# Interview scorecard and reference check form for restaurant hiring (free template)

*Guides · Mays Team · June 6, 2026*

![Mays cover card: Interview scorecard and reference check form for restaurant hiring (free template) — Same questions, same scale, a reason for every decision](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/blog__interview-scorecard-reference-check-form-restaurant__cover.17b6b868af.png)

Most restaurant hiring decisions are made in the parking lot: "I liked her", "he seemed keen". A scorecard fixes that: the same questions in the same order for every candidate, one scale, and a reason written down at the time. Below are the scorecard, a reference check form, and the federal rules on questions, background checks and records. The questions for each job are in our **Hiring and training by role** series; for the whole process, start with [Hiring your first restaurant team](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-first-restaurant-team).

*This is general information, not legal advice. States and cities add their own rules on interview questions and background checks. Check yours.*

## The scale: 1 to 4, with anchors

Four points, so there's no middle score to hide in. The role posts score 1 to 3; either works if each role uses one scale every time.

| Score | What the answer sounds like |
| --- | --- |
| **4: Strong** | A specific example: what *they* did and how it turned out |
| **3: Meets** | A real example, mostly specific. Would do this well with normal training |
| **2: Partly** | General ("I always stay calm"), or the right idea with gaps |
| **1: Doesn't meet** | No example, a wrong answer on a safety point, or blames everyone else |

Score each answer right after it, with a few words of what they said.

## The interview scorecard

### Part A: header

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Candidate, role, location |  |
| Date and time |  |
| Interviewer(s) |  |

### Part B: must-haves (yes or no)

A "no" here ends the interview, whatever the rest would have scored.

| Must-have | Yes | No |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Available for the shifts we're hiring for (write them in, e.g. Sat and Sun 6 am to 2 pm) |  |  |
| Can start by (date) |  |  |
| Can do the essential duties, with or without an accommodation (e.g. lift a 30 lb case to a shelf) |  |  |
| Under 18? The hours we need fit the rules for their age |  |  |
| Has, or can get by the start date, any card the role needs |  |  |

Ask about the job, not their health: "Can you lift a 30-pound case onto a shelf?", not "Do you have a bad back?"

### Part C: core questions (every role)

| \# | Question | What a 4 sounds like | Score |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Tell me about a shift that went badly. What did you do? | Owns their part, specific, says what they'd do again |  |
| 2 | A guest is unhappy and there's a line behind them. Walk me through it. | Fixes it first, keeps the line moving, knows when to get a manager |  |
| 3 | What does a ready station look like at the end of your shift? | Restocked, labeled, wiped, nothing left for the next person |  |
| 4 | Tell me about a time you had to learn something fast at work. | How they learned it, who they asked, how they checked |  |
| 5 | What would you like to know about us? | Questions about the work and the team, not only the pay |  |

### Part D: role questions

Before the first interview, pick three questions from the role's post, add them to Part C as questions 6 to 8 (scored the same way), and use the same three for every candidate.

| Role | Questions and working interview |
| --- | --- |
| Barista | [Hiring a barista](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-a-barista-job-description-interview-training) |
| Line cook | [Hiring a line cook](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-a-line-cook-job-description-stage-station-training) |
| Dishwasher or porter | [Hiring a dishwasher or porter](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-a-dishwasher-porter-safety-training-closing-checklist) |
| Shift lead | [Hiring a shift lead](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-a-shift-lead-job-description-promotion-criteria) |
| Server or cashier | [Hiring servers and cashiers](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-servers-cashiers-pos-cash-allergen-training) |
| Prep cook | [Hiring a prep cook](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-a-prep-cook-knife-labeling-date-marking-prep-list) |

### Part E: working interview (finalists only)

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Date, start and end time, paid hours |  |
| Station or task, and who supervised |  |
| Score 1 to 4: follows instructions, speed, cleanliness, food safety, works with the team |  |

A working interview is work. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, to "employ" includes *"to suffer or permit to work."* ([29 CFR 785.6](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-B/part-785/subpart-A/section-785.6)). If they make drinks, cook, prep or wash, schedule it and pay at least the minimum wage.

### Part F: decision

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| All must-haves yes? | Yes / No |
| Core total (out of 20), role total (out of 12), working interview average |  |
| Decision | Hire / Second interview / Not this time |
| The reason, from the scores above |  |
| Signed and dated |  |

A 1 on a safety question can outweigh a strong total, but the reason should always point to the card.

## Using it fairly

- **Write the questions first,** and don't add new ones for one candidate.
- **Two interviewers score separately,** then compare the gaps, not who they liked.
- **Notes are about answers.** "Read the order back in sequence" belongs on the card. "Seemed young" or "has kids" doesn't.
- **Hiring a minor?** Their availability has to fit the hours their age allows. See the [Florida minors guide](https://www.mays.app/blog/florida-employing-minors-restaurant) or your state's page, such as [Texas](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-minors-restaurant-texas-2026).

## Questions to leave out

The [barista post](https://www.mays.app/blog/hiring-a-barista-job-description-interview-training) covers family, religion and health questions. Three more that come up:

- **Disability.** The EEOC says *"employers generally cannot ask disability-related questions or require medical examinations until after an applicant has been given a conditional job offer."* Before an offer, they *"may ask if the applicant will need an accommodation to perform a specific job duty"* ([EEOC: inquiries and disability](https://www.eeoc.gov/pre-employment-inquiries-and-disability)).
- **Citizenship.** *"Most employers should not ask whether or not a job applicant is a United States citizen before making an offer of employment."* ([EEOC: citizenship](https://www.eeoc.gov/pre-employment-inquiries-and-citizenship)). Work authorization is checked on the Form I-9 after the offer.
- **Photos.** The EEOC says *"employers should not ask for a photograph of an applicant."* ([EEOC: prohibited practices](https://www.eeoc.gov/prohibited-employment-policiespractices)). Take one for your systems after they've accepted the job.

## The reference check form

Only call references the candidate agrees to, and ask each one the same questions.

| Reference check |  |
| --- | --- |
| Candidate and role |  |
| Reference: name, company, their role, date reached |  |
| Candidate gave permission? | Yes / No |
| Dates worked and job title (confirm) |  |
| Main duties |  |
| How did they handle your busiest shifts? |  |
| How reliable were they about showing up on time? |  |
| What would you coach them on? |  |
| Would you rehire them? | Yes / No / Policy doesn't allow saying |
| Checked by, date |  |

**"Dates and title only" isn't a bad reference,** just a common policy. The off-limits topics apply here too: don't ask about health, family or age.

## Background checks through a company

If you use a screening company, the Fair Credit Reporting Act adds steps. The FTC and EEOC's joint guide says to tell the applicant you may use the report: *"This notice must be in writing and in a stand-alone format. The notice can't be in an employment application."* And *"Get the applicant's or employee's written permission to do the background check."*

If the report makes you lean toward no, you must first give them *"a notice that includes a copy of the consumer report you relied on to make your decision"* and *"A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act,"* so they can explain or correct it. And *"Apply the same standards to everyone"* ([FTC: Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/background-checks-what-employers-need-know)).

## Keep the paper

The same guide gives the EEOC's rule: records *"including all application forms, regardless of whether the applicant was hired, and other records related to hiring"* *"must be preserved for one year after the records were made, or after a personnel action was taken, whichever comes later."* Longer if a charge is filed.

Staple the scorecard and reference form to the application, lock them up, and shred them when the time is up.

## Where Mays fits

Mays doesn't do the hiring part: there's no applicant list, interview calendar, scorecard or reference check in it, so keep these forms in your own files. It takes over the day you say yes:

- **Add them** under **Locations & Users → Users → Add User**, with their **Hire date**. An employee gets a text with a link to the app. See [Add and invite team members](https://www.mays.app/help/team-roles/add-team-members).
- **Under 18?** Enter their **Date of birth**. Where the minors rules are on, Mays checks their scheduled hours. See [Scheduling minors](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/scheduling-minors).
- **Positions.** On their page, set the **Scheduling Positions** they'll work. See [Positions and wages](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/positions-and-wages).
- **Availability.** They send it from the app under **Schedule → Availability**. See [Setting your availability](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/set-your-availability).
- **Training.** A module assigned to a location, role or department reaches people who join it later, so a new hire sees it as soon as they're added. See [Assigning training](https://www.mays.app/help/knowledge-training/assign-training).

## Hire on the card, not the feeling

Write the questions first, score every answer on the same four points, check references the same way, and keep the reason with the application.

[**Start your free trial**](https://go.mays.app/register): 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or [book a walkthrough](https://www.mays.app/book?from=blog-interview-scorecard-reference-check-form-restaurant) and we'll set up your team, positions and new-hire training with you.

## Related help articles

- Team & roles: [Add and invite team members](https://www.mays.app/help/team-roles/add-team-members) — Add people on the web or from the app. Employees get a text with a link to the app; managers and admins get an email to set a password. Plus resending invites and checking delivery.
- Scheduling: [Positions and wages](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/positions-and-wages) — Create the jobs people work — Barista, Cashier, Line Cook — with a colour and a default hourly wage, give people their positions and pay, and see where Mays uses them.
- Scheduling: [Setting your availability](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/set-your-availability) — Tell your manager which days and hours you can work — as a weekly pattern, or for a date range — from the Availability screen in the Mays app.
- Knowledge & training: [Assigning training](https://www.mays.app/help/knowledge-training/assign-training) — Send a published training module to whole locations, roles, departments or single people, with an optional due date, then see who has taken it, their best score and every answer.
- Scheduling: [Scheduling minors](https://www.mays.app/help/scheduling/scheduling-minors) — Turn on work rules for minors at a location (part of Labor law compliance), and Mays checks the hours and times of anyone under 18 against federal and state law. You get warnings on the schedule, and the auto-scheduler stays inside the limits. Nothing is ever blocked.

Canonical: https://www.mays.app/blog/interview-scorecard-reference-check-form-restaurant