Friday, May 20, 2011

Fashion in Focus: Catering

In today’s competitive restaurant and food service industry more and more business owners are extending their branding and corporate identity to areas that until recently has been out of bounds to customers.

With more people being turned on to food by celebrity chefs and a general back to basics cooking culture in the UK. People are now becoming more interested not just in what they are eating when they go out, but how their food is being prepared. Shows such as hells kitchen have invited the consumer right into the heart of the kitchen and sparked national interest in all things foodie.

This has led to more restaurants opening up kitchens to the discerning view of their customers and provides another perfect opportunity for the business smart restaurant owner to promote their brand in a way never before known.

Even basic measures such as coordinated chef’s uniforms promote an impression of a professional well oiled kitchen and in turn instill confidence in the consumer. One can also use custom embroidery or printing to attach your corporate logo or branding to your kitchen workforce extending the coverage area of your branding.

Many businesses are now employing the services of professional work clothing designers and are already seeing the return in revenue that a coordinated approach between front of house staff presentation and an open kitchen with coordinated uniform can bring. Applying a design professional to your in house branding will ensure coordination through out your business while defining and promoting the roles within your service for the customer.

Many restaurants have taken this approach further and are trading on the name of there head chiefs effectively branding there staff and marketing them via such initiatives as kitchen days and cookery lessons. This approach is becoming more sought after by the consumer who now wants to be a part of there dining experience and what better way to remember this experience than for them to purchase ready branded chiefs apparel from their favorite restaurant. The opportunities appear to be endless in this new and exciting corporate workwear environment!