Custom Apparel for Restaurants

Q: Can you embroider aprons and chef coats?

Yes — both hold up well to commercial-kitchen laundering.

Q: What's the minimum order?

6 pieces for embroidery. Other decoration methods (screen printing, heat press, laser etching) have higher minimums.

Q: Who typically handles apparel ordering at a restaurant?

Usually the owner or general manager.

Aprons, chef coats, and staff shirts that keep front- and back-of-house looking sharp and consistent.

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What Restaurants Need From Branded Apparel

Short answer: apparel that survives kitchen conditions and frequent washing, while giving front-of-house a polished, consistent look guests notice.

Kitchen apparel gets heat, grease, and constant washing; front-of-house apparel needs to look sharp for every table. We treat these as two different problems, recommending garments and decoration methods suited to each.

Recommended Decoration Methods

Embroidery — for polos, chef coats, and aprons — durable through commercial-kitchen laundering.
Screen printing — cost-effective for staff tees and back-of-house shirts at higher headcounts.

Popular Garments

Chef coats and aprons
Front-of-house polos
Back-of-house staff tees

Common Mistakes Restaurants Make With Branded Apparel

Using the same apparel plan for front- and back-of-house. Kitchen apparel needs to survive heat, grease, and daily industrial laundering; front-of-house apparel is about presentation. Treating them as one order usually under-serves one side.
Not budgeting for staff turnover. Restaurants have higher-than-average staff turnover — keeping the logo digitized and on file means new hires get branded apparel fast without repeating setup costs.

Who Approves This Purchase

Usually the owner or general manager — apparel decisions at most independent restaurants don't go through a formal purchasing process. What matters to that person: front-of-house apparel needs to survive the visual scrutiny of every guest interaction, back-of-house apparel needs to survive heat and grease, and neither should require re-approving artwork every time a server or line cook turns over.

Reorder Workflow for Staff Turnover

Restaurant staff turnover is higher than most industries — once your logo is digitized and on file, replacing a single departed employee's shirt or apron is a quick reorder, not a new project. Send us garment, size, and quantity; small reorders move faster than a full initial order since there's no digitizing step to repeat.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you embroider aprons and chef coats?

Yes — both are common requests and hold up well to commercial-kitchen laundering.

What's the minimum order?

6 pieces for embroidery — other decoration methods (screen printing, heat press, laser etching) have higher minimums, so just tell us which method you want and we'll confirm.

Can we add new staff shirts one at a time as we hire?

Yes — once your logo is digitized and on file, individual reorders skip the setup fee.

Who typically handles apparel ordering at a restaurant?

Usually the owner or general manager — it's rarely a formal purchasing process at independent restaurants.

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