Interview questions · Operations
8 questions for interviewing a Line Cook — each with what a strong answer sounds like and the red flag to catch. Written for founders interviewing without a recruiter.
Listen for: A baseline measured before, a simple v1 shipped fast, and a metric that moved.
Red flag: Process described as documentation produced rather than outcomes changed.
Listen for: A real prioritization frame — revenue risk, reversibility, who’s blocked — applied to an example.
Red flag: "I just work harder and do both" — that’s how small-company ops people burn out.
Listen for: Professional execution plus an honest attempt to change the rule through the right channel.
Red flag: Quietly didn’t enforce it, or can’t recall ever disagreeing.
Listen for: Curiosity-driven digging — contracts, invoices, tool audits — with a number attached.
Red flag: Never looked; assumes cost control is finance’s job.
Listen for: Frequency × error-cost reasoning, and manual-first until the process stabilizes.
Red flag: Automates everything immediately, or is proud of doing everything by hand.
Listen for: Learning before changing, early small wins, and questions about how you’d measure them.
Red flag: Grand transformation plans before understanding the context, or no ambition at all.
Listen for: Lived-experience insight that only someone who’s done the job would know.
Red flag: Generic answers that could come from reading the job description.
Listen for: A real weakness stated plainly, plus the compensating system they’ve built.
Red flag: A humblebrag ("I care too much"), or claiming the manager would say nothing.
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