Uniform and Appearance Standards Checklist

FDA Food Code 2-402.11 requires effective hair restraints for line, prep, and dish staff — hat, visor, hair net, or beard guard. Servers with hair longer than shoulder length tied back. Check beard nets on cooks with facial hair longer than a half-inch; this is a frequent health inspector callout.

FDA Food Code 2-302.11: food handlers may not wear nail polish or artificial nails unless single-use gloves are worn. Nails trimmed to fingertip length. Send anyone with chipped polish to remove it before the line check.

Strong fragrances interfere with food aroma at the pass and trigger guest allergy complaints. Deodorant required; cologne and perfume should not be detectable at arm's length.

Walk the line and the floor before lineup. Stained chef coats from yesterday's service, missing buttons, frayed hems — pull a backup from the locker before service starts. Servers in white shirts: check collars and cuffs under house lighting.

Pull from the backup locker first — chef coat, apron, server shirt. If no backup fits, send the employee home to change; do not let them work the shift out of standard. Log the incident in 7shifts so it shows up at the weekly close.

Right side of the chest, level with the third button. Magnetic backs preferred for shirts to avoid pinholes. Trainees should wear the orange or labeled trainee tag so guests and the expediter can spot them.

OSHA slip-and-fall is the most common restaurant injury. Shoes must be closed-toe, non-slip rated (SR/MAX, Shoes for Crews, or equivalent), and clean. No canvas sneakers, no Crocs without the back strap engaged, no open-back clogs on the line.

FDA Food Code 2-303.11 prohibits jewelry on hands and arms of food handlers except a plain band ring. No watches, no fitness trackers, no bracelets on line cooks or prep cooks. Lockers should be used; do not let staff stash jewelry in apron pockets where it can fall into food.

Dangling earrings are a foreign-object risk over open food and over the flat top. Studs only for cooks and prep. FOH may wear small hoops at the GM's discretion.

Lip, nose, and tongue piercings are foreign-object risks. Remove for service or cover with a clear surgical bandage. Septum jewelry should be flipped up under the nose.

Visible tattoos are allowed if not offensive — no profanity, no hate imagery, nothing that conflicts with the concept's positioning. Sleeves required only if the venue's policy explicitly calls for them; document the standard once and apply it consistently to avoid discrimination claims.

Chef coats fully buttoned protect against grease splatter and steam burns at the sauté and grill stations. Sleeves rolled neatly to mid-forearm or worn full-length; no exposed undershirts at the cuff. Side towels in the apron, not slung over the shoulder.

Two clean aprons per cook on the rack at the pass. Aprons change when soiled, between raw protein and ready-to-eat handling, and at any allergen ticket. Servers: half-aprons clean at lineup with pen, wine key, and crumber stocked.

Bartenders in the house-specified shirt or vest, sleeves rolled if dress code allows, bar towel on the rail. Bar backs in matching attire with non-slip shoes — they work the wettest floor in the building.

Quick group photo of the lineup at pre-shift attached to the run. Useful as a baseline if a health inspector asks about grooming standards, and creates a visual record for new-hire training.