Why You Must Send a Restaurant Manager Interview Thank You Letter

After the first interview with a prospective restaurant, always write a thank you letter, or thank you email, to make it known to the hiring manager that you are indeed interested. In fact, some restaurant concepts think less of those interviewees who fail to follow-up promptly. Send out your thank you within twenty-four hours after your interview.

You can also look at your thank you letter/email as a follow-up “sales” letter. In other words, you can use it as an opportunity to restate why you want the job, what your qualifications are, how you will make significant contributions, etc. The thank you letter is also a great opportunity to cover anything of importance that the hiring manager neglected to ask or that you neglected to answer as thoroughly as you would have liked.

With this being said, a thank you letter is only as impressive as its message and grammar and spelling. Take just a moment and use spell-check to insure accuracy. If in doubt about the correct names, spellings or titles of your interviewer, call the store to double-check or better yet, get their business card. Your efforts will be worth it!

Below is a thank you letter template you can use to create your own thank you letter, offering suggestions for what to write where. Following that is a sample thank you letter that puts the template into practice. Remember, set yourself apart from the other restaurant manager candidates and get that thank you letter or email out!

Thank You Letter Template:

Dear Mr. /Ms. Last Name:
Use the first paragraph to thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you. Mention your interest in the job and how enthusiastic you are about it.

The second paragraph of your thank you letter should include the reasons why you are an excellent candidate for the job. List specific skills that relate to the job you interviewed for. The more detailed you are, the more the interviewer will know about your qualifications.

The third paragraph (optional) can be used to mention anything that you didn’t bring up at the interview that you’d like the employer to know.

This gives you another chance to make a good impression, especially if you remembered something you should have said after the interview.

In your closing paragraph, reiterate your appreciation for being considered for the job and let the interviewer know you are looking forward to hearing from him or her soon.

Sincerely, Your Signature Your Typed Name
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Thank You Letter Sample

Dear (Mr. Weatherby),

Thank you for taking the time to discuss the (kitchen manager) position at (restaurant concept) with me. After meeting with you and observing the company’s operations, I am further convinced that my background and skills coincide well with your needs. I really appreciate that you took the time to acquaint me with the company. I feel I could learn a great deal from you and would certainly enjoy working with you.

In addition to my qualifications and experience, I will bring excellent work habits and judgment to this position. With the countless demands on your time, I am sure that you require people who can be trusted to carry out their responsibilities with minimal supervision.

Also, I wanted to make sure you were aware that I am very interested in continuing the strong tradition that (restaurant concept) has in its community involvement. I feel that is very important for a concept to participate in and I’m not sure if I mentioned that during our meeting.

I look forward, (Mr. Weatherby), to hearing from you concerning your hiring decision. Again, thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

John Oakley
503-555-0303