The following is a list of the common dress code mistakes that restaurant managers make. You will learn what you should avoid while dressing before going to the workplace.
Whether you work for a five-star luxury restaurant in Paris or in a family small business in the suburb, there are many horrendous dress code mistakes you should avoid to prevent customers fleeing.
You may be the most effective manager in the world, but sometimes having the wrong-colored socks and lack style can affect the restaurant’s image. We already spoke about the “do’s” of the restaurant manager attire, and now we will list the don’ts.
20 restaurant manager’s dress code mistakes
Look at the images below. If you met these managers on the street and they invited you to dine in their restaurants, whose would you go to?
I’m sure you would go to Mark’s restaurant without thinking twice. The style and clothing of Antony don’t convey a professional and inviting image, and this leads us to think that we might be swindled.
You dress style is pure marketing for your restaurant. Let’s see in detail the 20 dress code mistakes you should avoid.
1. Black pants and black shoes with showy white socks. This is an unforgivable lack of style. You are not John Travolta in Grease or Michael Jackson, you are a professional manager. The socks’ color must follow the scheme of trousers and shoes.
2. Flip-flops, athletic shoes, sandals, etc. Both in casual and fine restaurants, you always should wear polished leather or suede shoes. Women should always wear heels.
3. Short-sleeved shirt. Bear in mind that for any manager in the world there is only of kind of shirt: long sleeves. Hot? Then roll up your sleeves.
4. Flowery design for the shirt. White or sky-blue; in the restaurant business, to stay on the safe side, go for these two colors. You are not a surfer at the World Championship in Hawaii.
5. Mandarin shirt collar. Unless required for the restaurant’s theme, go for a classic collar shirt.
6. Unpressed and unclean clothing. Check your clothes carefully before wearing them and if you detect even a small stain or something is badly creased then put it aside.
7. Avoid fads. You are not a secondary-school student; you’ve grown and you are a professional in the F&B field.
8. Piercing and tattoos. They should not be visible for hygiene reasons.
9. A lot of make-up. Although I recommend that all female restaurant managers use make-up, overuse is strongly discouraged. Don’t use bright colors, and go for a natural look.
10. Short skirts. A skirt more than two inches above the knee raises eyebrows. You’re not going to a disco, you are in a restaurant with families and children.
11. Shirts and pants too big. They might be conformable but it will give you a slovenly appearance.
12. Thick stripes closer together. Although they may be voguish, they are not appropriate.
13. Tie too long or too short. It should never reach below the waist and should be directly proportional to your height. If you wear high-waist trousers with braces or a waistcoat use shorter ties.
14. Clothing too tight. For women, it is advisable to not wear dresses that are too short, low-cut or provocative in general.
15. Lingerie white. You are not going to get married, you are running a restaurant, and so your look should be professional.
16. Too many jewels. Don’t adorn yourself with too much junk tinkling. Follow the golden rule “less is more”.
17. Underwear visible. Although many men may jump for joy, the rules of etiquette say to keep your lingerie not visible.
18. Showing “too much skin.” If there is no extreme heat, showing too much skin is not professional. One of the golden rules of style is to avoid showing your décolleté if your legs are uncovered and vice versa.
19. Too high heels. Besides being uncomfortable for working in a restaurant, it’s better to go for 4-inch heels as it best suits the role you play.
20. Not having a belt with suit. This signals a lack of style and you will also look like a person that is not attentive to details. And in the restaurant business, details are the ingredient of success.
And you? Would you add anything else to these dress code mistakes? Use the comment box below to share your opinion with us.
