Neglecting the importance of a well designed, stylish uniform is one of the biggest pitfalls of hospitality businesses. With new venues opening in already well-established areas, business owners need to be refining every element of their service and presentation. Including their corporate uniform!
Keeping up with workwear style and trends can be overwhelming, but with this simple guide, you’ll be creating a successful custom uniform in no time!
Reflect your brand
Style – Your corporate uniform must reflect the nature of your business. Do you run a casual restaurant, a hipster cafe or a high-end bar? This will affect the style of your uniform.
More professional settings will require a clean and conservative style, so you can’t go astray with pants and a waistcoat. If it is a more relaxed venue, a casual get-up is more appropriate. If you choose to go with a T-shirt, ensure you use high-quality fabrics so they stay neat and clean. If your business is somewhere in between, why not try a polo shirt? This just tells a customer that your business is of a professional standard whilst also being friendly and relaxed.
Colours – The colour of your uniform sends messages to customers, whether you like it or not. This means that choosing the right scheme is of great importance. Darker colours tend to be more professional, versatile and easiest to accessorise. These include black, white, navy and beige. As an added bonus, these colours tend to be the easiest to keep clean!
However, if you own a bold business that really wants to say something, consider some more vibrant complementary colours. For example, purple and yellow or blue and red are very recognisable and will stick in your customer’s mind. These brighter schemes are good for more casual businesses.
Think Practically
Keep it cool – Hospitality staff spend a lot of time running around serving customers, and their uniform needs to support them in this. For this reason, we recommend choosing to use cotton or viscose in your corporate uniform. Both materials breath and absorb sweat, making your employees and customers more comfortable. There is nothing worse than a nylon uniform that clings to the worker’s body. Workwear should be cool and comfortable, as well as presentable.
Keep it comfortable – Remember that restrictive clothing may actually destroy productivity in the workplace. If hospitality workers are not free to move quickly, meals are cooked slower, food arrives at the table late and customers become agitated at the delay. Putting your staff in a suit may look good, but remember it might not be worth it.
Accessorise
Aprons – These may seem like a mere practical necessity, but aprons are currently very fashionable in the hospitality industry. Any customer service staff that you have could do with an apron. It adds authenticity to your corporate uniform and provides a fantastic opportunity for branding embroidered on the front.
Hats – Chef hats may be a cliche, but they really add to the uniform of your kitchen staff. Firstly, hats are a great way of ensuring that your kitchen achieves higher sanitary standard reasons without relying on ugly hair nets. Like the aprons, they can also clearly convey the company logo, extending your brand into the kitchen.
