Food and Beverage Manager Interview Questions

A Food and Beverage Manager is a hospitality and tourism professional specialized in forecasting, planning and controlling the ordering of food and beverages for a hospitality property. He also manages the finances related to the whole process of sourcing, ordering and transporting food and drink for the hotel.

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Food and Beverage Manager or an employer preparing to interview candidates for Food and Beverage Manager position, these Food and Beverage Manager interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

Food and Beverage Manager Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based Food and Beverage Manager interview questions.

1. Walk me through the process of designing a new menu.
2. A customer has been served an expired drink. What will you do? 
3. What are the trademarks of a high quality food service?
4. Are you familiar with the food and beverage industry?
5. What are some of your previous roles in the food and beverage industry?
6. What is your experience with menu planning?
7. If hired, what would be your priorities as a food and beverage manager?
8. What would you do if an event such as a wedding reception or corporate event ran out of one of the items on the menu?
9. When planning menus, what factors do you consider?
10. Describe your experience with inventory management.
11. Which food and beverage management software programs are you familiar with using?
12. As a Food and Beverage Manager, what innovations would you bring to ensure our restaurant is at the top of the list in customers preferences?
13. How do you measure cost and revenue? What cost-reducing methods have you found effective in the past?
14. What’s your approach to prepare a special menu? (e.g. vegan or gluten-free)
15. How do you choose ingredients? How do you balance cost and quality?
16. How often would you inspect the implementation of food and safety regulations?
17. Describe the menu (or specific plate/drink) you designed that you’re the most proud of.
18. Have you ever participated in the opening of a new restaurant? What was your role?
19. Describe a situation where you had to deal with a restaurant emergency, like a power outage.
20. Recall a time a customer was dissatisfied from your service. How did you handle their complaints?
21. As a Food and Beverage Manager, have you ever fired someone from your team? Why did you have to do that and how did you deal with it?
22. What cost-reducing methods have you found to be useful as a food and beverage manager?
23. What do you think is the most important skill for a food and beverage manager to have?
24. As a Food and Beverage Manager, how often do you update the menu for your restaurant or hotel?
25. There is a new food trend that you aren’t sure would work well with your current menu. How would you decide whether or not to add the new items?
26. What do you currently like in our restaurant and what would you change?
27. Are you familiar with health and safety regulations? How often do you inspect their implementation?
28. What are some of the challenges that the food and beverage industry face today in the country?

Food and Beverage Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during Food and Beverage Manager interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

1. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
2. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
3. What is Your Greatest Weakness?
4. Why Should We Hire You?
5. What is Your Greatest Strength?
6. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
7. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
8. Why Do You Want This Job?
9. Tell Me About Yourself
10. What is Your Salary Expectation?