Shop Comfortable & Durable Food Service Apparel for Unbeatable Wholesale Prices
If you're searching for high-quality wholesale food service apparel that meets your budget, discover our complete collection at Buy Direct.
Whether you need to restock on chef hats, aprons, or protective gloves, you'll have no trouble finding the right garments for your business. Shop today and enjoy unbeatable bulk prices and deals!
A Guide to Choosing the Right Food Service Apparel for Your Establishment
If you're unsure of what to look out for when shopping for food service apparel, be sure to check out our buyer's guide:
Durability and Quality:
Durability and high quality are must-have qualities when it comes to food service garments. These elements will ensure your staff can wear their apparel without any interruptions caused by wardrobe malfunctions.
Wearing reliably long-lasting clothing also promotes a safer environment, especially in the kitchen, where sharp equipment, hot surfaces, spills, and flammable appliances are used.
When shopping for food service clothing, look for durable materials, such as cotton or polyester blends, and reinforced stitching to ensure you invest in top-quality and everlasting garments.
Comfort and Fit:
Working in food service requires lots of moving around and lengthy shifts, so it's crucial to ensure your staff is always comfy and unrestricted. Prioritizing clothes that fit comfortably will promote a better work experience for staff, allowing uninterrupted tasks and boosting productivity.
A great way to ensure everyone receives the right size clothing is by having your team request their sizes. Alternatively, you can opt for 'one size fits all' garments that universally fit every body shape and size.
Key qualities to seek out when shopping for comfortable clothing include breathability and adjustable features, such as elastic waistbands and drawstrings, which allow staff to customize the fit of their clothing.
Easy Cleaning:
Food service gets messy, especially in the kitchen! Opt for apparel that is easy to clean and maintain, like aprons and chef coats.
Materials including nylon, polyester, and polyester-cotton blends are ideal because they are stain-resistant and quick drying - making them perfect for fast and easy cleaning.
Professional Appearance:
It's important to choose apparel that matches your food establishment's image and overall aesthetic.
Decide whether you need casual, formal, or themed clothing, and use your preferences to narrow your search accordingly. You may even want to consider customization, like embroidered logos, to make garments further match your business.
Safety and Hygiene:
Safety and hygiene are among the most important aspects of food service garments. Ensure that the apparel you choose meets safety standards and regulations, such as OSHA Standards. Many brands will showcase a stamp of approval/compliance on their packaging.
Look for clothing made from food-safe materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and vinyl. These materials are non-toxic, waterproof, and chemical-resistant, making them perfect for direct contact with food and cleaning products.
Products like the GPX3 by Ammex are fantastic examples of food-safe protective clothing as they shield hands from harmful fluids and germs without restricting dexterity.
Versatility and Adaptability:
Food service isn't a 'one size fits all' environment when it comes to tasks. Staff often perform various roles, including preparing meals, serving food, cleaning tables, washing dishes, etc.
Therefore, to promote smooth and productive operations, it's essential that you choose versatile clothes that fit every task. Consider multipurpose items, like reversible aprons, to accommodate all the different activities within your business.
5 Tips for Proper Use of Food Service Protective Clothing
To help you get the most out of your food service protective clothing and ensure proper use, check out our top five tips:
#1 Regularly Inspect Protective Clothing:
Food service involves extensive physical tasks, including cooking, cleaning, and serving food, which means clothes are likely to wear in faster.
To keep tabs on clothes that are worn out, routinely check protective garments for any signs of damage, wear, or contamination, such as holes or tears, loose threads, and stains, before each use.
If you spot any flaws, be sure to quickly replace the clothing. This will help your business maintain its food safety and hygiene standards.
#2 Check That Clothes Fit Properly:
If protective clothing is too small or too big, it can hinder movement and potentially cause accidents to happen. Always check with staff that their clothing fits, and be sure to order the right sizes or choose adjustable designs to ensure staff receive well-fitting garments.
#3 Ensure Proper Usage:
Make sure your team knows exactly how to wear and use different protective clothing.
For instance, chefs with long hair may need guidance on how to effectively tie their hair back when wearing hair nets or kitchen caps. A great way to ensure proper usage is by creating guidelines, such as 'remove rings before wearing gloves to prevent rips.' You can also list when certain clothing must be worn, such as 'wear eye protection when using chemical cleaners.'
#4 Maintain Hygiene Practices:
While protective clothing certainly helps improve hygiene, a lot of the work is down to your staff.
Ensure everyone in your establishment maintains best hygiene practices, like washing hands before and after wearing protective clothes, changing clothing regularly (especially if it becomes contaminated with food or chemicals), and proper disposal of used garments.
You must also use the right laundry detergent to ensure contaminants and stains are completely washed away.
#5 Properly Store Clothes:
Store protective clothing in a clean and dry area away from potential contaminants. This will prevent bacteria, mold, and mildew from developing, ensuring clothes stay fresh and ready for use.
FAQs:
Unsure about something? Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about food service apparel:
What Is the Dress Code for Food Service?
The dress code for food service varies depending on the type of setting the food is being served. For instance, a diner or café may have a laid-back dress code where employees can wear casual clothing, whereas a fine-dining restaurant will likely have a strict dress code that requires employees to wear a formal uniform.
Nonetheless, ensuring all staff have their hair tied back and wear clean clothes applies to all food service establishments, regardless of how fancy or laid-back they are.
It's also recommended that staff wear protective clothing, such as aprons and gloves, that meets OSHA standards if they are handling food. This will prevent cross-contamination of germs while keeping biological hazards at bay, such as hazardous exposures to biological agents (like salmonella or E.coli).
To ensure safety while maintaining a professional food establishment, shop our wide selection of affordable food service apparel and accessories at Buy Direct today!
Do You Have to Wear an Apron When Serving Food?
Aprons aren't a must-have for serving food, but they are required when preparing dishes for health and safety purposes.
While they aren't a fundamental requirement, there are many benefits to wearing aprons when serving food to customers. They create a professional impression on customers, which reflects positively on your establishment. Aprons also protect employees' food service uniforms from spills and stains, ensuring they stay clean and presentable all day.
Shop affordable wholesale aprons at Buy Direct if you're seeking to minimize exposure to potential hazards, like salmonella or E.coli, maintain clean uniforms, or simply uphold a professional appearance. Our selection of food service aprons are suited to all needs and uses. Explore our collection today.
Are Food Service Workers Required To Change Clothes?
Food service workers should change their clothing after every shift to ensure they meet hygiene standards. If staff has handled certain raw foods, like chicken or pork, it's important they immediately change their clothing before preparing any other meals to prevent cross-contamination of harmful bacteria, such as salmonella.
Staff should also change their clothes in the event of spills because this will also prevent contamination while maintaining a clean and professional appearance.
Disposable aprons, like the Polypropylene 'One Size Fits All' Disposable Aprons by Baumgartens, are a brilliant solution that prevents staff from having to constantly change their clothes. Shop affordable wholesale aprons.