By Julia Nikolaus, Contributor
If you work in the restaurant industry, you may be one of those firm believers who thinks their culinary craft comes above all else — including your appearance. While there may be some truth to this, looking the part makes a statement before anyone’s fork ever touches your food. That’s why it is essential to put forth an image that sends the right message to your guests and team.
When it comes time to shop for uniforms for you and your team to wear daily, there are some important factors you’ll want to consider. With over 600,000 restaurants in the U.S., standing out is key. However, comfortable kitchen attire that helps you and your team perform better and stay protected is just as crucial. Finding a kitchen uniform that checks off all the boxes isn’t as hard as you might initially think.
Here are some questions you’ll want to ask yourself that will help you in choosing the right uniforms for you and your team:
How Can My Kitchen Staff Uniform Represent Our Brand’s Message?
As with any business, the way your staff looks conveys a message to your customers. Think about the message you want your restaurant's brand to convey and how that can be reflected through your uniforms. For instance, if you’re running a bustling food truck with a more laid-back, casual vibe, comfortable kitchen attire like a branded tee and weathered jeans might be what makes sense. However, if you’re working in an upscale restaurant seeking to attract more high-end clientele, you and your team should dress to impress with more formal-like uniforms.
Some Things to Consider:
Crisp and clean or casual and neat? Believe it or not, it is possible to rock a more laid-back uniform that still looks neat and cohesive. Think about the tone you’re looking to set and go from there.
Dark colors wear better. Not only do dark colors look more professional, but they’re easier to accessorize and keep clean. This makes shopping for shoes and other accessories less taxing.
Vibrant colors pop. While darker colors are said to be more professional, bright colors are attention-grabbers. For the right restaurant or bar with a certain vibe, vibrant colors can be fun to incorporate into your staff’s comfortable kitchen attire.
How Much Room is There for Personal Expression?
Speaking of representing your brand’s message, something else you may want to factor in is how to fuse your team’s uniform with each individual’s personal style. Some venues are more rigid when it comes to their dress code than others. Consider how much room you and your team have to tie in personal flair. Think about visible tattoos and piercings, vivid hair colors and nails, flashy jewelry, and so on — do these means of expression coincide with your overall brand or disrupt it?
Some Things to Consider:
Allowing personal expression can motivate your team. Allowing authentic self-expression at work can make for professional and comfortable kitchen attire that doesn’t require any special adjustments. Not having to worry about covering up tattoos or styling their hair in certain ways can be an attractive incentive.
Limiting personal expression does not mean you’re against personal expression. It’s always nice when a workplace gives you free rein to express your personal style. Unfortunately, that type of expression just doesn’t fit organically within every organization. For example, a high-end steakhouse or catering business might be a little more restrictive when it comes to showcasing personal style — and that’s okay.
Fusing personal style with uniforms can help you feel more genuine to your customers. Kitchen attire can be comfortable, professional, and connect with your audience. According to a 2019 poll, over 30% of Americans have at least one tattoo. For many people, tattoos tell their story. Chefs and restaurant staff are no different — allowing them to rock their ink or epic beards might make your customers feel more personally connected with them.
How Do Uniforms Enhance Performance?
Looking as good as the food you cook is only half the battle. Keep comfort and performance in mind when designing your back-of-house uniforms.
For example, you might be leaning towards dark collared, button-down shirts and chinos for your restaurant staff. That may look good in theory, but is it practical and comfortable kitchen attire? Working a hot kitchen in stiff, long-sleeve fabric that doesn’t move with you or offer protection from the elements hinders performance. As far as practicality goes, a comfortable and trendy chef coat that sports your restaurant’s logo makes much more sense for functionality and looks equally (if not more) professional.
Some Things to Consider:
Function. We just touched on this, but it bears repeating. Keep the environment of your restaurant in mind when designing your uniform. Does it look good and protect the wearer? Does it offer storage? Durability? How does it handle spills? Is it adjustable? These are features that make professional kitchen attire comfortable and efficient.
Front-of-house vs. back-of-house. Keeping in mind the differences between front-of-house and back-of-house workers, choose uniform designs that encompass what both do. Front-of-house staff like servers, hosts, bartenders, or bussers need to be comfortable while also clean and crisp. Back-of-house staff like chefs, line cooks, dish-washers, or maintenance staff need uniforms that keep them safe, move with them, and look professional — especially in open-view kitchens.
How Do Uniforms Encourage Team Unity?
Creating uniformed kitchen attire that is comfortable, professional, and stylish does more than make you look like a team. The right uniform instills unity and enhances confidence. It serves as a visual reminder that everyone is working towards the same goal — to create a positive experience for all customers.
Some things to consider:
Gauge your team’s feedback. Before committing to a uniform, talk to your team about what they’d like to see in their uniforms that would help them perform better and have a better experience at work. Take their thoughts into consideration when designing your uniforms.
Consider offering different variations. Depending on the brand's overall aesthetic, allowing your team to choose from different variations of the same uniform might make for more comfortable kitchen attire. For instance, a bartender may feel more comfortable in a work shirt than an apron.
Look Good, Feel Good
Looking as good as the food you cook is easy — doing it while rockin’ a uniform that makes you a better chef is another story. Choosing the right uniform for your brand requires research, planning, and deliberation. If you keep these factors in mind when designing your kitchen’s apparel, you and your team will be set on a path for success.
