The Art of Mastering Restaurant Uniforms
Back in 2000 when Peter Handscomb decided to open Flava Bar on the outskirts of Chicago, it wasn’t just the colorful drinks and cocktails he reinvented for his customers, but a culture with its unique rules and regulations.
Handscomb followed a simple theory of introducing fashion and fauna in the food, theme, and the restaurants. And just like his restaurant’s name, he did amazingly well in the food chain market. Over the years, restaurants transformed into something else.
The waiters and bartenders changed their way of serving wearing custom waitstaff uniforms with those conventional dresses became an old thing. Of course, a lot of restaurants still follow through, but for many, outfitting the staff in fashionable uniforms became a thing.
Today, as the serving culture has become more relaxed and laidback, the bartenders have loosened up a little in terms of dressing, and wear whatever they want. From Hawaiian shirts to button down dress shirts, a lot is happening in various restaurants.
But if you are not a fan of casual clothing, and you don’t feel like selecting the usual restaurant styles related with restaurants, many of the restaurants of today are creating new and practical uniforms for their workers thereby increasing their brand visibility and public image. From colorful fedora hats to branded shirts, they are doing everything as they please.
So how does a restaurant design and think of uniforms for its workers? The real question is are restaurant owners bringing in new concepts or cultivating an old one? We surveyed many fancy restaurants, questioned many restaurant owners, their chef and bartenders to find the answers.
1. Bring a classic fashion back in style
Michael Briggs, a chef at a local restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota believes that by introducing classic fashion trends, you can create a spark among the diners and establish a brand that people will remember for a long time.
Jennifer Crawley, a restaurant manager from Portland, Oregon says that she choose uniforms as a means to update the conventional restaurant uniforms while making adjustments and making it modern.
Many designers are now creating uniforms for restaurants and jumpsuits are the new normal. Restaurants these days carefully follow the fashion trends and incorporate something that connects well with the audience of today.
Additionally, these restaurants work well with the theme and bring out a more relaxed classic restaurant feel with a dash of a modern look.
2. Serenity is important
There are multiple restaurants that play around with a particular theme, while there are many others that play around the geography. At a high-end restaurant/bar in Tampa, Florida, there is a restaurant that caters both market.
The restaurant is following an 18th century theme while dressing their staff in colorful uniforms. The colors for the uniforms are designed in such a clever manner that they define the downtown culture of Tampa, while its fabric and its aesthetics speak of the climate of the Florida region.
Manager Mathew Anderson believes that themed-uniforms add cheer and playfulness of the restaurant while being creative. This is something that the restaurants should follow if they want more customers to notice their restaurant.
3. Go casual but never out of style
I remember when I was on a holiday trip to France, I visited a restaurant which was famous for its pastries. France has a rich culture in arts and the restaurant was prominent for its décor and its chef wearing casual uniforms.
For a minute I was a little shocked but later got to know that casual uniforms are a new norm for chefs in France. Together with custom chef aprons, custom chef jackets, these uniforms are comfortable, and help the chefs prepare the food with ease.
If you are rooting for something similar, there are many brands that offer casual uniforms at the most reasonable prices possible. Together with your business logo, you too can create uniforms that your customers would like and will help in creating an impression.
Ending note
So these are some of the examples of restaurants endorsing classic fashion styles with a modern twist. All of these uniforms that I visited have a great following and their staff looks and dresses well to the occasion. It doesn’t matter what you are choosing for your staff. Choose something that they are comfortable with, alongside your business theme. Don’t go over the board if you think it is too much. Keep it simple, and keep it creative.
