service hospitalityfood cost gphaccpkitchen brigademenu development
Complete evaluation framework
What to assess and how to score it
Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Craft of the service
35% weight
Check which sections they have run (larder, sauce, pastry, grill), covers per service, and menu dishes they wrote themselves including specs, plating and yield testing.
Evidence to listen for
Command of the treatments, techniques, or service standards the role requires
Holds current qualifications where regulated
Can explain contraindications, limits, or when to decline
Keeps skills current rather than coasting on training
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Unsafe or unqualified; cannot explain their own technique.
2
Needs Improvement
Basic competence; gaps in contraindications or standards.
3
Satisfactory
Competent across the standard menu; less confident beyond it.
4
Very Good
Skilled and current; clear on limits and when to decline.
5
Excellent
Names sections owned, peak cover counts and specific dishes they developed, with clear reasoning on technique, seasonality and consistency across services.
02
Evaluation factor
Client care
30% weight
Probe how they handle allergen requests, guest complaints returned to the pass, and chef's table or dietary bookings; look for coordination with front of house during service.
Evidence to listen for
Reads what a client actually wants versus what they asked for
Handles a complaint without defensiveness or capitulation
Maintains discretion and appropriate boundaries
Clients ask for them by name
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Dismissive of clients; boundaries or discretion are a concern.
2
Needs Improvement
Task-focused; complaints escalate rather than resolve.
3
Satisfactory
Good with straightforward clients; less sure with difficult ones.
4
Very Good
Strong client rapport with repeat requests and calm complaint handling.
5
Excellent
Describes concrete recovery of a returned dish and a robust allergen process, treating server feedback as information rather than interference.
03
Evaluation factor
Standards and hygiene
20% weight
Test HACCP paperwork ownership: temperature logs, cook-chill records, date labelling, deep clean rotas, plus their last environmental health inspection score and what triggered any points.
Evidence to listen for
Treats sanitation, preparation, and turnaround as non-negotiable
Keeps the space to standard when nobody is checking
Knows the regulations that apply and follows them
Reports a problem rather than working around it
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Casual about hygiene or preparation standards.
2
Needs Improvement
Meets standards when supervised only.
3
Satisfactory
Reliable standards; occasional lapses under time pressure.
4
Very Good
Standards hold under pressure and without supervision.
5
Excellent
Owns HACCP documentation without prompting, cites a hygiene rating and explains a corrective action they implemented after an audit finding.
04
Evaluation factor
Commercial awareness
15% weight
Assess grasp of gross profit targets, food cost percentage, portion control, supplier negotiation and wastage tracking; ask for numbers before and after a change they made.
Evidence to listen for
Understands how the business makes money from their time
Recommends and rebooks without pressuring
Manages a schedule and turnaround to keep utilisation up
Handles retail or upsell honestly
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No commercial awareness, or pushes sales at the client's expense.
2
Needs Improvement
Passive on rebooking and recommendations.
3
Satisfactory
Reasonable rebooking; scheduling sometimes loose.
4
Very Good
Strong rebooking and utilisation without pressuring clients.
5
Excellent
Quotes GP percentage moved, names wastage or portioning changes and supplier switches, linking menu engineering directly to margin outcomes.
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