I applied in-person. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Darden (Cincinnati, OH) in Jul 2011
Interview
Applications online, but definitely best to go in and make a good impression (do not call/come in during lunch or dinner rush, as that does not make managers very happy).
If contacted, first interview is short and mainly just to see if you are a well-functioning, normal member of society. If you pass, you get a second interview (if they really like you, you might just get hired after the first interview).
The second interview is longer with a sort of in-depth personality test (ex: "Is it ever ok to come into work late?").
Once hired, spend the first day watching videos and being tested over menu items (if a server), or other various things from the videos depending on the position.
Then comes a week of training with minimum wage pay, and after that, a regular schedule with a base pay of $4 an hour plus tips. My paychecks consistently even out to about $10 an hour.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"Why do you want to work here/what can you contribute to this team?" is always a hard one, I think, and it's one that you definitely have to think about and come up with a good, impressive answer for.