Many different workplaces opt for a staff uniform, regardless of the type of industry they operate in. Whether it’s the manufacturing or the pharmaceutical industry for example, some workplaces adhere to a strict uniform code. Needless to say, the food and beverage industry is no different.
Wearing a particular attire has many benefits for the kitchen staff. First of all, they can be easily discernible from customers and the other staff that form the hospitality industry as a whole. Secondly, it helps to convey and maintain a certain image that forms the identity of the workplace.
As far as chefs are concerned, one of the quintessential pieces of uniform that is worn by them in the kitchen is a long sleeved jacket. A chef wearing a long-sleeved jacket can be almost seen as a time-honored tradition that has lasted for centuries, and one tradition that is still going strong.
So this begs a few questions: Why do chefs so often opt to wear long-sleeved jackets? What is so important and so special about the long-sleeved jacket that makes it an inextricable part of a chef’s professional uniform?
This article will analyze and explore three reasons that will help the reader understand why it is the case.
The First Reason: Safety
This is undoubtedly the most important reason why chefs, more often than not, choose long-sleeve jackets as their upper-body uniform of choice.
Anyone who used to work or is currently working in the food and beverage industry as a chef or a cook knows that they work under duress and in a fast-paced environment to meet the lofty standards of both customers and restaurant managers.
This means that they can easily bump or crash into a fellow colleague. Add to that the fact that they work over flames, thus potentially exposing themselves to burns and/or scalds from the heat, from the flame, or to the boiling and the splattering of liquids and oils of all kinds.
In light of all this, wearing a long-sleeved jacket seems an obvious choice, particularly if they are made of thick fabrics, such as double thick cotton, and if they are fire-resistant to a certain extent.
Whilst a long-sleeve jacket does not turn chefs into invulnerable beings that are impervious to pain, they can ensure, for instance, that it is the sleeve that will catch the fire instead of the skin.
In essence, safety is key via a long-sleeved jacket
The Second Reason: Professionalism
When it comes to convey an image of consummate professionalism, perhaps no workplace uniform screams professionalism more than a long-sleeved jacket.
When chefs adorn these types of jackets, this is a clear sign that they are professionals that are immensely dedicated to their job, and they take their careers seriously.
The fact that employs a huge number of people, but not all of them are committed to their work, or they simply view their industry as a launchpad into other better-paying jobs, is hardly a secret, let alone being among the worst-kept ones.
Wearing a long-sleeved jacket is akin to a badge of honor to chefs, and lets both the restaurant brass and the customers know that they are dead-serious about their jobs, and cooking is their life’s work, nevermind their careers.
The Third Reason: Cleanliness
Since the kitchen personnel work in a fast-paced setting and have to get through several rush hours during a single working day, spilling food and/or gravy sauces accidently is bound to happen at some point.
Even if a chef is cooking as adroitly as possible, it is impossible not to get food-related residues on their jackets. Thus, chefs should not have to worry about their clothing for multiple reasons.
For example, a traditional chef’s long-sleeved jacket is double-breasted, with two rows of buttons down the front. Which means that if they spill something on themselves, they can simply unbutton the coat and switch the stained layer with a fresh, clean one.
The thick fabric of long-sleeved jackets ensures that the bottom layer remains stain-free. And in extreme cases, chefs can simply keep more than one set of long-sleeved jackets in their kitchen closets. That way they are able to switch to cleaner jackets in case it gets a tad too messy in the kitchen.
How to Choose The Right Long-Sleeved Jacket?
Since a long-sleeve jacket offers an abundance of benefits and conveys all the right messages as far as professionalism and cleanliness goes, here’s the million-dollar question: How can a chef choose the absolute best long-sleeved jacket?
To give your restaurant business a clean, suave, and comfortable look, you can rely on Everyday Uniforms. It is a company that combines the traditions of French textile know-how that spans for over eight decades, and innovation to give your long-sleeve jacket a modern allure, and will provide you with all the necessary comfort to hone your craft and improve your cooking skills.
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