While your kitchen staff may provide excellent and exquisite menu items, the appearance of your serving staff and their restaurant uniforms will form an impression in the minds of you customers and instill an instant conception of service standards.
For a classy, upper class steakhouse or specialty establishment like a sushi or Thai eatery, restaurant uniforms should exceed customer expectations. The guests are in their best attire to enjoy fine dining and expect nothing less of the waiter or waitress that will be serving them. What is labeled as "black tie" apparel should definitely be applied to the look of the restaurant uniforms of your staff, including servers, food runners, greeters, hostesses and coat check employees.
There's something about black paired with white for restaurant uniforms that exhibits professionalism and high standards, and with this color scheme, you can rarely go wrong. Neatly pressed black slacks complemented by a long-sleeved white dress shirt are an impressive combination; complete with non-skid black moccasins kept clean and polished.
If you want to add still a little more flare to your well-to-do establishment, having your staff wear neckties can be a fun and creative endeavor. Leave the design and color up to the server, as long as the graphics are tasteful and not too out-of-place. Being able to express their unique personalities to the guests will give the customers something to talk about and be amused by, and may strike up a conversation between the customer and server, possibly leading to increased tips. Adding accomplishment pins to restaurant uniform shirts such as "employee of the month" or "exceptional server" will give the waiter a boost of confidence and provide assurance to the customer that their order will be correct and their service prompt.
If you run a more light-hearted, family-oriented diner, restaurant uniforms should be kept casual, allowing the customers to relate to their server more comfortably, increasing their dining experience. Suggestions include solid color tee-shirts, baseball caps, and colorful aprons.
Finally, avoid placing a "trainee" tag on a new server's restaurant uniform. This singles out the waiter, making them self-conscious, possibly leading them to be a victim of customer maltreatment. The word trainee screams out incompetent and inexperienced, and will instantly instill a message in the customer's minds that their service will be less than exceptional. Having "new hire" plastered on a newcomer's restaurant uniform may also make them more nervous, making them feel like they stick out like a sore thumb.
