At Oliver Harvey we pride ourselves on making the very best chef wear and Front of House aprons. The best is not always enough though, what is important is making the designs and styles that people want to own and which fit in with modern restaurant design. This article explores the changes we have seen in back of house uniforms and also, the much larger changes taking place with front of house.
Back of House Trends
Going back a few years, chef uniforms were rarely what could be described as uniform. Plenty of restaurants did and still do let chefs buy their own chef clothing and even those that did buy for the brigade, rarely invested more than was required. Chefs would wear the same chef jacket, trousers and aprons but these were often just functional decisions with the uniform not offering much relationship to the restaurant itself.
However, times are changing. Increasingly the kitchen is being opened up and is viewable by the customers, the lines between FOH and BOH are merging. What started with wide open passes is now snowballing into even wider passes, with some restaurants losing the dividing walls completely and having their chefs fully open to view.
While these changes are not universally seen, there is definitely a trend towards this type of set up, and as a result, a trend towards a formal chef uniform policy. This often comes in the form of branded aprons and jackets, with restaurant logos embroidered on the uniform to create, well, uniformity. Many restaurants take this one step further and specify the aprons colour, design and features to further enhance the both the aesthetics and function to fit with their restaurant.
Front of House Trends
Front of House is where we are currently seeing the biggest changes in tastes with an ever increasing demand for restaurant aprons. While waiters and waitresses have been wearing aprons for many years, these were often for purely functional reasons; like plain black waist apron to hold note pads and pens.
Now the plain and cheap aprons are well and truly going out of style. Instead FOH aprons are being used as an opportunity to provide a great service environment which has a more relaxed and informal feel. The leader of this change is denim. For years this had been the workhorse material of choice for rugged workwear and in fact, this was the sole reason for its development. Gradually, denim became consumer fashion and now, restaurant (and those who make uniforms) are finally catching up.
We have seen incredible demand from our denim apron range since launching our limited edition ‘Denim Collection’ last year and have recently launched a bib and waist range on which we cannot keep up with demand. Denim is so popular because it fits with the style of many types of restaurant, whether it is a modern stripped back eatery or a homely country pub, denim has a rustic authenticity that fits.