios?
  • •Guest-first thinking: Do they mention protecting guest experience at every stage?
  • •Prioritisation skills: Can they calmly balance safety, guest needs, and operational flow?
  • •Team leadership tone: Do they talk about supporting staff, not blaming them?

How to Run the Interview for Maximum Insight:

  • •Start with easy behavioural questions to open up their communication style.
  • •Drop realistic service emergencies or dilemmas into the flow.
  • •Watch how they structure their responses and prioritise actions.

Red Flags to Watch For:

  • •Panic or indecision under simple scenario pressure.
  • •Blaming language ("The kitchen always messes up...")
  • •Ignoring guest impact during operational problem-solving.
  • •Rigid thinking without real flexibility for live service dynamics.

Step 5. Evaluate Fairly and Consistently

Use a weighted evaluation scorecard so you judge all candidates based on leadership, operational judgment, and guest service protection — not just interview confidence.

Example Evaluation Weights:

  • •Shift Leadership and Incident Management – 40%
  • •Operational Problem-Solving – 30%
  • •Guest Service Focus – 30%

Simple Interview Scorecard

Criteria****Score (1–5)WeightWeighted Score Shift Leadership and Incident Management4× 0.41.6 Operational Problem-Solving3× 0.30.9 Guest Service Focus5× 0.31.5 Final Reflection

After scoring, take a moment to reflect:

  • •Would you feel confident handing over the floor to them on a busy shift?
  • •Would they protect guest experience even during tough moments?
  • •Would they support the team and build trust on the floor?

Hiring strong Duty Managers protects your standards, strengthens your team, and keeps guests coming back — even when the unexpected happens.