Basic Hiring Information
The standard mode for acquiring jobs at Cheddar's Casual Cafe locations includes one or two hiring sessions with a manager featuring 1:1 formats. The hiring process takes prospective associates through a brief series of interviews to determine eligibility. Each job interview ranges in length from 10 to 20 minutes and features a half-dozen or so questions. Hiring personnel speak very freely and candidly with applicants during the interview process. Workers often cite the process, as a whole, as simple and straightforward, even for managerial positions.
Interview Formats
A typical candidate spends about five days completing the Cheddar's Casual Cafe interview process. Entry-level applicants may spend as little as a day going through the required motions for employment consideration, while careers seekers looking for work as managers may take anywhere from three weeks to two months to finish out necessary interview steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Basic interview questions applicants face during hiring sessions include: "Why should we hire you?", "How would you describe yourself?", and "Do you feel like you're a strong fit with our company?"
How to Impress Hiring Personnel and Follow Up After Interviews
In order to make a strong impression, workers should take serious approaches to each interview and show a genuine desire to work for the restaurant chain. Cheddar's job interviews require applicants to wear at least dressier casual clothing. Full business attire may help cement serious intentions to work. Applicants should also readily provide information to hiring managers when asked. Maintain positive and personable traits during the interview process and ask questions to further show desires to join the restaurant chain. Most candidates receive notification of employment immediately upon finishing the final interview.
Cheddar’s Host Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Cheddar’s Host: I was a host at Cheddar’s and I received people and just sat them down wherever there were open chairs.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Cheddar’s Host: Work environment was fun. It was mostly more fun because of the employees. It was really fast pace whenever it got packed. I think overall it was pretty good work environment.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Cheddar’s Host: The people. That’s basically it. The food was discounted as well.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
Cheddar’s Host: Application was just walking in and getting an application, and then just turning it in. I got a call later like two days, and I went in for one interview and the interview process was pretty cool. The guy was really nice and I got hired.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
Cheddar’s Host: They mostly wanted to know if I had experience in talking with people, dealing with people because I am the front face of Cheddar’s when they walk in.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
Cheddar’s Host: I had previous work experience at restaurants.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Cheddar’s Host: Apply. Just go dressed casually and just be relaxed. The management where I worked was pretty relaxed and they just took me in.
Mike says:
Brace yourselves……I wrote a mini-novel. However, read this, absorb it, DO IT, and I almost guarantee you will land the job.
I saw on Craigslist that we had a brand new chain called Cheddar’s hiring for their grand opening. The ad said they were looking for a couple of hundred people, but had no phone number or application information.
I went to their web site, downloaded the application, and then typed in all of the information and printed out a few copies. I then updated my resume, printed out a couple of fresh copies, put both the resume and my application in a crisp, clean, new, yellow document folder.
Now mind you, I had no interview scheduled, I was just going there to drop off my application.
Before I left the house, I showered, shaved, PUT ON DEODORANT, put on CLEAN and PRESSED Dockers, a FRESHLY IRONED dress shirt, clean leather shoes and matching socks. I did not wear a coat and a tie because I was only dropping off the application. However, I wanted to show them that I thought they were worth at least cleaning up for.
When I walked in the door, there were perhaps 30 people in the restaurant and filling out applications grabbed from a stack on the Hostess stand. Just about all of them were dressed as if they just rolled out of bed, were on their way to the beach, took a break from an all-night kegger, or deliberately dressed like a homeless heroin addict hoping NOT to get hired so they could stay on unemployment.
The greeter asked me if I was there to fill out an application. She was mildly shocked when I handed her the CLEAN, yellow envelope with my typed, pre-completed application and resume inside, and with a smile and a friendly wink and said “already did”.
She immediately went to the back with my information. Within two minutes, I was called out first of all the people who were already there BEFORE I arrived. I was taken to a booth where a manager was conducting interviews. He said “First, thank you for typing this and making it easy for me. I usually have to ask so many people what they wrote because I couldn’t interpret their handwriting”. He then asked me the usual questions and within 5 minutes said he thought I would make for a great fit for their new business.
He said “I would like to schedule a second interview for you with our GM on Tuesday at 2:15. Is that okay with you?” I said “Whatever time is most convenient for the GM would be fine with me.”
On Tuesday, I arrived at 2:00pm, intoduced myself to the greeter, and made sure I brought ANOTHER typed application and resume for the GM.
This wasn’t asked of me or any other applicant, I just did it as a courtesy.
Even though on the first visit I had seen every other applicant wearing shorts, sandals, dirty jeans, or worse, I raised the bar for myself and dressed as if I had an interview with the GM because I DID! Black dress pants,crisp white long-sleeve shirt, black socks and shined black dress shoes. Still no jacket or tie, because it is a casual workplace, but classy-casual, not “Logan’s Roadhouse” casual. I didn’t want to go overboard.
This meeting was supposed to be the most difficult part of the process, the part where they make their decision about MY future. The GM came out, I looked him straight in the eyes, and introduced myself while I FIRMLY shook his hand. I said “George, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me”.
We sat down at a booth. I handed him the envelope containing the second copy of my application and resume, things I knew he already had with him, but this simple show of respect and courtesy was the clincher.
There was no interview. He asked me ONE simple question. “What position would you like?” I answered “Sir, whichever position you think would best suit your operation. Just know that regardless of my job title, I will always lend a hand wherever I am needed, usually without even being asked.”
I started today.
Now please understand that I am not Superman, the Bionic Man, Ironman, or even Ironman II. I only have a high school diploma,
so I know I’m going to be competing with people who have college degrees. I need to use every advantage I can think of to make me stand out above the hundreds of other applicants.
I was hired ON THE SPOT because I took the time to show them how serious I was about working there. I did this by arriving early, using their names when responding, being attentive, making my application and resume look professional, by bathing, ironing my clothes, and not acting like I had to be somewhere else in 10 minutes.
You don’t need to wear a tux, you don’t need a PhD, and you don’t need to arrive 2 hours early. You especially don’t need to act like a kiss-up. Showing respect is NOT “kissing up”. People who are kiss-ups have no respect and employers can recognize a phony in an instant. If you approach the process casually, then your resume, education, and job experience mean absolute squat.
Remember, folks. You are asking these people to entrust you with their business. You are asking them to trust you and in return provide you with a means to feed yourself and your family, put a roof over your head, gas in the tank, and whatever else it takes to live.
I didn’t do anything special but approach the application process like a person who REALLY wanted to work there. My potential bosses used my approach as a barometer of how I will act as an employee.
If you dress like a slob, act lazy, arrive late, hand in dirty, messy application, then you just told the potential employer what kind of worker you are…..a late, lazy slob who doesn’t care about his work or the people who pay him.
Would YOU hire that man or woman? Neither would your boss…….
Juan Romero says:
Very helpful. I have a second interview with the gm today and didnt know whether or not to wear slacks and a white long sleeve, but after reading this I feel confident its appropriate. Thank you