Buying guide, Uniforms

Opening a Restaurant? The Complete Uniform and Supplies Checklist

By the RestroCart design team · 23 December 2025 · New Delhi, India · 377-word read

Full set of custom restaurant uniforms ready for a new outlet opening, made by RestroCart

Opening checklists usually cover licences, equipment and staff. The physical brand, everything a guest touches or wears, tends to get handled in the last fortnight, which is exactly when lead times bite. Here is the full list, by department, with a timeline.

Kitchen

Chef coats or chef tees, 3 per person
Chef caps or bandanas, 2 per person
Kitchen aprons, 2 per person
Waterproof aprons, 2 to 3 per outlet
One heavier executive chef coat

Service floor

Shirts or polos, 3 per person
Aprons, 2 per person
Name badges, 1 per person plus 25 percent spares
Manager waistcoats or blazers, 2 per manager
Hostess uniform, 2 per hostess

Housekeeping and support

Housekeeping sets, 3 per person
Utility aprons, 2 per person
Laundry bags, labelled by cycle

Winter (if north of Nagpur)

Hoodie, zipper or sweatshirt, 1 per person
Windcheaters for valet, gate and riders

On the table

Menus, one per two covers plus 20 percent spares
Table cards or tent cards
Coasters, budgeted generously, they disappear
Bill holders, one per two tables
Napkins and table mats
Cutlery caddies or condiment holders
Captain order pads
QR table stands if you run digital menus

Around the building

Entrance, wayfinding and parking signage
Display or specials boards
Visiting cards and letterhead

If you deliver

Insulated delivery bags
Printed sleeves, carry bags and boxes
Stickers and tamper seals
Thank-you or feedback cards with a review QR
Rider windcheaters, caps and raincoats

The items people forget: name badges, parking signage, laundry bags and spare menus. All four get noticed in week one.

The timeline

Week -10: share logo files and brand palette; begin design.
Week -8: approve mockups; order fabric and sampling.
Week -6: approve physical samples and the size set.
Week -5: bulk production begins on uniforms; menus and print go to press.
Week -2: delivery. Uniforms in hand for training week.
Week -1: photograph the team in uniform for launch content.

One conversation instead of six

Everything on this list is made in-house at RestroCart, from one set of brand files, so the apron, the menu and the delivery sticker all use the same colour. Send us your opening date and floor plan and we will build the list with quantities. WhatsApp +91 98213 34906 or browse the catalogue.

Questions restaurateurs ask us about this

When should a new restaurant order uniforms?

Start eight to ten weeks before opening. Design and sampling take two to three weeks, production three to four, and you want uniforms in hand for training week, not on opening day.

What is the full list of custom items a new restaurant needs?

Uniforms for every department, aprons, caps, name badges, menus, table cards, coasters, bill holders, napkins, signage, packaging if you deliver, and thank-you or feedback cards. Most new outlets remember uniforms and menus and forget the rest until week two.

Can I order everything from one place?

Yes, and it is cheaper and more consistent. RestroCart makes uniforms, tableware, merchandise, packaging and print in-house, working from one set of brand files so colours match across fabric, wood, paper and ceramic.