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employee uniforms

Hi All,

I was happy to find this thread about uniforms because I’m starting work on an article for our May issue about apparel and I would love to include your feedback in the story.

If you’re currently using uniforms in your pizzeria and are interested in lending your insight to PMQ, please contact me at liz@pmq.com with answers to the following questions:
  1. Why have you decided to require staff to wear uniforms?
  2. How are the uniforms paid for and how many does each staff member receive?
  3. What style of uniform do your employees wear and who wears one (the entire staff, only drivers, etc.)
  4. Can you tell me how having uniforms has helped with brand recognition?
  5. What are the biggest pros and cons of requiring uniforms?
  6. Do you have a high-resolution image of one of your staff members wearing your uniform that you can send?
Please include your full name, title, pizzeria name and city/state.

Thanks so much,
Liz Barrett, editor-in-chief
PMQ Pizza Magazine
liz@pmq.com
 
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Pizza Hut has a nearly entirely black uniform that drivers also wear (including pants and hat). Seems awfully dangerous for drivers in the street at night. Too hot for summertime. Too much of a bad idea for anyone working around flour/dustinator.

Visibility at night is important for drivers. Including visible colors and reflective accents such as pin striping on the brim and a reflective adjusting strap in the back of some of Papa Johns ball caps.

Appearing ‘clean’ should be an important point for anyone who is seen by customers. Beige/white/light colored pants hide flower well. Red shirts hide sauce stains well.

Choice of material is important for comfort, safety, and wear. Cotton works well in hot kitchens. Polyester shirts are cheaper, but uncomfortable in hot environments and are more dangerous around the extreme heat of ovens or open flames. Polyester looks better without ironing, cotton shows wrinkles more but is safer and more comfortable. Cotton seems most durable to me. Is cotton or poly/cotton blend best?

Are shorts or pants a requirement? Shorts may be fine for drivers/ servers etc, but pants are safer in a kitchen where hot spills are likely.

Non slip shoes? Required for who? Just kitchen workers or everyone? Who pays? It may be a required item, but they may also be worn out in town, so is reimbursement necessary?

How many items to issue? Is just one enough? If not ‘given’ away, how are accountable for uniform items tracked? How often is replacement necessary or fair?

Launder items in shop? Use a service? Employees maintain their own?

Winter wear/jackets. Store Logo items only or any winter wear is OK? Share jackets or issue one to every driver?

Tucked shirts or not? Why? Comfort versus professional look. Do customers really care if polo shirts are untucked?

That was all off of the top of my head. I hope it helps inspire other good questions, answers and a great article!

Greg Maschok, Driver, Papa John’s
Chesapeake, VA
 
We use to get shirts made and give them to the employees, the first 2 were free but the rest they bought at cost. Seeing as though we had the same issue with people working just a couple days then getting fired or quitting, at the time our payroll was weekly and no checks were held… since then we changed to bi-weekly and held for 1 week which actually stopped the employees for working just a couple days and taking off, for some reason… but never the less they all returned their shirts before getting their last paycheck. But because this still cost to much $, we decided that everyone just buy a solid color Polo and wear blue or black jeans at their own expense at any place they wanted to get them.
I had aprons made with our stitched logo, that we keep here at the shop, each of them have a button or something on them so everyone can distinguish whos is whos… and because they are always left here i can take and wash them as need be… because some employees are just disgusting and don’t wash their own clothes.

No we never have a problem with employee uniforms nor the cost… as an apron is only $7 and the embroidery is $3… an apron lasts for about 1 1/2 years before something happens to it.
 
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Ok I am probably going to get an earfull for this one… How about the “Naked Pizza” 21 and up only! Sorry Liz just trying to get a laugh out of people. Things seems to get serious too often.

Just my thoughts on the uniforms. Yes it looks good to have a professional looking staff to represent your establishment but at what cost to them. Remember what type of image you are putting forth. Jeans and a company t-shirt or polo might look fine at most and others with more of a sit down restaurant will want more of a finished look for their servers. Now like most restaurants they do not put out the expense of the uniforms they just mandate the look. Black pants…white shirts…etc… but my position in all of this would be if you are going to put a logo on it…pay for it. It’s your advertising and it makes your store look good. Give a new employee a couple of new shirts and I would never give a used shirt to anybody. Makes you not only look cheap but really gives a new employee that great feeling of pride to come to work. Note the sarcasm. Most employees want to look good coming to work and the ones that do not know how to wash their clothes…pull aside and have a talk. Don’t take out the habits of a couple of stinky apples on the entire bunch. If employees want alot of shirts or hats…hey sell them at cost. Set up a little display to sell your items too customers too. Market it to everyone. Have giveaways…buy 10 pizzas and get a t-shirt or hat. Promote yourself. Think about where that customer will wear that free t-shirt or hat. Out bumming around? Kids games? All the places that the idea of…“hey, lets go grab a pizza” might come up. Let your uniforms make the money for you not just be an expense to complain about. 🙂
 
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