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Uniforms are of the utmost importance in the world of hospitality as proven by their extensive history and continued prominence today. The 16th century seemed to see the origin of uniforms, as badges were worn by messengers to identify themselves and whom they served. Not only did it make them identifiable but it also validated them and instilled trust in those they came to deliver messages or goods to. At the same time in Greece, chefs being persecuted by the Byzantine Empire for the freedom of speech that was widespread in kitchens, disguised themselves as priests in the Orthodox monasteries in which they hid, and so took to wearing similar robes, including the famous toque, or chef’s hat. Tall hats continued to be worn in kitchens after being adopted by the Roman Empire and becoming a staple of a chef’s uniform. From the 18th century, servants donned clothing with the colors and crests of the families they served and unified dress became the standard for staff. After industrialization came the boom in hotels, restaurants and places of leisure, which saw suits being the standard uniform for staff to keep their appearance professional and very aesthetically pleasing for the caliber of guests who entered the premises.
Nowadays, these are all still valuable assets of uniforms. When you walk into any establishment, from hotel or restaurant to cafe, spa or casino, you want an instant positive first impression from the staff as much as from the decor and ambience. The uniform represents the brand to staff and guests and puts your customers at ease, knowing they are in a respectable and professional place. This can be considered a fantastic opportunity for free advertising as well as improving brand perception. Function, however, is equally as important as aesthetics when it comes to uniforms, as staff need to be able to perform their tasks as efficiently, easily and comfortably as possible, in every department.
Hospitality uniforms cover a range of areas as hospitality involves many different customer facing roles, as well as staff behind the scenes keeping everything running. A restaurant, for example, has head chefs and kitchen assistants, waiting staff, restaurant assistants and maitre d’s, as well as a sommelier and management. Each of these roles requires a different uniform to distinguish each team from another as well as establish a hierarchy for customers to know who to ask for assistance regarding different issues. Clothing items can include:
Cafes and bars will have similar requirements to that of restaurants, perhaps with the addition of polo shirts if the venue is more casual, or more formal cocktail dresses and suits for bar staff in luxurious brands. Casinos will likely have a similar wardrobe to that of luxury bars as they exude affluence and elegance and will require the uniforms of their staff to do the same. Capsule collections are often popular choices in casinos due to the variety of clothing items within the same color scheme and largely the same style. This gives each staff member the freedom to choose the items which they are most comfortable in as well as what fits their figures best, giving the uniform an extra level of elegance.
Hotel staff includes restaurant, bar and kitchen staff, with the addition of receptionists, housekeepers and engineers. Receptionists will be the first point of call for customers so they will need to be dressed very stylishly and presentably to deal with the majority of queries and any emergencies as well as providing a smiling, friendly welcome.
The priority for housekeepers is hygiene and comfort as they are moving more since the role is more manual, and cleaning different areas of the establishment requires a clean and neat uniform. Similarly, engineers will be fixing anything in the building that requires maintenance and so will need a uniform to be much more mobile than that of front of house staff. The additional uniforms include:
Staff in spas should look almost as pristine as clinicians to give the impression of cleanliness, professionalism and expertise. Their job is to relax clientele and assure them of the cleanliness and tranquility of the spa and their appearance should reflect this. Uniforms can include:
Footwear is not always part of the uniform, however generally in environments where hygiene is of the utmost importance such as in housekeeping, kitchens or spas, rubber footwear is provided so that it can be easily cleaned. However in most cases of customer-facing roles, shoes are not a part of the uniform, but there should be guidelines in place for staff to adhere to instead. Shoes should first and foremost be comfortable, as most roles involve a lot of standing and moving around to accompany guests or make the staff feel tended to. They also generally tend to be black but should adhere to the color scheme of the brand and uniform itself so as to fit appropriately with the aesthetic. Previously in some lines of work, women were required to wear heels, however this is not necessary in the modern day. While they can look wonderfully elegant, they’re not to everyone’s taste or level of comfort. Smart shoes such as brogues, loafers or ballet flats are equally as professional looking and enable more movement and comfort than the average pair of heels.
When choosing a uniform for your business, there are many different considerations to make, including the appearance of the uniform itself, the tasks each employee is required to perform in their uniform, their personal tastes and the awareness and perception of the brand itself, which all go hand-in-hand. Here, we go into the function of a uniform in four different sectors of hospitality.
Function of the uniform refers to many aspects that relate to the staff’s ability to perform their job to the best of their ability within their uniform. In restaurants, the waiting staff are very mobile so they will need uniforms that allow them freedom of movement while still being stylishly fitted, as well as breathable and using cooling fabrics to reduce sweating and body odor. They will also need dark fabrics to cover any stains that are caused by food or drink spills to avoid an untidy appearance or the need for regular changes of clothes. Patterned clothing can also be useful to hide stains which is why chef’s pants tend to be dogtooth or checked as food is easily spilled or splashed in kitchen environments. This might then seem contradictory to make chef’s jackets in white, however this is due to the heat in the kitchen that is better reflected by white clothing to keep the chefs cool and comfortable while they’re working. They also tend to be made from thick cotton to protect their skin from hot liquids being spilled or being burned from hot stoves. The clothes of restaurant employees will also need to be cleaned regularly due to the nature of some of the work so the fabrics used will have to be highly durable to enable them to be washed without becoming threadbare or losing their color.
Employees’ uniforms in spas will perform a different function, having to be flexible and breathable to allow for the intense movement of masseurs and other staff with very mobile work.
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Their uniforms should also be pale and calming in color and style; usually pastel colors, plain, non-patterned uniforms and simple cuts. Grandad collars or tunic style tops work well with their simplicity to present the image of cleanliness and serenity, with the added bonus that they don’t require ties that would get in the way of work. Short sleeves are more practical for work in spas, for manicures, pedicures and massages, for example, while soft, thin materials are quiet clothes; no one wants to hear annoying rustling while receiving a massage or treatment that they have gone for in order to relax.
In casinos, trust is the name of the game as people are potentially investing a lot of money in their entertainment, so staff need to be sleek, stylish and professional to put their customers at ease. Shorter sleeves or long-sleeved shirts without cuffe are preferential for croupiers as they want to maintain a good reputation for themselves as well as the casino, and don’t want to be accused of hiding cards or dice. Likewise, pants without pockets are beneficial to remove any additional hiding places. Cocktail waitresses are the epitome of glamor and their uniforms should reflect that. They should dazzle every customer and give the wearer pride in their appearance, but crucially they should also be comfortable. There’s plenty of walking involved in waiting tables and you want your staff to be as comfortable as possible on their feet to provide the best customer service imaginable.
Housekeeping uniforms, like spa uniforms, should be simple in their design to make them present an image of cleanliness to make customers feel that they are in a clean and safe environment, and be easy to wipe clean. They should match the color scheme of the brand where possible, although preferably in darker colors as navy blue and black tend to hide marks and stains better than lighter fabrics.
The fabric used has to be durable to undergo regular washing without ruining the material and necessitating a regular renewal of uniforms. They should also be able to endure any chemical spillages from cleaning products. Shoes can also be a uniform rubber shoe to make them easy to wipe clean from any spills.
Aesthetics refers to the overall appearance of the uniform and the staff members wearing it. The uniform needs to be aesthetically pleasing to staff as much as customers; customers wish to see a highly professional and presentable appearance from the staff that are tending to them in any hospitality environment and staff need to feel pride in their appearance in order to feel happy in their work. Staff satisfaction levels should be important to companies as it reduces employee turnover and improves customer service levels.
As appearance also denotes rank, kitchen assistants and restaurant assistants should have similar styles of uniform to waiting staff and chefs, although more subtle and understated to show the hierarchy of the teams. In other hospitality environments such as casinos, there are different departments all working together, so color coding departments can be beneficial to identify staff without imposing a rank.
Uniforms are a great way to advertise a brand to consumers. Even if your employees only wear their uniforms in their places of work rather than out in the street, it is still invaluable to have the brand’s colors and logo emblazoned in many different places in order to increase brand awareness. Your establishment should be unmistakable yours and a uniform is a great way of displaying that fact. According to marketing research, a customer should see a product or service seven times before making a purchase themselves, and this is also true of promoting a brand to clients. If they are well aware of it, they are much more likely to engage with your business.
Uniforms in the hospitality industry have many benefits for both customers and staff. It is not far-fetched to say that uniforms greatly affect the customer experience in several different ways. Allowing staff to be identifiable and giving them and the business prestige, are both crucial for all.
When staff wear uniforms they are instantly more easily identifiable than if they were adhering to a dress code. Having the brand’s colors and logo reflected on the uniform shows customers where they are and how the brand values the appearance they present to their clientele. If each team also wears a different uniform, this can help staff to understand who works in which team and so who can help them with their enquiries. This also goes for customers too. Like an army, uniforms represent togetherness and unite the team to achieve a common goal - customer satisfaction. But slight differences in style and perhaps color, also identifies rank. The height of a chef’s toque denotes rank in the kitchen, while the style of suit of the front of house staff can differentiate a receptionist from a general manager. If there is a situation that needs taking care of, a customer will want to speak to a person in the right department for assistance, since there is no use speaking to a chef about the wine being corked for example. In this way, customers can identify the right member of staff to speak to thanks to their uniform, in this case, the sommelier or restaurant manager. Team hierarchy is also important for health emergencies, as more senior staff members are usually better equipped to deal with such situations than those in more junior positions.
A uniform greatly improves the prestige of the brand itself. If it is satisfactorily smart and stylish, staff will be proud to work for their company due to the prestige of the brand. This pride then translates to excellent customer service as employees wish to perform their jobs to the best standard possible. Likewise, customers will be more inclined to engage with a brand that has prestige; if a company’s staff adhere to uniform rules, they are more likely to adhere to other rules whether it’s cleanliness or conduct. This endows a sense of trust in the company that the customer may not have if the staff are not in uniform.
Dress codes tend not to have the same prestige as a uniform due to the imbalance of clothing and styles worn which make the team appear disjointed. Where a dress code is in place, staff are responsible for choosing clothes from their own wardrobe that adhere to a certain color scheme. This enables many different styles of clothing and shades of usually dark colors to be worn which not only makes it more difficult to distinguish staff from customers, but worsens brand perception. While freedom of choice and expression may seem to be beneficial to employees on the surface, it often makes it more difficult as they have to decide what to wear each working day, maintain their own clothes to a high standard, and risk being berated for not adhering to the dress code properly.
