If you were running a station and training a newer cook beside you, how would you help them keep up without slowing service?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests teamwork and communication on the line. Calls back orders, tells others when they are running low, helps neighboring stations, and keeps a respectful tone under stress.
• What to bring out: Setting them up well before service, giving short clear instructions, taking over complex items, and giving feedback after the rush.
• Expect a follow-up like: How do you give feedback after a rough service?

Another way it may be asked: A new cook is on the station next to you during a rush. How do you support them?

A structure to follow: STAR, with the weight on Action and Result

1. Step 1

   Situation

   One or two sentences: where, when and what was at stake. Pick a real example you were close to.

2. Step 2

   Task

   What you personally were responsible for. Say "I", not only "we", so the teamwork and communication on the line you showed is visible.

3. Step 3

   Action

   The two or three things you did and why you chose them over the alternatives. This should be about half your answer.

4. Step 4

   Result

   What changed, in your own measure of it, and what you would do differently. Only use numbers you can stand behind.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Describing what the team did without saying what you did.
• Choosing an example with no clear outcome, or one you cannot answer detailed questions about.
• Ending on the action and skipping the result and what you learned.

How to practise it

Write two bullet points for each STAR letter, then say the answer aloud in about two minutes.

Related questions

• Tell me about a shift where the line was struggling. How did you communicate with your team to get through it?
• You arrive for your shift and there is a prep list waiting. How do you get your station ready for service?
• How do you keep raw chicken from contaminating other food in the kitchen?
• What do you do to stay safe working around fryers, hot pans and sharp knives?
• Tell me about a time a chef or manager corrected how you were doing something. How did you respond?

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