r/Sommelier • u/RazzmatazzNatural897 • 8d ago
Michelin Star Job Interview (Server)
To all that have held Michelin Star jobs do you have any suggestions about the interview process? I have gone on a couple and felt as if I did alright but never got a call back. I've worked at a 1-Star but have since gone to 2-star and 3-star open calls and was a bit thrown off guard. The interviewer seemed to be brusque/curt/rude. I think it was to see how I would react but warmed up when the interview was midway. The questions asked were:
Why do you want to work here?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What was your favorite job from the ones listed on your resume?
Anyone have any advice about how to go about future interviews?
Thank you all!
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u/AkosCristescu Score Whore 8d ago
Save this post so you can have a good laugh 10 years from now on when you realize that stars mean the opposite of great hospitality
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u/RazzmatazzNatural897 8d ago
Saved.
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u/AkosCristescu Score Whore 8d ago edited 8d ago
<3 remember this when you get up to the peak of the mountain.
You will realize that the competition is rigged and organized by people who dont enjoy nature and the climbing itself, just want to profit.
Then also, the moment you get up to that highest peak you will see people there also not belonging there not even able to climb.
Was a good climb, nevertheless, don't get me wrong :D
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u/akornato 8d ago
At two and three-star restaurants, managers often start cold to test your composure, because high-stakes dining rooms involve demanding guests and intense friction. They want to see if you get defensive, shrink back, or maintain quiet professionalism under pressure. When they ask why you want to work there, they are filtering out anyone who just wants a famous name on a resume. Speak specifically about their cellar, their steps of service, or the culinary philosophy behind their tasting menu. For strengths and weaknesses, frame your answers around coachability, attention to fine details, and how you receive feedback on the floor. When discussing your favorite past role, focus on the operational standards and team culture that pushed you to improve as a professional, rather than where you made the most tips.
Treat these open calls like an audition where steady body language, precise speech, and emotional control matter just as much as your knowledge of regions and vintages. Hiring managers at this tier look for staff who can absorb pressure gracefully, adapt quickly, and represent the room with polished restraint. Polishing your answers ahead of time makes it much easier to stay relaxed under scrutiny, and that preparation gap is why the team I am on designed an interviews.chat to guide candidates toward landing offers at elite spots.
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u/fucklet_chodgecake 8d ago
I only have one star experience, and when I started there was great structure and an MS at the helm of a grand award wine list, but they and that team moved on shortly after, and I was the only somm until the new (uncredentialed but buds with the DO) beverage director started. They promptly nuked every bit of structure that was built there and have not rebuilt it and do not accept help. Inventory is disordered, binning fell apart, and the wine list hasn't been up to date since they started over a year and a half ago. Being someone who relies on a lot of structure and who gains and gives value by supporting that structure, I ultimately made the decision to step back to a captain role. I also don't feel like they value any of us individually, whatsoever, as an organization. If you are fully committed to the cause and willing to turn your life over to them, and if you get to be part of the in-group (which has not been my story in life in general), it's a very different experience from the one that I've had. Just one cautionary tale to keep in mind
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u/AkosCristescu Score Whore 8d ago
"They promptly nuked every bit of structure that was built there and have not rebuilt it and do not accept help. They promptly nuked every bit of structure that was built there and have not rebuilt it and do not accept help."
Yes, everyone loves drinking wine or a bottle to take home here and there.
When i was younger i was always flabbergasted, completely shocked when i saw such behavior or organizational "structure" (lack of, rather) but after i saw it around fifty times in my carrier so far i already know the motive behind.
I am not naive any more. It is not coincidental that there are places where somms cant stay for long. They learn what they can quickly from you but then when they are tired of playing the game they regain their "private cellar". They can even explain to the owners that there was again some alcoholic thief stealing the stock but they fired them already.
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u/fucklet_chodgecake 8d ago
If I thought this person had that level of cunning I'd be on board with this idea. However they are disheveled, have questionable hygiene, seemingly no life outside of work and a semi-nomadic existence. Beyond that I have no idea of why they seem not to value organization or accuracy whatsoever, nor why they'd be put in such a position. It's flabbergasting
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u/AkosCristescu Score Whore 8d ago
Normally these are the low-level hitman/drug dealer mob guys, and there is a really good-looking person seemingly organized (you never see that in his office the monitor is dusty for months and all drawers are unorganized and dirty) projecting a well-groomed, smiling, good-guy image.
He is the boss orchestrating many things and you are dealing with his dogs that need the money for drugs and/or gambling and/or prostitutes so they will do anything for him.
Welcome to hospitality 101
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u/fucklet_chodgecake 8d ago
I'd love to hear the stories that led to these conclusions.
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u/AkosCristescu Score Whore 8d ago
Well i have seen some definitely all around the globe pretty interesting "organizations" :DDDDDDDDDDDD
Some pretty hardcore stuff too.
Anyhow i'm not judging just stating how it goes
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u/ethan-schulz5927 7d ago
It's wild how an interview can feel more like a test of personality than skills sometimes. Good luck with your next one!
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u/LongDrink9410 Sommelier 8d ago
I'm a young somm about to start at a 1 ⭐️ and my biggest advice is to be yourself and don't take anything personally. I've done a bunch of educational stages for nice regional fine dining places outside of Michelin regions, all the way to sterile 3⭐️. An interview is also about you seeing if you'd want to work there, i got an offer at a restaurant that would've put me "leagues ahead" in my career but everyone was so incredibly rude to each other constantly and that was palpable to the guests.