 Restaurant Uniforms allow your employees to be walking brand representatives for your restaurant.
In a world with restaurants on every street corner, it’s
essential to distinguish your restaurant from the competition. Branding
every element of your operation is key to creating an image that stands
apart from the crowd.
Every point that guests come into contact with your restaurant
is an opportunity for branding, and restaurant uniforms are no
exception.
The servers at Johnny Rockets wear retro white uniforms and
black bow ties that reflect the restaurant’s 50’s theme. At
SONIC, servers deliver meals to guests on roller skates to create the
feel of a classic drive-in. Branded restaurant uniforms such as these
will not only compliment your restaurant’s atmosphere, but also
contribute to it and reinforce it in the minds of your consumers.
Your staff helps to create an enjoyable experience for guests
and what they wear can affect the way guests judge them and the
experience they deliver.
A restaurant with a fun and kooky atmosphere may have restaurant
uniforms with bright colors and crazy patterns, whereas a quiet,
fine-dining restaurant may opt to dress servers in plain and serious
tuxedos-like uniforms to create a more upscale or formal look.
When designed with branding in mind, a restaurant’s uniforms
will blend seamlessly with its atmosphere and would look completely out
of place in any other restaurant.
At El Shrimp Bucket, a quick-casual seafood restaurant chain
owned by Mexico’s largest restaurant company, Grupo Anderson’s, the
entire restaurant replicates a sea-worn shrimp boat. To compliment
their surroundings, the staff dresses sailor outfits for their
restaurant uniforms. Because these uniforms are designed specifically
for El Shrimp Bucket, they wouldn’t work anywhere else, even in another
seafood restaurant.
When designing your restaurant uniforms, think of the process as
if you’re creating your brand’s own clothing line. If your
restaurant had a personality, what would it be? How would it
dress? Dress your employees the way you would dress your restaurant if
you could.
Also, keep comfort in mind. Your staff is always on the move, so
you should make sure that they are comfortable. Light fabrics,
such as cotton, will make it easy for them to move around and stay cool.
Comfort was a big factor for Po’ Boys Creole Café, a
Florida-based chain, when it released new restaurant uniforms for its
female and male service staff, as well back-of-the-house employees.
Now the service staff wears T-shirts and khaki cargo shorts, and
the kitchen staff wears cool pants and T-shirts, rather than chef
coats, which can become extremely hot. The new uniforms resemble the
relaxed style of “casual luxury" retailers Abercrombie & Fitch and
Hollister. Not only are they comfortable for employees, but they
contribute to Po’ Boys’ laid-back atmosphere.
Restaurant uniforms can be a great way to enforce branding
strategies for your restaurant. By choosing uniforms that are cohesive
with your brand and unique to your restaurant, you can enhance the
overall experience that guests will receive when they dine at your
establishment.
|
