Uniforms: How to choose what your staff should wear

All being well, more than two dozen other “country premium” sites, as Fuller’s calls them, will follow in the next six months.

“There are several reasons why we’re doing this,” says Balthazard. “We’re providing them a uniform so they don’t have to wear their own clothes at work. There’s a unifying element, too – it’s about team spirit. And in these sites, we do a lot of food, so it’s really useful for customers to be able to identify who works there when staff are out on the floor.”

The uniform itself will consist of a short-sleeved, crease-free shirt and an apron, which will have the logo of the pub in question on the left-hand side. Staff will wear their own shoes and trousers.

Balthazard says she can envisage more down-to-earth properties returning to uniforms, too. “I think it’ll work in our more wet-led village pubs, too,” she says. “It’s a good way to set out your ethos. I used to be a bartender and a waitress back in the day and it does give you that sense of being part of a team.”

What to wear in the kitchen

What chefs wear is becoming just as important as front of house uniforms, according to Simon Britten, head of marketing at Lockhart Catering Equipment. He suggests Lafont chef attire. “With open kitchens gaining popularity, workwear has never been more in the spotlight,” he says. “Operators must choose something that is smart and stylish, yet also practical.”

Chef clothing manufacturer Oliver Harvey is focused on quality, according to marketing executive Matt Connor. “In today’s catering industry, chefs are demanding more from their uniforms, seeking comfort, functionality and style,” he says. “By blending British craftsmanship with modern design, we ensure our chefswear meets these evolving needs. Each piece is thoughtfully crafted, rigorously tested and continuously refined based on real feedback from chefs.”

Future-proof your staff uniform

Hospitality becomes more focused on sustainability by the day, and that’s as true of clothing as anything else. It’s an area in which Britain as a whole has much improving to do: British consumers discard approximately 3.1kg of textiles per person each year – of which 1.7kg finds its way straight into landfills. Consumers also want businesses to do better: a 2023 survey from YouGov found that 82% of consumers felt businesses had a responsibility towards the environment and 75% were willing to pay more for sustainable products and services.

Beat Concepts, which supplies uniforms to companies including Yo! Sushi, Deliveroo and Odeon Cinemas, is keen to rise to the challenge, by using sustainable materials such as organic cotton, Tencel or regenerated fibres. “The size of the problem facing the industry is enormous, yet little attention is paid to the solutions,” says chief executive Matthew Davies-Benjamin.

“Luckily, the growing prevalence of things like environmental, social and governance scores is shifting issues such as these to the forefront of priorities. But, without clear, sustainable options, many businesses are left feeling a little lost as to where to start.

"At Beat Concepts, that’s just what we set out to do. We make sustainable, carbon-neutral, professional uniforms ‘the norm’, and so far, bars, restaurants, hotels and others up and down the UK are more than impressed with the results.”

Tibard is equally focused on sustainability, having this year released an eco range of chefswear and aprons. “This project [has been] years in development,” says Tibard’s Ben Monks. “We’ve evaluated hundreds of different fabric types and compositions to ensure that not only our new range has the highest environmental credentials but also delivers the same quality and consistency of our current chefs’ uniforms.”

The new range includes two chef jackets (long and short sleeve), a bib apron and a chef trouser, which have all been made with 65% recycled polyester and 35% BCI cotton, both sustainable options – and tough, too. “We know that [these garments] still have to perform for your chefs, and they certainly do!” adds Monks. “They can withstand commercial laundering to HSE guidelines of up to 65°C washes and the fabric blend used does not pill or fray any more than our current range under normal circumstances.”

Suppliers

Beat Concepts www.beatconcepts.co.uk

Lockhart Catering Equipment www.lockhart.co.uk

Oliver Harvey Chef Wear www.oliverharvey.co.uk

Tibard www.tibard.co.uk

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