There’s no denying that the staff appearance in restaurants is important. Uniforms create a professional environment and inspire customer confidence which is perfect for your business success. Speaking of uniforms, one of the most commonly used types of staff uniforms in restaurants is aprons. They’re unique-looking types of restaurant and kitchen uniforms that have one purpose and that’s to protect the person’s clothes from stains and spills. On the other hand, wearing aprons is extremely hygienic since they can also prevent possible germs and bacteria from staff’s clothes to come in contact with the food. Nowadays, their choice is huge and all of them allow being personalised to deliver uniqueness and style.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Aprons Used In Restaurants
Bib
The bib cover is the most classic and commonly used type of apron for restaurant and home use. It’s well-known for its neck strap or loop that goes over the neck. Uniform covers of this kind also have waist ties that are designed to secure at the back. The bib apron is also known as the chef apron and it’s designed to provide full body coverage. The bib apron for restaurant provides maximum comfort and durability without compromising the rest of the staff’s uniform. Usually, these aprons are worn by chefs, cooks, bartenders and all other back-of-the-house staff that are involved in the preparation of food.
Waist
Just like the name suggests, these aprons are designed to cover only the bottom half of the body. Given the fact that they’re shorter in length in comparison to the bib models, waist aprons will allow your staff to move with greater freedom. Since these aprons don’t provide that much of protection, they’re perfect for front-of-the-house staff like waiters, waitresses, servers and busboys. For greater convenience, these aprons have pockets that allow the staff to keep their pen, notepad and tablet safe. The easy access will allow your staff to take orders fast and work faster in general which will result in improved customer satisfaction.
Bistro
These aprons can be worn by servers and back-of-house staff. They are designed to stretch from the waist to the top of the shoes which provides complete coverage for the lower part of the body. Usually, the traditional types of bistro aprons have one medium-sized pocket located high on the right hip. Just like the pockets on other aprons, this one is also used for carrying items like pens, notebooks, writing pads, tablets etc.
Through the years, the appearance of traditional bistro aprons has changed, so these days their pocket is located in front of the apron and stretched across its entire width. This change came mainly with the use of tablets.
Dishwasher
These aprons are quite similar to the bib models, but with one huge difference – the material. Since their main purpose is to be used in the kitchen and by people who work with lots of dirty dishes, these aprons should be made of water-resistant material. That way, the staff will stay dry and clean even during the busiest restaurant days when they need to handle quickly lots of dishes.
Things to Consider When Choosing Aprons
Fabric
Generally speaking, most of the aprons are made of durable fabrics like cotton-polyester blend. The reason why this fabric combo is used is that they allow being washed often, and they’re durable and resistant. Depending on the staff position at work, aprons can also be made of denim, linen and cotton, even though the last two materials are mainly used for aprons for domestic use.
Waterproof aprons are usually made of PVC and nylon which are stiffer types of fabrics. Being stiff means that they aren’t ideal for being used for any other job than dishwashing.
Coverage
As we already mentioned, usually aprons can cover either the torso and upper part of the legs or the upper part of the legs only. The type of apron you choose should mainly depend on the job that needs to be performed by the staff. When talking about kitchen aprons, bib aprons are great for chefs and bakers, however, sometimes, the type of aprons they choose should also depend on their personal preference. For instance, bakers are recommended to wear a bib apron, however, some of them may prefer the use of a waist or bistro apron.
As you can see the choice for these restaurant staff covers is huge which gives you the freedom to pick just the right models and types for them. Usually, all of them come in one-size fits all size, which is quite convenient. The only thing that you should have in mind is shopping from trusted suppliers and retailers since this is the only way to be sure that you’ll receive the best quality aprons. Usually, these stores also offer personalised embroidery or logo print which will improve your restaurant’s professional appearance.
Aussie Life Excellence 