Dress to Impress in
Your Restaurant
by Paul Katsch
It's often been said that you need to
“dress as you want to be addressed”, and when it comes to your
wait staff this affects the way your whole brand is perceived. Some
restaurants opt for a mandatory uniform for all of their employees,
while others choose a less consistent attire. How do you make this
choice for your restaurant, and how does that affect your guest's
opinion of your establishment? The answer may differ by the style,
prestige, and location of your restaurant, but here are some things
to consider.
FUNCTIONALITY
- Name Tags: While you may not
see every waiter in a 5 star establishment with a name tag, in
general it's a great idea to differentiate your staff with a
professional name tag. One consideration is that this can make it
easier for your guests to identify their waiter, or another staff
member if they need assistance. It sets the mindset, “if they're
wearing a name tag, they work here.” Additionally, it makes it
easier for your guest to remember and address their server by name.
Hopefully this sparks an energized conversation and establishes a
relationship between your customers and wait staff, which encourages
repeat business.
-
Identifiable: Similar to name
tags, having a consistent style, color, or other commonality between
your staff makes it easier for your customers to identify them. If
there is too much variety, or the staff's attire doesn't stand out
from your customers', your customers may find it difficult to find
someone to help them. Depending on the busyness of the establishment,
your customers may find this very frustrating, and it could
negatively affect your repeat business.
MANDATORY & IDENTITICAL UNIFORMS
- Company Tops & Compliant
Bottoms: A common practice I've notice is for establishments to
issue a company shirt, while allowing the employees to purchase their
own bottoms such as a black or khaki pants. Depending on the style of
the restaurant, the shirts range from t-shirts to long-sleeved
collared shirts. One benefit of this is the ability to place your
company's logo on the shirt, or other marketing promotions and
featured products. Additionally, this is the easiest way to maintain
a close to identical appearance within your staff. However, there are
some problems to anticipate. The first is the cost associated with
ordering the shirts, and making sure your staff are properly
equipped, with a few stashed away in case of emergency. Some
establishments only issue one shirt, but in the mind of cleanliness
it would probably be best to provide them with a few alternates so
they have the time to clean them before their next shift.
Additionally, the quality and fit of the shirt is important to help
your staff maintain a well kept look. So maybe a uniform works for
you, but if it doesn't, what are your other options?
UNIFORM, BUT NOT IDENTICAL
- Pick a Color: If you decide
you're not going to use a uniform, I think the first thing to
consider is if you're going to have a mandatory color pairing, and
what color that will be. Some restaurants go for black as an easily
matched color, but depending on your restaurant this could add a
level of class or make it difficult for your patrons to spot your
staff. Other restaurants go with a bright color, like red, or the
company colors. In addition to the shirt, you should consider what is
acceptable for the bottoms. Traditionally, black and khaki are the
go-to colors as they are easy to find and match if you have a large
staff shopping for their work attire at a number of locations.
- Pick a Style: Again, it's very
important that your attire matches your company's intended branded
image. Some restaurants require collared long-sleeves and pants all
year round, while others vary depending on season, and others offer
more variety at the whim of the employees. In a casual dining
restaurant it may be adequate for your rustic BBQ to have your wait
staff in jeans, but in many establishments there's a “no-jean”
rule for staff. Will you require pants, or allow skirts? If you do
allow skirts, what is the minimum length? Or do you find cargo pants
more in line with your brand? With the top, will they be allowed to
wear a t-shirt, and if so will you mandate no logos or offensive
language/images? Will everyone be required to wear a collared
long-sleeve shirt, or would a collared short-sleeve suffice? Will
your female employees be able to wear business-casual blouses, and if
so what will be the company policy on the neckline? These are all
things you need to consider and evaluate. Not just from the
perspective of what your employees prefer, or how you'd like to
dress, but for your level of establishment is your professionalism
adequately being displayed?
Whereas it's not critical to have a
uniform in the formal sense of the word, uniformity is very important
for your brand image and your staff's easy identification. How do you
decide what your staff is allowed to wear?
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