Rethinking the Uniform

[Maset54]

Wasn’t this post supposed to be about uniforms??

 

[system]

It was until DPB went after my ankle with a vengeance!

 

[papajgirl]

I think that tucked in polo shirts are an insulting, disservice to folks like me who are a bit overweight.

Here we come to work, now expected to showcase our fat rolls?

I don’t know what the right answer will ever be for food service…but IMO…and this is JUST my opinion…a neat T-shirt and dark pants or dark jeans (you ever drop a hot pie out of the oven, or put something into the frier to fast and get splashed, you’ll appreciate jeans instead of khakis) do the trick.

I cannot stand the ballcaps either…so I tend to wear a cute skull cap (not biker style, I buy a chef style hat), because it’s either that or a hair net on the line.

 

[dman66]

Dark (hides the stains better) Jeans over khakis anyday…More durable & for me, more comfortable & appealing…As for the polo shirts?..They’re all good & comfortable by me…If you have a weight problem then what I’d do is wear one that is a bit over sized & avoid tucking the shirt in…I either wear a collarless shirt or a button down print shirt never tucked in & always wear jeans…As for shoes?..I’ll either wear a pair of black(matches the jeans) shoes with a good rubbber sole or a pair of cross country running shoes for their solid foot support…I’m in good ole San Francisco & as a driver tackle quite a few stairs on any given shift, makes for some good needed exercise… …

For me, always a CAP on the head…As an ex baseball, softball player I guess the cap just became part of me…An added plus is it hides my inverted yamaka… :lol: …

Maybe if I was at least 2 shades darker complexion the skull cap would look good on me, otherwise it just wouldn’t work for me…

 

[Dox47]

papajgirl:

I think that tucked in polo shirts are an insulting, disservice to folks like me who are a bit overweight.

Here we come to work, now expected to showcase our fat rolls?

I don’t know what the right answer will ever be for food service…but IMO…and this is JUST my opinion…a neat T-shirt and dark pants or dark jeans (you ever drop a hot pie out of the oven, or put something into the frier to fast and get splashed, you’ll appreciate jeans instead of khakis) do the trick.

Yep, a tucked in t-shirt that fits tends to look better than an oversized polo, even if the employee wearing it is also a bit oversized, a pretty common situation in this line of work. The untucked button up is even more love-handle concealing, part of the reason that I’m so enamored of it. I also agree that dark jeans are pretty optimal for the kitchen, and available cheap too. Black cargo khakis slightly edge out the durability of jeans by having those vital extra pockets if you’re driving, but I wore black jeans pretty often too, they both are better than standard khakis.

papajgirl:

I cannot stand the ballcaps either…so I tend to wear a cute skull cap (not biker style, I buy a chef style hat), because it’s either that or a hair net on the line.

The Wingzone where I worked had a “skully” available some years back, it did look much better than the standard ball cap or the awful visor that they regularly inflicted on their staff. A few longtime employees had them, and would break them out when the weather got cold. I had a pretty wide freedom to wear my own hats, since I have quite a collection of them and made an issue of it early and often. I liked a black Kangol cap (not worn backwards, thank you very much), a felt porkpie, or my infamous bowler, since Seattle customers tend to reward individualism. I’d always get a few Clockwork Orange cracks when I wore the bowler, it was a great “ice breaker” for joking around with the customers. Not exactly practical for standard issue, though it does seem to reinforce my idea that stores should try to set themselves apart through their uniforms, rather than the current situation.

 

[steveo922]

We use flexifit caps. One size fits all that has no open area in the back. And its perfect for advertising the name or website on both sides of the hat. This way if you’re wearing it out and you’re in line, the people in back of you can read it as well. Plus they’re super comfortable all day long.

 

[system]

Maset54:

Wasn’t this post supposed to be about uniforms??

Yes. As I said before, sandals, basketball shorts, and a tank top are my prefered attire for delivery. But a T-shirt will do.

My reason for this is that I fit into my environment and do NOT stand out as a delivery person.

It’s a robbery-prevention trick of the trade.

Rutgers University has a business crime-prevention center that has done a study for Domino’s back in the day, even though they don’t want any connection to that study now. Here are the conclusions of the Rutgers study:

http://crimeprevention.rutgers.edu/crim … revent.htm

How can my drivers be less attractive targets for robbery?
The key here is to make people think drivers don’t carry enough money to make it worth their time or energy to commit a robbery.

Be careful not to flash too much money during transactions.

Print the rules of delivery on the menus that are distributed around (maximum $10 in change, etc.)

Advertise the fact that you accept credit card payments and checks.

Don’t put any identifying signs on delivery vehicles. A regular-looking car is much less noticeable than one with a neon flashing pizza on the roof.

If the delivery vehicles do have flashing pizzas on the roofs, put large signs on the windows reading “driver carries no cash” and “orders have been paid by credit card”.

Allow your drivers to wear normal clothes, not a uniform. This makes them look like ordinary people, not a delivery person who may be carrying cash. (If your drivers don’t wear uniforms and the cars aren’t obviously delivery vehicles, it’s a good idea to issue company identification.)

The more a driver can do to look like anything other than a driver, the safer they’ll be.

Word.

 

[pgaks2]

as far as uniforms go it has to be professional, and comfortable, never been a driver, we don’t do delivery, but in the kitchen its chef pants and a company t shirt, with a chef coat overtop, for the summertime while working ovens i have taken some of the underarmour shirts and had them screen printed with the company logo. as far as color of pants i wear everything from the typical black chef pants to flames http://www.chefwear.com/images/storepatterns/P_46_Skulls46.jpg for a hat i either wear a chefwrap(bandana thing with terry cloth to keep sweat out of your eyes) or just put a hairnet over my mohawk(really comfortable)

i have been rethinking the uniform as well, since i just opened a snack bar/diner in a bowling alley. for there im thinking nice looking pants/shorts/skirt/kilt, and a retro style button up bowling shirt like this http://www.bowlingshirtwizard.com/images/rockaway.jpg with the company logo on the chest, and on the back, hats i like to leave up to personal preferance, lets everyone have there own sense of style. and i agree polo shirts are lame no matter what, i hated them when i worked for lone star, they arent breathable, look fairly lame on most ppl, and i dont see how they are any more professional than a t shirt, plus all the kiddies wanna pop their collar.

sheb

 

[Dox47]

^Another vote for the bowling shirt, score! I suppose that it would be a pretty inevitable choice if your shop is in a bowling alley, but still…

I couldn’t be happier with the response to this thread so far, I knew I couldn’t be the only one who thought that the standard uniform looked terrible. I think it is one of those cases where a committee designed the outfit to offend as few people as possible, and consequentially offended everyone. Then the ugly suits got entrenched, and well if the big boys are doing it, it must be right, right? It does sort of come back to my long standing beef with procedures being designed without consulting the people who actually do the work, no experienced driver would have chosen khaki as the best color for pants worn while working.

I see the uniform as an area that the savvy independent store can use to it’s advantage when competing with their corporate rivals, my local beloved Pagliacci has gone to green shirts with “nature-y” logo to call attention to their new biodegradable boxes. Believe me, that sort of thing goes over well in Seattle, and no one else wears a green shirt, instant identification. It also can have a significant effect on employee morale, I know I was always happier working somewhere that I wasn’t embarrassed to be seen in the uniform of. Happy employees are also harder working employees, and who doesn’t want that? Finally, having a good looking work uniform can help draw a better class of employee to your shop, and improve the quality of the ones you already have. If you want people to act like professionals, treat them like professionals, and professionals don’t wear dirty khakis, oversize polo shirts in awful colors, and especially not baseball caps!

 

[Charles]

papajgirl:

I think that tucked in polo shirts are an insulting, disservice to folks like me who are a bit overweight.

Here we come to work, now expected to showcase our fat rolls?

I tuck my shirt in. Perhaps you need bigger pants. Sure I look fat, but “my fat rolls” are not obvious. I wear a 4X shirt too. Fat people often confuse hiding their fat with looking better. An untucked shirt, especially on a fat person, usually just looks more sloppy. A tucked in shirt always looks more crisp in business situations.

 

[Charles]

LoneStar:

NicksPizza:

We know Charles (Dewar’s)can sometimes say stuff that is downright abrasive, or impolite. He very often recognizes it and retracts it. Sometimes not. We have a long and colorful history with him in many, many conversations. I have been less that cordial more than a couple times. I also have a long reputation here.

You would be pleased to know how often we will shoot a friendly Private Message to someone asking for a kind removal or offering a reminder that someone got a bit too mean spirited. I get 'em every now and again. Sometimes it is even spot on the money.

WA Dave used to send some to me. I wonder if he is just still on holiday, or has gotten lost to the Think Tank somehow. I miss him.

<>

It’s all good bro.

I’ve had n00bs try to hump my leg before. :lol:

Wait, you delete MY post and leave this crap?

 

[papajgirl]

Ok, I realize I’m probably not super fat, being a size 16.

But, it’s the way my fat is distributed. Not only do I not have good ab muscles because of my back problems, I have hormone problems, too…causing the fat I have to be right around the mid section.

So, when I tuck in a shirt, it looks like I’ve been stuffed into whatever bottoms I have on, right fit, or oversized.

So, perhaps I have a more individual take on it than you do. For me, I KNOW it looks worse than tucked in.

But, I keep all of my work attire crisp, clean, and ironed, so maybe that’s why untucked appears nicer on me.
Dewar's Pizza Bakery:

papajgirl:

I think that tucked in polo shirts are an insulting, disservice to folks like me who are a bit overweight.

Here we come to work, now expected to showcase our fat rolls?

I tuck my shirt in. Perhaps you need bigger pants. Sure I look fat, but “my fat rolls” are not obvious. I wear a 4X shirt too. Fat people often confuse hiding their fat with looking better. An untucked shirt, especially on a fat person, usually just looks more sloppy. A tucked in shirt always looks more crisp in business situations.

 

[Charles]

True, every body shape needs to be tailored to. Untucked can look okay if the uniform is clean and pressed. My fat is around the middle to, but I am a male which I suspect makes my shape significantly differently from yours.

So I agree with you that blindly following a dress code that is geared towards slim person makes no sense.

 

[system]

Dewar's Pizza Bakery:

Wait, you delete MY post and leave this crap?

Ease up bro. I’m just yankin your chain since you had to go and yank mine. You should be used to a little crap, being out in a cow pasture south of Arlington. :lol:

 

[system]

Lonestar has been banned.

We don’t need his style on commentary on the forums.

 

[system]

gregster:

Dewar's Pizza Bakery:

Simply search TTPG for Lonestar and you will see what I mean. This guy is an insulting lunatic.

If I was to say the same thing about someone from this forum, I think the comments would be deleted, the thread would be locked, and I’d be banned.

When it’s the other way around… Well… We’ll see if the rules apply to everyone, or just dissenters.

Except that guy wasn’t worth having around. He didn’t contribute anything to the forum and just kept annoying everyone.

You present well thought out(if somewhat against the grain) posts.

People may not like you, but denying you know what you are talking about is something else.

You are allowed to have a difference of opinion on here.

 

[system]

TimPMQ:

You present well thought out(if somewhat against the grain) posts.

People may not like you, but denying you know what you are talking about is something else.

You are allowed to have a difference of opinion on here.

Thank you Tim.

 

[system]

Dox47,

I’m in the early stages of putting together an Anton Chigurh costume for Halloween. The clothing aspect will be feasible but I’m trying get ideas on how to put together the stun/cattle gun.

What kind of tank did you use and where would I find one?
What did you use for the hand-held portion of the cattle gun?
Also, did you use a wig with an Anton Chirgurh type haircut?

Any info you could give me on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dox47]

I bought a black jean jacket and a “Prince Valiant” wig on eBay, then had my friend’s GF that cuts hair style the wig to look like AC’s hair in the movie. I bought a surplus medical oxygen tank on eBay as well, and bought a 6 foot length of red pneumatic hose and the appropriate connectors from the hardware store. The hand held part of the cattle gun was the tricky part, I own a metal lathe and other machine tools so I was able to turn some steel pipe down to the appropriate size and shape, then fabricate the external parts of the mechanism and attach them to the main body of the gun.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh116/dox47/CattleGun2.jpg

^
Here is a pic of the finished cattle gun and attached oxygen tank, IMHO it turned out pretty good and the responses I got on Halloween seemed to bear that out. Here is me wearing the completed costume:

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh116/dox47/Halloween1.jpg

If you’re really interested, PM me and I’d be willing to sell the complete cattle gun, oxy tank and styled wig for about $100 plus shipping, that’s about what I have into them altogether, and I’d rather someone else get some costume usage out of them than simply keeping them as a conversation piece.

 

[system]

Doxy,

I tried to send a PM but I can’t locate it in my sent-box, so I’m not sure if it worked or not.

Anyway, I’ve got the oxygen tank already but may be interested in buying all or part of the hose, metal hand-held piece and the wig.

When you get a chance, send me an email at greg_hagerman at hotmail dot com

thanks,

Greg