Making the Most of Restaurant Uniforms

Use food service uniforms to instill a sense of pride in your employees

The majority of restaurants require their employees to wear approved restaurant uniforms. These restaurant uniforms, including waitstaff uniforms and chef uniforms, make it easy for guests to identify staff. They can also help distinguish an employee’s position in the company as well as her seniority.

Making the most of restaurant uniforms means making the uniforms work for your business. Consider these suggestions when purchasing uniforms or implementing uniform changes in your restaurant:

1. Make it easy for restaurant and staff to distinguish an employee’s job duties by using varied restaurant uniforms.

2. Vary the restaurant clothing according to seniority or rank.

3. Consider using special restaurant clothes to mark special occasions.

 

Use restaurant uniforms to distinguish job titles or job locations

If you own or manage a large restaurant or a very busy restaurant, you may have difficulty remembering what employees were hired for what position. You can make it easy for you and your staff, as well as customers, to tell what employees are doing what job by having employees wear varying uniforms. For example, cooks can wear one style of uniform, such as a chef hat or jacket, you can have waitress uniforms and host uniforms. Another option is to have the front of the house staff wear a certain color or style uniform, while back of the house staff wears a different uniform or color.
Try: Uniform Warehouse has a varied selection of restaurant clothing, including uniforms appropriate for various jobs in the restaurant. This company offers low prices and discounted shipping options. LogoSportswear.com has an easy to navigate website that makes it easy to find restaurant uniforms suitable for your business.

Instill pride in employees who advance by using restaurant uniforms to distinguish rank

An employee who get a promotion usually wants to spread the word. Encourage them to do this in an appropriate way by using restaurant uniforms to distinguish job rank. For example, new chefs could wear red chef hats, fully trained chefs could wear black chef hats and chef trainers could wear white chef hats. This same idea can apply for the uniforms for other positions. Another idea is to add an embellishment, such as embroidering a star on a uniform with each increase in rank for an employee.
Try: AllHeartChefs.com and Wait Stuff have uniforms, including chef hats and waiter uniforms, for restaurants. Many of the items are available in multiple colors or patterns to make it easy for you order coordinating, yet different uniforms for your restaurant. AllHeartChefs.com offers embroidery on some items.

Recognize special events with special restaurant uniforms

You can show that you care about your employees by providing them with a special uniform to wear on special days. For example, you could give employees a special apron or shirt to wear on their birthday or the day closest to it that they work. Another idea is to order a special uniform for restaurant employees to wear on a holiday or on game days for a local college or professional sports team.
Try: Zazzle has polo shirts, t-shirts and Oxford shirts that you can customize and offer to employees to mark special occasions. This company offers quantity discounts, but there isn't a minimum order quantity. Queensboro offers a varied selection of fully customizable items, including uniform shirts. This company has a low minimum quantity and no set up fees.

 

• Order more restaurant uniforms than you think you will need. This allows you to keep some extras on hand in case an employee needs to change his uniform during his shift, such as if he spills something on his shirt.

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