Dress for Success: Consider Style & Comfort When Selecting Server Uniforms

Many restaurateurs see their restaurants as an ongoing dramatic (and sometimes comedic) play. Every day the curtain goes up at your restaurant for a spectacular show. The ambience you create through your selection of furniture, lighting and decorations is the scenery.

The servers and staff are the actors. Your customers are the audience. As the restaurant owner, you are the producer and director. And, to complete the metaphor, the uniforms your staff wears are the costumes.

Server dress is an important component of your restaurant's concept. The servers and their assistants are the most visible segment of your staff so you'll want to spend some time deciding how they will look best. As part of creating a total experience in your restaurant, all the elements of your restaurant must complement each other. The menus match the décor. The artwork goes with the furniture. The table linens (or absence of table linens), the china, and the glassware all contribute to the concept of your house. So must your servers' uniforms.

What we thought looked cute, they thought looked demeaning.

The first step in uniform selection, says Robert Nyman whose Nyman Group Ltd. advises restaurants on uniforms, concept, and operations, is "Think about the image of the restaurant -- what you're trying to show your customers. That will give you a good idea of the style and level of uniforms." An informal beach restaurant has a look totally different from a classic French bistro. An upscale steakhouse will want to portray an image different from a family-friendly pasta shop.

When it comes to uniforms, Nyman says, "There's no set standard." Think of uniforms as part of the "stage set" of your restaurant, and you will make more informed decisions as to what your servers should wear. Before you start looking through catalogs or examining fabric swatches, though, there are underlying factors that are crucial in your ultimate choice. As you think about what uniform will complement the other aspects of your restaurant, keep these functional features clearly in mind.