Start on the Right Foot: Hiring Customer-Friendly Staff

Every business owner has hired a candidate who interviewed well, but was a disappointment on the job. There are no methods that guarantee that your next hire will be your "employee of the year," but as you staff your restaurant, you can ask some questions during the interview that will help gauge your new employees' attitudes toward customers and work.

During job interviews, typically restaurant owners focus on the applicant's experience, rather than his attitude toward customer service. Having worked in a restaurant is not enough to make a decision about whether to hire someone.

In his book, "Lessons in Service from Charlie Trotter," author Edmund Lawler notes that premier Chicago restaurateur Charlie Trotter looks for more than experience in his servers. "He's looking for passion and sincerity in a potential service employee," writes Lawler. Trotter owns one of the most successful restaurants in the country, and he makes the right hire about three-quarters of the time, according to his estimates. Can you afford to have less than a .750 batting average? You can learn a lot about how a potential employee approaches his employment, prepares for work and interacts with customers by asking some questions like these during the interview: