What would you tell the shift lead about the allergy?
Report what the guest said and keep the dish on hold for the shift lead.
The question
You serve tables at a restaurant in England. Before you send an order to the kitchen, a guest at table 12 says they have a sesame allergy and asks about a dish.
The shift lead owns the conversation about allergen information. The restaurant has a written record for the lead to check.
“What would you report to the shift lead, and what would you tell the guest while they wait?”
Not saved by this site. Your browser may restore text when you navigate back.
A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: Record what the guest said
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Report the table, dish and stated sesame allergy to the shift lead.
The strong move. The handoff identifies the guest’s stated concern and the dish that needs review.
Tell the lead only that the guest has a dietary question.
Tempting, but it misses something. The lead needs the stated allergy and the dish to understand the open question.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d tell the lead that the guest at table 12 reported a sesame allergy and asked about this dish. I’d leave the dish on hold.”
Why it works: The handoff identifies the guest’s stated concern and the dish that needs review.
Step 2: Bring the record to the lead
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Give the lead the record and tell the guest who is checking it.
The strong move. The lead owns the review. The guest hears who is checking the question.
Say the record settles the question before the lead has checked it.
Tempting, but it misses something. The lead still has to confirm whether the written record applies to this dish.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d bring the written record to the shift lead. I’d tell the guest, “Our shift lead is checking what information we have for that dish.””
Why it works: The lead owns the review. The guest hears who is checking the question.
Step 3: Report the gap
The shift lead finds a supplier substitution. The written record does not cover the substitute, so the lead cannot verify the information for this dish.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Keep the dish on hold and hand the information gap to the shift lead.
The strong move. The lead has an open question about the information for that dish.
Release the hold using the existing record.
Tempting, but it misses something. The record covers the earlier component. It leaves the current component unverified.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d confirm that the dish stays off the order. I’d ask the shift lead to explain that the current record does not cover the substitution and take over the conversation.”
Why it works: The lead has an open question about the information for that dish.
Step 4: Hand over the open status
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Record the held dish and name the shift lead as owner.
The strong move. The next staff member can see what is on hold and who has the question.
Treat the question as closed after you report it.
Tempting, but it misses something. The lead still owes the guest a conversation and the dish remains on hold.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d record table 12, the guest’s stated allergy, the gap and that the dish stays on hold. I’d name the shift lead as owner and tell the guest the lead will speak with them.”
Why it works: The next staff member can see what is on hold and who has the question.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Keep the dish off the order and give the shift lead the open question.
- Because
- The lead cannot verify the written information for the substitute.
- What would change it
- If the lead later verifies the current information, give the lead the guest’s original question so they can follow up.
Common traps
- Losing the guest’s stated allergy in the handoff.
- Treating an old record as current after a substitution.
Check your answer
- I reported the table, dish and stated allergy.
- I identified who owns the question.
- I held the dish when the record had a gap.
- I recorded the status and owner.
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026