At home, you may want something zany for grilling but when you’re in a working kitchen your priorities are very different. There are three main things to consider: what food you’re working with, the aesthetic of your restaurant, your comfort and safety – and of course the look on your waiting staff.
The right apron for the job
When working on the floor as a waiter you’re not only serving guest you are also representing the restaurant and the experience guest are about to buy. Therefore server aprons are important – whether they are classic and white, black or another color that matches the style of the restaurant.
You may need a harder wearing apron depending on where you’re working or what you’re cooking. Maybe you’re working with raw meat and need a darker color or maybe you prefer to see the stains so you know when it’s time to change. Do you need pockets in the apron? Should it be a long apron to protect your legs as well, or a shorter one to give you more maneuverability? These are all things you have to consider.
Aesthetics
If there’s a color theme in your restaurant, you may want to extend it to the waiting staff and all the way to kitchen or you may want a contrast to mark chefs out from the rest of the staff. Whatever you choose, it needs to project a professional appearance in keeping with your business and be a style you’re happy with.
Comfort and safety
These two go together. Kitchens are often hot and humid environments and if you’re working with grills in particular, you want to be able to rely on some protection from your apron. If you opt for hard wearing synthetic fibers you may find yourself sweating more, if you choose 100% cotton you may find your apron isn’t resilient enough. Best choose a mixed fiber product to get the best of both worlds. Something between a 60/40 or 65/35 polyester/cotton is probably the best balance.