ExamopotamiaWhy test waiters before you hire?
Trial shifts are the usual way to judge a server, but they take a manager's attention on a busy night and rarely show how someone handles an allergy or a declined card. A short online test, sent when someone applies, covers the moments that matter most for guest safety and experience. You still run a trial shift, but only with people who already know the basics. That saves managers hours during recruitment drives and gives every applicant the same fair start, whatever their previous restaurant experience.
What this template covers
- Allergies: why the menu is not enough and why a garnish cannot just be picked off.
- Order taking and service: repeating orders, recording dietary needs and when to clear plates.
- Money: working out a tip and splitting a bill in your head.
- Selling: the difference between a helpful suggestion and pressure.
- Difficult moments: wrong dishes, declined cards, juggling tables and refusing service to a drunk guest.
How to run it well
Twelve questions with a 10–12 minute limit is about right for front-of-house roles. A pass mark of 65–70% works for most restaurants. Raise it for fine dining or for supervisor roles. Shuffle questions and answers, and turn on the timer so the maths questions show what someone can do without a calculator.
The pack has a short-answer tip calculation, a true/false and a select-all on allergies and order taking, and scenario questions for the rest. When you look at results, any wrong answer on allergy questions should be raised before someone serves guests, whatever their score. Strong answers on the juggling and declined-card questions often point to someone calm under pressure, which is worth noting for supervisor roles later.
Who this test is for
Use it for waiters, servers, runners, bar-back staff moving to the floor, banquet and event staff, and café teams. It works for first jobs as well as experienced staff, because the questions use plain language. Agencies supplying event staff can use it to check people before they are sent to a client.
Make it yours
Add questions about your own menu, wine list, specials, table numbering or the way your till handles split bills. You can include photos of plated dishes and ask candidates to name them. The AI generator can write more scenarios on topics like large groups or children's menus, ready for you to edit.