Why Chef wear a White Dress?
Chefs around the world wear white dresses. It has become a standard colour and chefs are now recognized by their attire. White dresses give chefs a serene look especially if the dress is clean and starched. People visiting restaurants often gauge the level of cleanliness and professionalism by the condition of chef’s dresses. Some prefer to abstain from eating at that particular location if they find the chef’s dresses to be ragged and dirty.
The colour white has become a global standard during the last 100 years. Before that, there were no such dress codes in the restaurant and hotel industry. Chefs did not wear a particular colour or even a special dress for that matter. They used to cook in the same clothes as they wore casually. Aprons and vests were later introduced to distinguish chefs from the waiting staff. It was also around this time that the colour white found its way into chef’s clothing.
The colour white was chosen for a variety of reason. White has a unique ambience and creates a sense of understated magnificence. White also offers the perfect backdrop for design variations such as embroidery. The biggest advantage of wearing white is that it immediately highlights the stains, dust and other impurities. Chefs wearing white dresses thus can change their dress accordingly. Darker shades conceal stains and the chefs may continue wearing the same dress for longer periods of time. This not only impacts the standards of hygiene but also creates a very bad feeling among patrons.
Some people may even leave the establishment if they happen to see the dirty dress. They will think the restaurant has poor standards of hygiene and will not take a chance with the food. The white-coloured dresses thus offer a win-win situation for all. They enable hotel managers to ensure a strict level of hygiene in the kitchens and also help customers in gauging the level of cleanliness in any particular establishment, so chef wear does make a difference.
