Great Line Cook Interview Questions That Help You Hire the Right Culinary Talent

Line cooks are among the busiest and most essential culinary professionals in restaurants. In fact, they may come second in prominence and culinary skill proficiency just after the chef de cuisine. And in some restaurants, it’s common to find an experienced line cook running the show.

You need skilled and dedicated line cooks if you want to maintain operational efficiency at your restaurant and always prepare delicious dishes, even during peak hours. Fortunately, recruiting great line cooks is easier and more effective when you know the appropriate interview questions to ask prospective candidates. 

But before we explore these interview questions and what to look for in the responses, let’s highlight the roles of a line cook.

Line Cook Job Description 

A line cook, also called a station chef, works in a commercial kitchen as part of the culinary team. A line cook’s chief duties include: 

• Preparing food items for service – for instance, prepping sauces or vegetable side dishes
• Ensuring the kitchen staff cooks menu items following the chef’s recipe
• Cooking meals in their designated station 
• Ensuring ready-to-go dishes are prepared as per the chef’s instructions 
• Keeping their designated station clean
• Stocking condiments, required foods, and paper products
• Maintaining compliance with food safety and sanitation standards

Line Cook Skills

Core skills for line cooks include:

• Sanitation and food safety
• Food handling and preparation
• Plate presentation
• Communication and teamwork
• Menu planning

Line cooks can learn these skills either by pursuing a degree in culinary arts or on the job, having started their culinary careers in roles such as prep cook or kitchen helper. 

Line Cook Interview Questions to Ask Prospective Candidates 

The ideal line cook candidate should epitomize your restaurant’s work culture, possess the right expertise and experience to fill the existing skills gap on your culinary team, and have the aptitude to operate efficiently in high-pressure situations. 

Consider asking the following interview questions when hiring line cooks.

Line Cook Interview Questions to Assess a Candidate’s Work Culture Compatibility 

Ask these questions to determine a candidate’s suitability for your restaurant’s work culture and team spirit: 

1. What motivates you to be a line cook?
2. What do you prioritize the most as a line cook?
3. What’s your ideal working environment?
4. What’s your greatest asset as a line cook?
5. Why do you want to work in our restaurant?
6. Why are you leaving your current employer?
7. What is a deal-breaker work condition for you?

The answers to these interview questions for line cooks will tell you whether a candidate would work well within your team. Also, you want to prioritize candidates who give a straight and honest answer as to why they want to work at your restaurant. Line cook applicants who are referred by current or former employees tend to be excellent fits for your restaurant’s culture as well.

Line Cook Interview Questions to Evaluate a Candidate’s Core Skills and Experience

The perfect line cook candidate should possess core expertise that complements your culinary team’s skills. Ask these 10 questions to assess an applicant’s skills and experience: 

1. How many years of experience do you hold as a line cook?
2. What is your professional training as a line cook?
3. What relevant certifications do you hold?
4. What cuisines can you make without a chef’s participation? 
5. Which culinary skills can you demonstrate expertly?
6. In your opinion, what three essential skills must a line cook have?
7. What are your go-to ingredient substitutions?
8. How many chef levels have you worked with before?
9. How rich is your knife experience?
10. How many meat cooking methods are you proficient in?

As a best practice, you should determine the primary must-have skills you’re after and use those as the basis of your interview questions. Doing so lets you shortlist applicants much faster and hire the right one before your competition.

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Line Cook Interview Questions to Assess a Candidate’s Aptitude in High-Pressure Situations

Line cooks, alongside the rest of the kitchen staff, often get swamped with extra duties during peak restaurant times. You need your line cooks to operate efficiently to maximize your high levels of customer traffic and boost your revenue. That’s why you need to assess an applicant’s aptitude under pressure by asking these questions:

1. Have you worked at a similar or bigger restaurant before?
2. How do you handle workplace conflicts?
3. How do you manage rapid increases in customer flow?
4. How do you ensure seamless shift transitions in your designated station?
5. Tell me about a time when you multitasked and still delivered top-quality service.
6. Tell me about a time when you helped your chef fulfill an influx of customer orders.
7. What do you do when your shift is over but diners keep trickling in?
8. How do you handle VIP or corporate customers amid high amounts of customer traffic?
9. How do you maintain a work-life balance during busy times, like the holiday season?

The responses to these questions will help you identify candidates who have the skills, experience, and/or willingness to excel in fast-paced operations.

iHireChefs Can Help You Land Top Line Cooks 

Explore our Resource Center for more advice on interviewing candidates for your team. When you’re ready to connect with experienced and qualified line cooks, post your job on iHireChefs or search our resume database to fill your open positions.