Service shirts and blouses

For restaurant, hotel and catering service with regular 60-degree washing and an external laundry, the 65/35 poly-cotton blend is the established standard – low-crease, shape-stable, industrially washable. For fine dining, upscale hotel reception and sommelier service, where the look sets the tone, 100% cottonⁱ remains the right choice: more refined at the collar, softer at the cuff, but with higher ironing effort. For cocktail bar, bartenders and café staff with lots of movement, a stretch blend with 3% elastaneⁱ pays off – gives noticeable freedom of movement at the shoulder and elbow without changing the cotton handle. Important: with very dark colours such as black, anthracite or burgundy, always favour the poly blend – pure cotton fades noticeably faster in industrial laundering.

The classic lapel collar is the right answer for hotel reception, fine dining and classic restaurant service – it's the only collar form that carries tie and bow tie cleanly. The Mandarin or stand-up collarⁱ is the contemporary alternative for cocktail bars, rooftops, design hotels and modern bistros: upright, all-round, without a fold and without a tie. In the closed look it appears more elegant than an openly worn lapel collar and positions the service team as part of a modern, reduced concept. Rule of thumb: if the concept includes bow tie or tie, lapel collar. If the bar menu is focused on 12 signature drinks, Mandarin collarⁱ. For mixed teams in hotel plus bar consistently introduce two collar forms – the reception classic with lapel collar, the attached bar modern with Mandarin collar.

As a robust rule of thumb: at least three to four shirts per member of Service staff. One shirt in use, a second in freshly washed circulation, a third at the laundry and a fourth as a reserve for stains and repairs. In businesses with five duty days per week and an external laundry with a 48-hour turnaround, you realistically need five shirts per person so that shift changes and sick cover are covered. For bar and night Service with particularly high sweat and stain loads, plan for five to six shirts. Additionally calculate 15 to 20% reserve on team Size to cover new hires, temporary staff and special events without reorder stress – particularly for special-colour CI shirts, the lead timeⁱ is often several weeks.

White remains the fine-dining and hotel-reception reference and signals uncompromising cleanliness. However it shows every stain immediately and demands a functioning laundry operation with sufficient circulation capacity. Black is the pragmatic answer for the cocktail bar, modern kitchen and rooftop - conceals red-wine, espresso and sauce stains considerably better and looks more contemporary at the counter and in the show kitchen. Grey and anthracite are the business-casual compromise for consulting, reception and business hotels: forgives everyday marks, looks serious, combinable with a vest. Bordeaux and navy work in wellness hotels and boutique concepts with warm, muted imagery. Important: always check that all CI colours are available in both women's and men's cut - a team in slightly different shades of grey looks immediately unprofessional.

Long sleeve is the standard answer for reception, classic restaurants and fine dining and works year round - with cuff closed in winter, rolled up on warm days. It remains the only choice when a tie or bow tie is worn. Short sleeve belongs in summer and terrace service, behind the bar counter and in the warm backstage kitchen: reduces sweating, looks professional rather than pained at 32 degrees outside temperature and is right for the roles where cuffs would get in the way. Rule of thumb: For full service with a uniform appearance, at least two long-sleeve shirts per person plus one short-sleeve model for the warm season. For bar and cafe roles only, short sleeve can become the main kit, supplemented by a single long-sleeve shirt for the cold months.

For a visible, professional service appearance, genuine women's and men's cuts pay off in almost all cases. A women's blouse with bust shaping, a waisted back panel and narrower shoulder sits on the body noticeably more precisely than a simply downsized unisexⁱ shirt, which often falls too wide under the arms and looks off at the collar. Men's cuts are wider at the collar and shoulder and create the classic waiter silhouette. Unisex models are a sensible choice for very large runs for temporary staff, event crews and catering, where rotational use within the team and easy stock management are more important than a perfect fit. For permanent core staff in restaurant and hotel service, consistently choose the gender-specific cut in the same colour and collar shape – the team immediately looks unified.

The standard position for a subtly embroidered company logo is the left chest at approximately 8 to 10 cm wide – compatible with chest pocket and tie-suitable. For restaurant chains and larger hotels, embroidery instead of print is always worthwhile: it withstands 60-degree wash and industrial laundry over hundreds of cycles, while printed logos age visibly at edges. Alternatively, design hotels and boutique concepts place the service employee's name on the right chest or integrate a small logo on the cuff. For large-area positions (back, sleeves), Service shirts are deliberately not suitable – here the appearance quickly looks like merchandising instead of workwearⁱ. Important: for very dark colours check white embroidery and for very light colours choose a colour that remains readable from two metres away.

Premier Workwear is the largest selection in the range (38 models) and the restaurant standard from Great Britain - from the classic waiter shirt to the pilot shirt with double chest pockets for reception and chauffeur services. B&C; (22 models) is the Belgian corporate classic with clean construction and good availability for hotel receptions and business hotels. CG Workwear (14 models) brings slim-fit models and Italian-inspired blouses at budget-friendly prices - ideal for new bars and bistros in startup mode. Kustom Kit / Bargear (10 models) is the British-slim reference for bartenders and cocktail bar with mandarin collarⁱ and stretch content. Henbury (9 models) covers the solid standard service. Seidensticker (4 models) is the German premium choice for upscale hotel reception with high expectations of feel and construction.