Hotels, restaurants and bars all need food and beverage managers. These professionals supervise employees, stay within a budget, and adhere not only to the company’s standards but to state and federal laws concerning the preparation and service of food and liquor. When interviewing for such a position, you’ll be asked a variety of questions about your experience in the field.

General Questions

To determine if you’re the appropriate person for a food and beverage manager position, interviewers will ask some general questions. They may begin by asking you to tell about yourself, which provides an opportunity for you to highlight any relevant education and work experience you have in the food service field. Remember to keep your response purely professional.

If asked about your strengths and weaknesses as a food and beverage manager, play up things such as having a head for numbers or a knack for inspiring employees. Be honest about your weaknesses, but also tell the interviewer what you’re doing to overcome them.

Interviewers will also ask what attracted you to the food service industry. This provides you with a great opportunity to reveal your passion for business, customer service or food.

When asked what accomplishments you're most proud of, keep your answers professional and talk yourself up, revealing any business-related goals you’ve met, awards you’ve won, or compliments from high-ranking company employees you've received.

Company Questions

According to Restaurant Voice, a food service consultant website, interviewers will also test your knowledge of the business with questions such as, “What do you know about our restaurant/property/company?” To be prepared with a great answer, be sure to do your research about the company before your interview. Find out what type of demographic it serves as well as its business strengths and weaknesses.

If you're interviewing at a restaurant, be sure to have visited it before your interview, so when you’re asked if you’ve eaten there, you can answer in the positive and give an opinion of the business. You’ll probably be asked what you think could be changed or improved. Always keep your answers positive.

When asked how the company stands out from the competition, use this opportunity to tell your interviewer why you want to work for this organization in particular.

Specific Questions

Interviewers also want to know how you’ve handled business problems in the past. If you’re asked if you had favorite and least favorite employers, keep your responses positive by emphasizing what you learned from any negative situations.

When asked about any prior work confrontations, have specific answers prepared. Your responses need to demonstrate your ability to successfully resolve conflict.

Since food and beverage managers are responsible for controlling costs, you’ll be asked how you’ve improved financial performance in the past. Give detailed examples and dollar amounts.