Hospitality Official Uniforms Tips for Footwear and More

Working in the hospitality industry encompasses a wide range of different types of jobs and businesses. There are hotels, restaurants, motels, tour guides, travel agents, housekeepers, bell services, host and hostesses, room attendants, pool attendants, custodians, maintenance personnel, concierge services, and more.

Within each of these jobs, different types of official uniforms and footwear are often required. The goal of any hospitality employee should be to make the uniform stand out to customers while dressing smartly to fit the specific job duties. Most importantly, you want to ensure employees look professional and have comfortable shoes since they are constantly on their feet.

Restaurant Uniforms and Footwear

In restaurants, there are front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house divisions. Servers, hosts and hostesses, bartenders, and other front-of-the-house staff should wear a uniform that fits with your brand. Shoes should be comfortable and slip-resistant.

In the back-of-the-house, you want to distinguish between your chefs, expeditors, line cooks, dishwashers, etc. This is easily accomplished by using different styles of work uniforms. The kitchen staff needs protective shoes that are comfortable and slip-resistant.

Hotel and Motel Uniforms and Footwear

Your uniforms should fit with the job position. A suit or other professional dress is often a good choice for front desk staff. Your housekeepers should have their own uniforms that fit with your brand and image. Comfortable business casual shoes are a must-have. High heels and open-closed shoes should be avoided because they can make your feet hurt.

Hotel and motel custodians and maintenance personnel typically require steel-toed shoes with specific protective features since they are lifting and moving various objects around that could smash their feet. Their uniforms should be different so people can tell they are custodians and maintenance employees.

If your hotel has a spa and pool where employees are staffed, you want them to also be comfortable. Professional and business causal shoes may not be the best fit for these jobs. Cloth or leather oxfords or another style of sneaker in a solid color often work better. Sneakers have slip resistance in wet areas and are also comfortable when spending hours on your feet.

Travel and Tourism Uniforms and Footwear

For these hospitality jobs, you want to dress to impress your customers. You will be spending a lot of your time with people. Your work uniform should be business professional or business casual or fit with your branding.

With footwear, you have a bit more flexibility, depending on the work environment. If you are working in an office setting, then dress shoes and high heels would be appropriate. If you are going to be walking and on your feet a lot, you may be able to get away with a solid-colored sneaker or oxford shoe, such as when you are a tour guide taking people on a tour of your city.

Always Review OSHA Standards and Other Safety Requirements

To ensure your employees are wearing the right footwear for their positions, it is your responsibility as their employer to review current OSHA standards and other safety requirements. You can easily find out when specific types of footwear are required for certain positions and what is not safe or appropriate.

When you want your employees to be dressed to impress, make sure to check out our work uniform store’s different official uniforms options, including work uniform rentals and customizations. If you have further questions or want to obtain a quote for uniform rentals, leasing, or direct purchase, please feel free to contact Prudential Overall Supply at 800-767-5536 today!