Presentation, Presentation, Presentation
When the chef walked through the door her apron had more food on it than the dishwasher's. It was an apparent statement, in her mind, that she was busy. Yet, to the crowded dining room of customers, whose heads turned to view her entrance, the ketchup, au jus, and barbecue sauce spotted apparel resembled a prop in Silence of the Lamb. Not an appropriate site in the middle of a fine dining restaurant.
It may be time for a dress code.
This may seem a foolish concept since most waiters and kitchen employees, one would assume, are in uniform. The question then arises: "Are the uniforms presentable?" Or, are they wrinkled, rumpled, stained, worn and soiled.
A well run, successful restaurant needs to offer impeccable presentation not only in the plates of food that are presented by the kitchen, but in every aspect of the ambiance, style, and appearance of the entire experience. A chef's apron and chef coats, along with the aprons and uniforms of the dining room staff must be clean, fresh and presentable on a daily basis.
It becomes more difficult to decipher whether a chef's apron is purposely sporting spills and stains in order to broadcast business and talent or if it is mere sloppiness. No matter what the case may be, if a restaurant doesn't have a dress and uniform code for its employees it needs to implement one immediately. Even if you don't have a uniform policy, a clean shirt, clean apron, clean pants and polished shoes are essential to success.
If you can look around our dining room and see waiters that don't dress to these sandards, it's time to work on your presentation…of staff.
