# Kitchen Hats, Caps, Bandana's ect....



## filthy habitz (Oct 6, 2009)

Do you think hats should be mandatory? 
How long does the hair have to be?
Do you like those hats?
Do you think a ball cap is fine?
Do you think a bandana is okay?
If hats are mandatory should the chef have to wear one as well?

I just want to know what people think. I personally hate wearing hats of any kind while sweating. I have a shaved head and wear a bandana if I start to sweat.

Just interested to see.


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## epicous (Aug 12, 2004)

I prefer a narrowed hat, limited in lenght, and not white. I have not found the ideal hat.

I do not visualize large hats like this:


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

Eating at a restaurant and looking into the kitchen to see staff wearing baseball caps?

I'd leave.


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

I don't know what state you are in ,or what food facility but in most place hair covering is mandatory by health code law.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_but in most place hair covering is mandatory by health code law_

If so, Ed, it's a law observed more in the breech than in the practice.

I never see head coverings anymore---not even nets, let alone hats. At processing houses, yes. But not at restaurants.


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Any facility I have worked in in Florida everyone wore baseball caps or chefs hats. I know in NY there is a law on the books that the use of hairspray was acceptable(don't know if it still applies) Thats the one thing health dept. here is strict on, other things they are lax.


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

I have fairly long hair, so up it is.....

All kitchens in Montreal MUST at all times have "something" to cover hair. 

Hygiene rules differ from one kitchen to the next but they are mostly the same. I have even seen beards covered in High end kitchens.

Petals


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

Interesting.
I have no problem with ballcaps.
If the food and service is good I don't care if the kitchen crew is wearing mining helmets.
Paper Mickey-dee's style hats would turn me off though.

Over the years I've seen everything from toques to skullcaps, wraps, hairnets, ballcaps, tall paper chef hats.

I think a cook should wear something comfortable and practical.
It's been rare to see a Chef wear a hat unless he is chained to the line.
If he walks in and works a small project, he is usually uncovered.


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

I agree, I don't see the problem with wearing baseball hats... I prefer to wear a simple black skullcap if I am required to wear one, though I do like the camo prints too and I've worn baseball caps on occasion (I just don't like the ridge though, it blocks my vision and I tend to smack it against various surfaces when I'm working.) Oh, and I hate the classic chef toque... it's horribly impractical.

The thing I've noticed is that the higher end the restaurant generally the less headgear there is... at least that's from personal experience.


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

Then call me old fashioned, call me British.... it's the belief that the same baseball cap would be worn outside the restaurant, and just not removed before coooking


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Chef magazine used to give out White baseball caps with CHEF spelled out on the front???


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## filthy habitz (Oct 6, 2009)

Well the small little resort I work at on an island. There really isn't alot of health inspectors around. They come twice a year and the other 2 resturants will call and let you know before they stop by. Never once have I been told to wear a hat by them. Mainly becuz I have less then a 1/16th of an inch of hair.

I think most hair in food comes from servers and not cooks. If you have hair then yes cover it up. If you have no hair all you need to worry about it sweat. 

I won't work in a kitchen that tells me I have to wear some stupid pepper hat or anything I don't want to.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Ishbel, you in the US you might be surprised at how many places you might have to leave if you stayed true to that comment. Baseball hats are becoming more and more the thing while toques are not a prevelant as they used to be.

I am a firm believer of wearing hats in the kitchen, not head bands, not bandanas, but hats. Personally I prefer baseball caps to toques but I wear what the "powers that be" want me and my staff to wear.


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## filthy habitz (Oct 6, 2009)

On the westcoast Canada cooks are in such high demand you can basically tell them you will not wear a hat. Along with how much you expect to be paid and the hours your willing to work. If they don't wanna go for that 20 other places down the block will.


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

When I worked in the kitchen as a commis, hats were mandatory. Chef had a paper toque, everyone else had to wear the short paper ones. Long hair? hair up and back, hat on.

I got into sooo much trouble...one day early on in my kitchen stint, the kitchen ran out of the short ones. As I have a mass of hair, I thought I better wear something at least, and not thinking, grabbed a toque (I didn't realise the importance of it at the time).

Oh dear. I copped it  "What ARE you doing wearing that?!?!?!" So, never again. Geez that was a long shift... 

Some tv programs I've see out of Asia in the larger restaurants often have all the food prep. staff wearing paper face masks....is that common else where?


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

I probably might, Pete. :lol: I have to say that at most of the restaurants I frequent (many with the now ubiquitous 'open kitchen' layout) the chef/cooks have their heads covered - mostly with the flat caps, but covered nonetheless. I suspect my antipathy for baseball caps is fuelled by them being part of the uniform for most of the chavs* locally!

Scottish chavs are usually referred to as Neds - but I think the English terminology is more widely known!


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

I always made it a mandatory rule that you must wear a hat, and I supplied them. I gave everyone a choice, either a baseball cap or a skull cap. I didnt care if you were bald or had hair down to your waist.


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## filthy habitz (Oct 6, 2009)

I won't cover my skin head for anyone. Not worth the peanuts you'll willing to pay me to bow down to ANY chef's rule. Sorry might work on little boys, but I'mma man.


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

In many of the states in the US you wouldnt have a choice in the matter, whether you are "a man or a little boy" as you like to say. THE MAN, Big Brother, Uncle Sam, is the one who makes the rules, we all just have to abide by them whether we like it or not. Its a part of doing business.


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## filthy habitz (Oct 6, 2009)

True, and your not supposed to speed. Sure we all do. Even if we're told its not allowed lol


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

If my chef told me to wear a hat, I would either wear one or I would choose to no longer work there.
I won't disrespect him/her by acting immature.


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

Maybe so but the difference between the two is that when you get caught speeding you may or may not get a simple ticket that you can pay and be done with it, when you get caught not following the Health Depts rules(depending on the state)you may get hit with a critical violation which will show up in the paper or on the newscast which will be seen by many and may cause damage to your business and reputation leading to a loss of sales which may end up being catastrophic. I would rather wear the hat...


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

I wear the skullcaps as well. Primarily they soak up sweat really well. Also theycan be washed and rinsed in the sink and put back on wet if needs be. I live in Cali and yes anyone with more then 3/4 inch of hair is supposed to have it covered on the line. Tied back as well if it comes to your shoulders or longer. I heartily agree with all of these rules as hair in food is just a nasty experience.


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## filthy habitz (Oct 6, 2009)

I understand if it is BY LAW then yes I "would" wear one. I'm thankful I shave my head and have near to no hair. If anything my goatee is a lot longer and is closer to the food then any hair on the top of my head.


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

And as such you may be made to wear a beard guard in some cities/municipalities. Now that would suck worse than a hat IMHO.


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## filthy habitz (Oct 6, 2009)

Yeah that would suck. I'd rather wear a hair net and be a lunch lady lol


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## chefray (Sep 29, 2009)

I like a welders cap with no bill. They're nice and thick so they soak up a ton of sweat. They're also flame retardant, a major plus for any article of clothing in a kitchen.


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## bryanj (Jun 20, 2008)

dont be so hard on the mcd's style paper hats. at le bernardin (NYC, 3 michelin stars) all the cooks wear them, and the chef and sous are all hatless. 

at one super high end place i worked, (famous too. the chef was a judge on top chef!) it was tall paper toques. i still have one actually, as a souvenir. the exec chef and chef de cuisine however, were always hatless. 

i worked at a sushi bar once that required every cook to wear a baseball cap with the company logo on it. it sucked, but i liked working there and i wanted to learn sushi, so i stuck around.

i have a friend who wears nothing but white sleeveless tshirts under his jacket in the kitchen. he takes the sleeves and uses them as headbands.

i have a beard and longish hair. ive never had to have a beard net, but i always have to have headgear. i usually take a cravat (neckerchief) and use it as a headband, marco white style. 

my personal opinion? hair and/or sweat in the food is gross. i also hate seeing cooks with cuts or burns on their hands handling food without a glove or finger cot. thats just disgusting. ive been unemployed for a month (chicago job market is brutal right now), so if i got a call from someone saying that i could work there but i had to wear a swedish chef style toque, white clogs, and a pink jacket, id probably do it, but only if they supplied. i aint buyin that crap...


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## a_mak (Aug 27, 2009)

Where I work we're required to wear some kind of headgear. We do have a choice of what kind and I wear a baseball cap. The thing is that before I started working in kitchens I used to always wear a baseball cap and now as soon as I'm out of the kitchen I can't wait to take my hat off. 

Also, if anyone's read The Curious Cook by Harold McGee there's a chapter in there about how to avoid getting oil droplets on your eyeglasses. And it says that a hat with a brim like a baseball cap works best for this problem. I don't wear glasses so this isn't a problem for me. But I thought it was an interesting bit of information.


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## jordanm (Mar 25, 2008)

Where I work, the chef doesn't make us wear hats, we all have shortish hair that is kept in place by "product" and this is New Zealand, so no hair health codes yet, all it states is "hair should be tied back and preferably covered"


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## johnny drama (Oct 15, 2009)

As long as it's not a humongous sombrero, any kind of headgear will do for me.

I usually will rotate between a skull cap and a bandana. I agree with the bill of the baseball cap getting in the way.


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## sellit (Aug 20, 2015)

The restaurant i work at said no bandanas. Just hats and hair nets. I wrar a bandana and feel it works the best. They also took are music away whst do you think.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Its not what you think works best. Its what it takes the owner not to get a complaint from the health inspector when they do an inspection. The bandanna is used to keep sweat out of your eyes, but it doesn't cover all of your hair. Kind of a logic to that, don't you think?

Music at work? When you work alone, anything goes, I really don't care. If you insist on music during service, or when working with others, I will shove your device so hard up your personal cavities that it will need surgery to remove. What can I say? Its my kitchen and my rules....


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## chefbuba (Feb 17, 2010)

Go find a job where you can wear your bandanna. If they took away your music, the privilege was probably being abused. How many times did mgt have to turn it down because it was too loud, or arguments ensue over the type of music being played? Tuff shit, go work somewhere else.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

It's the chef/owners/management's kitchen.  You need to adjust to suit them.  It is not their responsibility to adjust to meet your likes or dislikes.  There are restauarnts all over the place.  If you don't like how run kitchen is run then find a job at a place that is better suited to you.

Personally, I don't like headbands or bandanas unless worn under a hat and require hats, or full hairnets in my kitchen.  As to music, I like to have it around in the prep area, but never on the line.  But these are my personal preferences, and as the chef, my preferences...my rules.  Others run their kitchens their way.  I make no judgements about that.


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

In my county you must wear head covering even if you re bald. In my county you can wear bandanas, dew rags and baseball caps, but in most cases the establishment wouldn't unless their design was cool, (and I have seen some really cool ones). And you're not gonna get away with a headband unless you're a bald headed sushi chef.

I personally almost never wear a toque, I usually just use a pillbox hat of a good material like chefworks or mercer. Most of my competitors  and most of the guys on the line do the same. Many lines have nets AND hats. It might just be something that is popular regionally although were starting to see a few newsboy hats amongst the execs.


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