Olive Garden Hostess Interview Questions

Olive Garden is an American casual dining restaurant chain. The company operates more than 900 restaurants globally, under the brand name “Olive Garden”. Olive Garden specializes in Italian-American cuisine.

Congratulations for qualifying to apply as an Olive Garden hostess. As a hostess, you are supposed to receive the restaurant guests, seat them at their respective tables, and help them with menus and any other sought information. You may also require handling customer phone calls and queries about the reservations and menus, and assisting the restaurant staff whenever necessary.

Check Out The Best Interview Questions Here!

Cracking an interview sometimes is too tricky. So you need to prepare for the same beforehand. Here is an attempt to help you in the preparation for a hostess interview. Please note that there is no just right answer. It’s about how you represent yourself in front of the interviewer. We have tried to enlist a few commonly asked questions along with the tips and tricks to answer them.

Q1: Tell us about yourself?

Ans: This is the most commonly asked interview opener question, and how you ace this question makes the first impression. So just respond with an answer to show your passion and qualifications as a hostess. Open with a career overview, followed by your academic credentials, and in the end, try to prove how the target job aligns with your skills and interests.

Q2: What is your take on “hospitality”?

Ans: Being a hostess you are supposed to go the extra mile to pay attention to the little things that customers want. The interviewer is judging your ability to make things happen. Tell him what extra steps you will take to create a WOW customer service experience.

Q3: What is your favorite product to buy at “Olive Garden”?

Ans: It’s time to prove your knowledge and alertness with the restaurant menu at Olive Green. So make sure you are aware of the offerings of the restaurant.

Q4: Why do you want to be a “hostess”?

Ans: Now it’s time to reassure the interviewer that you are best suited to be a hostess at Olive Garden. Tell him how much you love to enjoy working with customers, in a fast-paced environment.

Q5: What is your greatest weakness?

Ans: While answering this question makes sure you discuss skills you have improved on and that are not critical for the position offered.

Q6: What would you do if the phone started ringing just as you greeted a visitor entering the restaurant?

Ans: Now the interviewer wants to see how you handle multiple pressure issues at the same time. He wants to understand how you prioritize your duties and your ability to delegate tasks. You should answer that you would greet the guest first and then excuse yourself to attend the phone call. Then would ask the caller to hold for a moment and lean to the guest first.

Q 7: What would you do if a few guests came in claiming to have a reservation, but it is not on the books?

Ans: This question is being asked to judge your critical thinking and problem-solving skills and your style of apologizing to the clientele for the mistake. You are supposed to offer an alternative to meet best the needs of the patrons, ensuring full customer satisfaction. You could offer the patrons welcome drinks in the waiting lounge, while the arrangements are being made.

Q8: What steps would you take in the incident of a crisis?

Ans: When answering this question, you should demonstrate your preparedness for the unexpected and an ability to think quickly while remaining calm. Your response should include “removing the immediate threat and calling emergency services and supervisor for assistance.”

Q9: How would you handle guests who had a bad experience at your restaurant?

Ans: The interviewer wants to review your willingness to interact with dissatisfied customers and your communication and dilemma-solving skills. You are supposed to be calm, composed, and proactive while apologizing to the customers.

Q10: How many hours can you work?

Ans: Be flexible with the working hours and open to working on weekends and holidays also.

Q11: What sets you apart from other candidates?

Ans: Now highlight your strengths here, like a positive attitude and willingness to work for customer satisfaction. Make sure you list customer service as one of your top skills.

Q12: What is your greatest professional achievement?

Ans: Charmingly share your customer-friendly skills, which is the foremost requirement for a hostess. Also, you can share your problem-solving skills as your forte, citing examples from your past experiences.

Q13: Describe your current or previous job responsibilities and primary duties?

Ans: Try to relate your current job responsibilities with the new job duties of a hostess. Empathize on what you can bring to Olive Garden and try to create value for the company.

Tips To Impress Interviewers

Read more: What is the Amazon Shopper Panel?

Conclusion

Make sure you answer well to make a good impression. You must begin answering to the point but don’t be too specific. It should feel like you are speaking freely without any kind of repetition. You have to be natural with your answer. Otherwise, the panel will understand that you have already prepared for it and it’s not truly from your side. So keep these things in mind.

Make sure you display your friendly personality by smiling regularly and politely acknowledging everyone you meet during the interview phase. In the end, just don’t overlook putting across thanks for the interview prospect. Handle yourself confidently and answer exactly what they want to hear. All the Best!