Sector guide · Hospitality & catering
A kitchen at service is a small industrial site: open flame, hot fat, wet floors, knives. Chef whites look traditional, but every detail is engineering. Front of house has a different brief — look sharp at hour one and hour ten. Here's both wardrobes, done properly.
The whites
The double-breasted front is a reversible splash shield — caught by hot fat, you re-button to the clean, dry layer. The cotton-rich fabric insulates against radiant heat and steam where thin polyester would conduct it (and melt); the knotted or capped buttons survive industrial laundering that shears plastic ones; long sleeves exist for the moment an oven shelf meets a forearm. Modern cuts add vented backs and lighter weaves because 40 °C at the pass is the other occupational hazard.
Below the jacket: chef trousers loose enough to pull away from a scald rather than press it in, and an apron chosen by station rather than habit — that's the table below.
Aprons
| Station | Apron | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Grill & fry | Heavyweight cotton bib, full length | Radiant heat and fat spatter — coverage first |
| Pass & plating | Waist apron over whites | Speed and pocket access; splash risk is low |
| Prep & butchery | Heavy bib, wipe-clean or leather-front option | Sustained mess, sharp tools, hose-down cleaning |
| Pot wash / plonge | Waterproof bib | Standing spray — cotton soaks, PVC sheds |
| Barista & bar | Denim or waxed waist apron, branded | Front-of-house visible: part uniform, part protection |
Underfoot
More kitchen injuries come from wet, greasy floors than from burns or blades — which makes footwear the highest-value spec on this page. The brief: slip-rated sole (the SR mark under the current standard), closed, liquid-shedding upper against dropped pans and hot spills, and comfort for a double shift on tile. Kitchens with real impact risk — kegs, crates, goods-in — step up to an S2 washable safety shoe: water-resistant upper, toe cap, same slip rating.
Front of house
Questions
The double front is a working feature: two layers of cotton insulate the chest against heat and splash, and if the outer layer catches hot fat or sauce the jacket re-buttons to present the clean, dry inner layer. It's a burn shield you can flip mid-service.
Closed, liquid-shedding uppers with a slip-rated (SR) sole and real cushioning — wet, greasy floors cause more kitchen injuries than burns do. Where kegs, crates or goods-in add impact risk, a washable S2 safety shoe adds a toe cap to the same spec.
Whites are traditional because they show contamination honestly and take boil washing, but blacks and greys are now common front-facing kitchens. The non-negotiables are the fabric and construction — cotton-rich, double-breasted, launderable hot — not the colour.
Match the apron to the station's hazard: heavyweight full-length cotton for grill and fry, waterproof bibs for pot wash, wipe-clean heavy bibs for prep and butchery, and lighter waist aprons at the pass and front of house where speed and pockets matter more than coverage.
Send the headcount and the roles — we'll come back with a kit list, embroidery options and trade-account pricing.