# tattoos in the kitchen



## godfather_chef (Apr 21, 2006)

my dad has been on my case ever since i got my first tattoo, he says that no one will want to hire me becasue of them. i currently have one on each upper arm, forearm, calf, and one on my back. so, my question is this; do tattoos have any way of lessening my chances of getting into better, nicer places?


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## crazytatt (Mar 5, 2006)

Not to my experience.

I wear my ink as a part of me. I'm fully sleved, and then some. When I have a suit on, no one is the wiser.

As mentioned in another thread, I have alot of ink. This is in no way "being a bad a**.", if the body is a temple, why not paint the walls? If you have a soild resume, and you CAN prove things w/ action...the proof is in the puddin'. Not to mention, modern spin offs from t.v. have de-sensitized the whole tatt stigmata. Let your actions be your guide, and truth be your shield.


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## aprilb (Feb 4, 2006)

You know, the pre-sanitizing stigma that they have. Like a drunk sailor getting hep or dirty needles transmitting AIDS. 

I've got tons of scars from ovens that have decided to 'tat' me. Your Tats are just scars that are in color and on purpose. 

(I had a scar from an oven once that looked kind of like a rocket ship from The Illustrated Man, but it faded.  )

I don't know what your dad wants you do do about it. I don't mean to usurp him, but the only option is to have them removed. Like Crazy Tat said, you cover them or not, and it's no problem. 

The bottom line though is that they don't drive or determine your skill, you do. It would be totally different if you were a female bikini model or something. I can't figure out what the difference is between tats and dying your hair or wearing makeup, except that your tats don't fall off into the food...:lol: 

Just have fun with what you love to do.

April


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

The chef at an American Place has tatoos (John Griffin), Sous-chef at Atlas has them promently up and down his arms (Bob has worked at Inn at Little Washington as well as top restaurants).....each is a powerhouse in their own right and both restaurants are in the top 10 in STL. It doesn't get more conservative than the mid-west.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

Unless you're in an open kitchen in a 5 star place, I wouldn't worry too much. As you already know, kitchens don't hire on the basis of your looks! You're father is probably like many in that he may just not want to see his son all tattooed up and that's his way of saying "don't do it". I have my colors as well, but I still would rather my son not get colored.
So don't worry and show your father this thread.


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## jim berman (Oct 28, 1999)

Check this out...
http://skullandcleavers.com/_wsn/page3.html


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## crazytatt (Mar 5, 2006)

Hells Kitchen winner...When the first episode aired, I told my girl "He's gonna win", didn't watch again until the final episode....yep, called it.


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## mikeb (Jun 29, 2004)

In my experience it doesn't affect your chances of being hired at all. If you're worried then wear a long sleeve shirt to your interview to cover them. Just make sure to look as professional as possible (this goes for everyone tats or not) and you'll have no problems. The place I've been at (multiple award winning restaurant, including several for best restaurant in the city) has had 2 sous-chefs who were covered in tats.


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## diane (Mar 24, 2006)

The only one you could possibly see would be the one on your forearm, and goodness knows, they are as common as day.


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## thebiggerbopper (May 15, 2006)

I've seen a lot of street corner hot dog venders with tattoos all over them, didn't seem to hurt them any. :lol: :lol:


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## rivitman (Jul 23, 2004)

If you have visible tats and piercings, I can't use you out front at all, which makes you less valuable to me. A couple of tats is never usually a problem, but most I have worked with with extensive body art are seldom good soldiers in white jackets, which is what I need.

And I know this is going to sound radical, but if you have a tongue stud, pierced eybrows, nose etc, you have issues and are going to eventually be a problem to me. Every female with extensive tattooing Iv'e run into has issues, and the lower back tattoo is definatly a sign of future trouble.


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## blade55440 (Sep 9, 2005)

Tattoos don't matter if you're in the kitchen. Most folks wear their chef coats to about mid forearm I've noticed ( I'm a freshly graduated culinary student).

As for front of the house, if it's covered up by your regular work clothes, then you're in the clear man.

At least that's how I see it.


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## blondechef (Feb 19, 2009)

I am so torn with adding my food tattoo... what defines me as a chef? what ingredient can i NOT live without? the chefs who have inspired me... so many choices


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

If I have a closed back of the house kitchen, it wouldn't bother me. If I had that person Carving on a front line buffet, or omelette station I would not hire that person. I want that person there to show case my food not his/her Art work. I tell all the girls that work for us, you can have as many Bellybutton rings as you want, but anything that shows, Goes................................Bill


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Meh, call me a crusty old conservative fart, tattoos make me hurl, body graffiti as far as I'm concerned.

When you come into a interview and I see tats, I don't hire. Period. You can be smart and wear long sleeved shirts and if I don't see tats, that's fine.

If you want to wear short sleeved shirts to show off ink, or the metal bits, bobs, or schrapnel in your face, I'll tell you that you don't met my requirements. If you wish, you can scream human rights and unfair hiring practises, and I'll just laugh. True, it is unfair not to hire someone based on race, religion, birth defects, etc, but a tat was done intentionally. And that is the problem.


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

I'm not fond of tattoos on No matter what, they look dirty. It's my opinion that the more you have the more attention you want and I don't need needy people in my kitchen. I also have the perception that this is a person who wants to show off their individuality- the last thing I need. That doesn't mean I wouldn't hire you. I would take other qualities into consideration. Never get a tattoo in a place you can't cover up. What I really hate are lip rings. They scream dirty/ germy. If you show up to an interview wearing a lip ring, you are done. I won't even interview you as I figure if you haven't got more sense than to wear a lip ring to an interview, you won't have enough brains to wash your hands without me telling you and I'm not your baby sitter. Sounds harsh, but you asked. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.


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## chefdrizzle (Dec 23, 2007)

tattoo's are becoming more and more acceptable with the up and coming generations... its an art that has been around forever basically and people are always popping up with crazy new styles of tattoos... not to mention the unique techniques that individual artists have... 

in my opinion, it goes deeper than just 'a guy with tattoo's'... who is the person who did the artwork? was it some back alley fool with no regard for the people who hes tattooing or the art of itself... or was it done by someone with talent, is licensed and loves what he/she does? 

i really hate the people who say they are tattoo artists and everyone and their friend says 
"this guy is great because he will do any tat for 50 bucks!! omg his work is awesome too!!"
and i ask 
"oh really now? who is he and where is his shop?"
answered with a reply like
"his names Spike and he does it out of his house off of Crap St. Downtown"

i like people with tats, but i do not like certain choices made by people to get cheap tats that look half arsed, with no idea if tools are sterile from someone who will just put ink on anything that moves... 

so back on topic... if you come to work for me and you have tattoos, it wont effect me hiring you... if your tattoos were made from poor choices and put on by the wrong people, it will effect my brain to think your dumb.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Although I dislike most tatoos, I really admire the stuff done by/for the Japanese Yakuza. They're utterly beautiful, real works of art of which I see very little here in the U.S..


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## harvest (Jul 2, 2008)

I just have to say that Tats are not a problem to me, wearing the pants down around the hips with parts showing I don't want to see is a problem. I have had to ask or insist a few young fellows that they pull the pants up!


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

When I owned my restaurant it had an open kitchen and a food bar for guests to sit and eat at. No visible tats, peircings (other than ears), low hanging pants(black or checks only), they had to be pulled up and fit you. If you want to be sleeved or have ink that was below the upper arm or on the neck that was fine but you wore a long sleeved white tshirt under your coat and left the sleeves down all shift, if they came up you went home. I wanted a clean, uniform kitchen, my place my rules.


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## bbay (Nov 22, 2007)

original post was:
There really isn't a simple answer to the question; it's kind of relative.
Where I live, you would be hard pressed to find someone who isn't an "ink-free" cook. 
However, one of my cooks is heavily tatooed (facial tatooes) and he had a problem getting a job at a casino because of it. I am glad that they discriminate, because I didn't want to lose him as an employee. 
I did, however, work for a hotel that made me yank my earings. I needed the job so I did it. No regrets, just following the rules. 
I believe that the employer has the ultimate right in saying whether you are appropriate or not; _Hooter's_ included. It should be up to the proprietor what will and what will not be acceptable for his/her establishment. 
On re-reading I realized that this is a kind of random, un-helpful response. 
sorry.
Advice? keep it above the sleeve line and below the neck. no worries.
unless you're one of those people who can't keep their mouth shut about their "new ink". GAWD give it a break!

btw, I won't... make that *WON'T* hire someone with dreadlocks. Wash your **** hair. seriously. no excuse. smells of poop.

EDIT: YOUR PLACE, YOUR RULES. EXACTLY.


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## saltydog (Mar 16, 2008)

It wouldn't stop me from hiring you but I would question your strength of character. Wrong or right those are the facts.


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## blondechef (Feb 19, 2009)

you don't want to be in a KITCHEN with any chef who has ANYTHING bad to say about TATs, your'e not a SERver, your a hard core cook...no self respecting chef wouldn't hire you because of ink... and if they have a problem, you don't wanna work for them anyway...

cooking is ART, SO IS INK!!


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

While you may be correct in theory the problem with that is today the kitchen is a part of the dining room, or at least it as in my restaurant. Because of that my cooks needed to maintain an image and standard that my guests expected, I'm sorry if you have a problem and don't think it's fair that but life isn't fair sometimes. And for the record I didn't have anything bad to say about tatoo's, the skill involved with drawing them is nothing short brilliant.


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Chef How I agree , 
we are in service business and tatoos scare some people. I am looking to display my food, NOT artwork on someones neck.True I have seen some that are very nice ,but also have seen some that look like 2 cents worth of heaven help us. I also dont permit pierceings in the nose or lips. it is my place and thats what the job entails. You dont have to work here, and I dont have to hire you its a free country. :bounce:
Culnary Art started and belongs in a kitchen, other art belongs in an art gallery!!!


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Awhile back around 2001 I saw a young woman who had a late 1880's styled sun tatooed on her belly: the lines that served as the outside delimiter were beginning to diffuse and IMHO by the time she would reach 40, her belly would be all black with the tatoo ink that had diffused. BEWARE. Get yourself a real Yakusa artiste and you won't be disappointed.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Art? Oh, you mean like all that spray painted squiggly crud on busses and buildings, you know, graffititi. Thats what "Body art" is, body graffitit.


1) Volunteer at an old folk's home and help some 80 year old guy with 60 year old tats into the tub, sneak a peek at the tats. Looks like smeared ink.

2) Many Chef's won't hire you because of how you look. Many Restaurnt owners won't let the Chef hire a Circus freak, because it is the Restaurant owner who signs the paychecks True, I'm not a diplomat, I'll tell you to your face. Others will tell you "Sorry you didn't make the short list".

3) 99% of the tats I've seen look like ****. They are there for one, and only one purpose: To attract attention. 

You got the attention buddy, now go deal with it.


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## docsmith (Aug 4, 2008)

I may no longer work in a restaurant but I am an employer.

Nothing says 'white trash' faster than badly placed tattoos. Its one thing if you have that 18 and still young and stupid tattoo so many get on their upper arm or ankle, but its another when you place them in areas that are easily visible to the public. 

Now I've hired people with said tattoos but only because I need them for jobs I don't consider sensitive or important. 

Its rather a shame as 'normal' tattoos and piercings have become non-conformist conformist, the 'LOOK AT ME' crowd is now getting over tattooed and ear plugs. 

You know some day you may be that chef owner of a great establishment and have your picture in the adds as its your food they are coming to eat. Its fine to say you are a unique individual with your tats and if your guests don't like it they can go somewhere else, but then when you are the one paying 25k a month keeping the place going, keeping the bank from closing your doors, and dealing with a staff that acts more like highschool children than professionals, you realize just how important those guests are to you, and that really cool tat on your neck suddenly seems like it may have been a pretty bad idea. 

Life can take you in many directions, don't typecast yourself as a 'back of the house' guy.


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

Pump & Doc, you make a nice set of bookends. You said it all between you in different ways and it couldn't, IMHO, have been said better.


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## sizlchest (Mar 29, 2008)

Wow, I'd hate to work for you. Everyone who has piercings or tats don't have "issues" Take a good look at your own issues.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Like I said in the past post, the only reason people have visible piercings or tattos is to draw attention to themselves. 

Kinda self explanatory, eh?

So the thing is, why? 

What kind of issues, attitudes, and problems will I, or my employer, or my co-workers face with other employees who wish to draw attention to themselves?

Issues, issues, issues........


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

Women with tattoos in the lower back are future issues? Wow.... perhaps I should stop wearing glasses and go with contact lenses... I must be drawing attention to myself, very much an attention whore. I know plenty of ladies in other industries with tattoos (banking, computers), they are consummate professionals, even more so than the prima donnas who look as plain as could be. Piercings in the kitchen are somewhat dangerous, but what they wear outside of work is of precious little care to me and that's the only reason I'd restrict them.

Maybe in 30 years it'll be fashionable to have computer chips in your head or to have bionic body parts and maybe I'll react to them the same way others do to tats and odd piercings, I'll get my comeuppance then.


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## sizlchest (Mar 29, 2008)

Wrong. You have no idea why most people get tats. It's the same as name brand clothes, or any other thing. Some people enjoy getting them, each tattoo has a real meaning to the person getting it, and your blanket statement about people having issues makes me glad I'll never be the kind of boss you are. Like I said, look at your own issues.


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

Lets say for instance that you owned or even was the Exec at an upscale place that had an open kitchen, a food bar, a dress code of business casual but coats were suggested and had the ambiance to match. How would you react to your guests, that paid top $$ to "sit in your kitchen", when they asked about all the "art" on your cooks or the metal in the face? They are paying you for an experience, would that be the experience you wanted them to come away from your business with? Would that be the image that you are trying to portay? For me, and what my customers expect that is not an option. You need to look at it from the owners point of view and not as a Sous Chef. There is a HUGE difference in how you view things once you are the one signing the checks and paying the bills. I too had a different attitude until I got the keys and then it all changed. You are at the mercy of the guests and what you think, want and cared about no longer really matters because all it does is cloud your vision from the ultimate goal, and that goal is to....
1. Make payroll!!!
2. Pay the vendors and keep your 30 day credit.
3. Open the doors tomorrow
4. Pay yourself
5. Make a PROFIT

Where you work it may be different, after all everyone has a different image of what they want ppl to see, but from my point of view and all of my experience this is how I run my establishment.


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

At the end of the day, there will be places at all levels of the business that have people with/without tattoos, and with/without piercings. From fine dining (I know a pastry chef who worked at Alinea who has a relatively visible tattoo on the back of his neck) to casual bistro to large hotel (I can't tell you how many cooks and even management-level chefs with tattoos I knew) to institutional dining you just need to find a place that will accept the kind of person you are.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

Always remember, one doesn't seek "acceptance" from the owner/chef, one seeks "acceptance" from those who "pay for your services", the CUSTOMER!

As a "culinary worker", you work in the "hospitality industry", which depends on being "hospitable" to the CUSTOMER to earn the money to pay you.

Tattoos, piercings, exotic makeup, weird clothes, and anything else that "may" detract from "hospitality" will limit opportunities.

We all make choices, we all have to endure the consequences of those choices.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Yeah sure, sure. Of course, with brand name clothes you can throw them away when you don't like them anymore or when they start to fade....

Look a while back I was playing a game of chess with my 7 yr old niece. She could play fairly well, but I caught her cheating. She refused to acknowledge it, I pointed out the postitions of the pieces before I left the room, still refused to acknowledge it. The second time I caught her I pointed out the obvious again, she still refused to acknowledge it.

Big deal, maybe I'm digressing.

Every human bean was born without tattoos. Those who want to tattoo their face or have visible tattoos want attention, or they wouldn't do it. Kinda like cheating at chess, very obvious to everyone. 

When you become a boss yourself you'll start to notice people a little more differently. Leopards have spots, tigers and skunks have stripes, Ma Nature's little way of telling you to take notice, act accordingly or suffer the consequences.

The waiter who shows up for a job interview at a white tablecloth establishment clutching a skateboard and wearing a hoodie is a sign as well, same as the cook interviewee who can't shut up about him/herself and grills you about your own background. So I take notice of the signs around me and act accordingly. I run my own business, have been for over 14 years now. 

Trot down over here to Vancouver. Lots of good food, any ingredient you want is here, lots of new and innovative places, heck even a lot of tattoo parlours. Maybe you and I can discuss issues.


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## sizlchest (Mar 29, 2008)

Me, as the next generation of bosses, will stop this ultra conservative view about tattoos, but if I'm ever in Vancouver, I'll take you up. :beer:


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

At the present time I'd get a tatoo but only from a real Yakuza artiste, for they're the best TT artistes currently on the planet inhabited by us. That being said, let's cease this thread.


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

I want to get a tattoo of Herve Villechaize.
:look:


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

SizlChest, I think perhaps you might be "missing the point".

It is NOT what views the "boss" holds that really matters, it is what views the "customer" holds that "pays the bills"!

I own and operate a restaurant, open kitchen style, two doors from a "tattoo parlour" and I admire their work and skill. 

The community that is the basis for a majority of those who partake of my white Linen restaurant, as a general rule, frown on tattoos and piercings. In point of "fact", in the two years we've been open, I have never observed a customer in our establishment with visable tattoos nor piercings.

I know several cooks, chefs, and wait staff personnel that "sport" tattoos and/or piercings and I admire their skills in performing their trade.

Regardless of my personal feelings, do you really believe that it makes "good business sense" for me to hire those who display tattoos and piercings when I know that it will offend those who "pay my bills"?

I don't.


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## sizlchest (Mar 29, 2008)

You cater to the "fuddy-duddy" people, then, and that's fine.:beer:


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

No, I "cater" to those who "pay me" so I can "pay my employees", I don't "cater" to those who want me to "pay them".


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

You wouldn't be, uh.... well you know, umm, "labeling" people, now would you?
Some might take issue with that........


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## trk (Mar 14, 2009)

In this city, tats are *mandatory* in the kitchen and the FOH. Throw in some serious body piercing, and you're golden. In many restaurants, hipster body art appears to be the number one requirement of food service workers.

Personally, I find it repulsive. I keep mine covered as much as possible.


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

I do not allow face jewelry in my kitchen. Lip rings especially are just plain germy. People who come in to a restaurant want the people handling their food to look clean and businesslike. Unfortunately, face piercings and excessive tattoos detract from that image. People look and dress consciously or unconsciously to fit in with a certain group or project a certain image. What does a person in a hoody with baggy pants playing rap at full blast on a car stereo want to project to the world? That he's an accountant? In my area, the tattooed, radically pierced represent the anarchists, which is fine, except they attract their fellow anarchists who never have any money. Meanwhile they alienate the the regular clientele with their in-your-face-like-it-or-not-I'm-here-and you-have-to-accept-me attitude. Money talks and b******t walks. Things will change when the tattoed/pierced crowd outspends the fuddy-dudddies. Meanwhile, it's my kitchen and I will hire who I want. Anyone who thinks that's wrong can get their own kitchen and do what they want.


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

And what city would that be?


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

midwest city, one of our best and brightest (chef owners) is approx 30 years old.....has a top fine dining white linen.....took out his ear plug prior to openning, but has his sleeves rolled up in publicity photos. Got best new from F&W last year and is a finalist for Beard Awards. Business is good, he's expanding space to open a more casual wine bar. No face piercings.....
So, things are changing even in the ultra conservative mid-west. 

But, it's obviously gradual.....the ear plug went, the tatoos visable.....

One of the staff at An American Place had a small ball lip (accent?, not sure what to call it as it's not a ring but a silver ball)....hostess, front of the house.

So, funny the anarchist bakery/cafe does not have alot of tatooed/face pierced members....but they definately have anarchist beliefs......

That all being said, I've hired cooks that have sleeves....but not service staff, actually no one has applied.....but probably wouldn't happen.....same for poor attitudes, I'm looking for "yes mam"


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

One of the biggest pardigim shifts in my life happened during casual conversation with a waitress. I told her that one of the first Chefs I worked for I found to be a hard-azz totally focused on making money. When I mentioned his name the waitress cracked up. Seems they lived at he same commune waaay back in the late 60's, and things were a LOT different then.

Skin, lifestyles, and attitudes change. Ink fades with time and smears. Will the next few generations find facial tatoos and piercings attractive or even meaningful when they see "old fuddy-duddies" with smeared ink on their necks?


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## treehugger057 (Mar 6, 2009)

Ink in my kitchen is no problem. Nothing crazy though just as long as they can put on a chef coat and look like pro I am ok.


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## trk (Mar 14, 2009)

Seattle. 

There are a few exceptions wherein high-end dining might discourage having tattooed forces in the FOH but this city doesn't have many "dress code, valet-parking" establishments. Even our finest, most highly acclaimed restaurants are helmed by pretty unconventional characters. Apart from all of that, this is the land of "tolerance" where just about anything goes.


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Its your body .Do what you want with it, but its the employers perrogative whether to hire you or not. Some will , some wont its their choice. LETS STOP BEATING A DEAD HORSE.


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Ok as long as the silver ball doesnt fall in the soup!!!!:lol:


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

Interesting thread with much debate. Yes, its up to the employer. I'm no longer in the food industry but am an employer. Two out of my last 3 assistants have had inner forearm tats, but as we work in an office on phones, it really doesn't matter. It was the ability of the person that mattered to me. 


But what if the tattoo is a cultural/tribal tattoo, in a culture where the tattoo is a mark of pride and showing your identity, your cultural identity. As for example, the Maori culture in New Zealand?


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

This is the US not New Zealand:bounce:


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

Good point! Though, the "World Wide Web" does extend beyond the borders of the U.S.A., even if we sometimes forget that :lol:

IMHO, the "answer" depends on numerous factors and there is NO single correct answer.

Just "some" of the factors to be considered are:
Public or private business?
Owner/operator's choice?
Open or closed kitchen?
Demographic of potential customer base?
Cultural/idealogic/ or other factors?
Food safety perception (NOTE: "perception" is often "reality", in the minds of the consumer)?
For me, the "wants and desires" of the applicant are far down the list of factors to be evaluated.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Fair enough, Maouri's have their tattoos, and culturally if it means something to them, then it means something to them.

Culturally speaking in the West, particularily N.America, tattoos have been closely associated with jails, (i.e "jailhouse tattoo) criminals, circuses and circus shows (i.e. the tattoo lady), gangs and gang activity, as well as prostitution and living from the earnings of prostitutes. On a very separate note, many tattoos have a link with the navy.


What's all that have to do with one of the oldest, most respected trades in the world?????


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

I think Charles Manson had some tattoos. If he ever gets out of jail he maybe a good looking cook for my Omelet bar. If people with Tattoos want to express themselves then let them open their own restaurants.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Charles Manson?

Culturally and politically correctly speaking, he would be a "person with difficult to meet needs"....


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

time to talk to some sailors.


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## roux58 (Oct 13, 2008)

Comparing cooks with tattoos to a infamous murderer is going to far. I love my tattoos and so does the chef where I work. He believes it shows how dedicated I am to my trade and if I have "issues" because I am a passionate, creative individual then I hope in a few years the industry will be run by people with "issues" similar to mine. Perhaps it is time to realize that we no longer live in a time where tattoos are frowned upon. Just deal with the fact that people are always going to have tattoos and piercings and perhaps one day you'll join us.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

I can't make the connectiuon to how getting yourself inked shows how dedicated you are to your profession.

When I'm dead, then I'm dead and if you want to tattoo me then, or stick a golf club in my hand, or make me sit through Babwa Streisand's "Yentl", I won't compain........


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Ok, maybe I was a littel to glib about tattooing me when I'm dead. But I was serious about not seeing the connection about dedication to the trade and tattoos.

So you describe yourself as a passionate, creative individual. 
Great, fantastic. 

I happen to think that I'm one too. 
I've been in this game for almost 28 years, cooked in 3 different continents, been running my own business for almost 14 years now, and since the age of 16 have never worked in any other field. If I weren't passionate, I'd be designing computer programs or selling futures on gas and power by now, If I weren't creative, my competitors would blow me in the dust.

Like I said, I don't see the connection between tattoos and our trade.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

I say what my employees look like when they work for me. If I don't want Tattoos on my front line, carving station, Omelet bar or whatever then let them go work someplace else. I worked a lot of years expressing myself in my business as a good chef and business man. I don't need someone telling me how they have to express themselves with ink on their bodies. The only ink they should worry about is the ink on their pay checks..........................


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## roux58 (Oct 13, 2008)

Hmmm maybe because its on you for the rest of your life? When I am out of my whites people ask me about my tattoos and I am proud to tell them the meanings behind them and what I do for a living. I respect people who put the time and effort into creating a design that means something to them. It's fine if you don't like tattoos but their are people out there who see it as something more as just "body graffiti" or "smeared ink" (I know crazy thought huh:suprise I encourage you to take the time and ask someone what their tattoo means to them or even stop by your local tattoo shop (I know there are some good ones in Vancouver) and meet the people who produce the art.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

Done that, there's a tattoo parlor two doors from my restaurant as well as one across the street in the next block. The owners, operators, and many of their clients are really neat people.

I've discussed the situation with the owners, operators, and several clients. Without exception, they all agree that visible tattoos or piercings will limit employment opportunities in the hospitality industry.

Why? Very simply, the hospitality industry relies on making customers feel comfortable so they will pay for the services offered and, in the U.S.A., tattoos and/or piercings have a tendency to make many potential customers feel uncomfortable enough to either avoid patronizing the establishment in the first place or avoid returning in the second place, at least that is ttrue in the area of MY restaurant.

I cannot afford to hire employees, regardless of their abilities or skills, whose "appearance" will adversely affect my potential customer pool. Whether it is tattoos, piercings, inappropriate clothing, personal hygiene, make-up, jewelry, mother tongue, or whatever else that is not a "protected class" under State and Federal law, it is MY choice to determine the best way to serve what I deem to be MY customer base.


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

Why do I need to ask anyone what their tattoos mean to them? I don't care. Neither does anyone else. Reminds me of a woman who when asked in a newspaper interview why the pipes on her Harley were so loud responded "Well, it's a Harley. People need to know it's a Harley." I'm thinking, what a dope. Anyone who cares already knows it's a Harley, and the rest of us just...don't....care. Of all the things I have to think about, why anyone has a tattoo and what it means to them is at the bottom of the list. Incidentally, I have agood friend who is one of the best tattoo artists in our area.


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## jim berman (Oct 28, 1999)

Exactly what I tell my group of up-and-coming members of the hospitality industry. And their response? "But I like it..." or "I want it [piercing]" and they have yet to know the sting of somebody rejecting their application because they don't appear professional. Not to say that a tattoo or piercin(s) are unprofessional, but like Pete said, if it doesn't work for guests, it just doesn't work.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Hey Roux, I have no problem with you expressing yourself. I just don't want my business that took me years to build into a source of income for me and my family Jeopardized. If I hire a Chef with INK all over his arms and neck then thats part of his uniform, and appearance. I know in most houses if you hire a server you would require her to have black pants, black shoes, white shirt, and hair pulled back, no excessive make up or perfume. The reason we ask this of our wait staff is because we want to put our best foot forward and give a good first impression. This is the INK I want to show my custoners. I don't want my employees expressing and advertising what they are about. I hire them to express and advertise what I'm about.......


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

Although I am not currently inked, I have been contemplating it.
For about 30 years I've been contemplating it.
I have nothing against tat's, but to work for me they have to be in good taste and not overdone.
Society is slowly changing it's perception of body modifications, but we're not to the point yet where they are universally accepted.
Not even close.
It will eventually happen, but you cannot force society to change it's views.
You will find small hubs where this is a non-issue, but that doesn't mean that every other establishment needs to change.
It's not the businesses that are behind the times, it's the public.
If my clientele doesn't like tats, guess what?
No tats.
You work for me, all of your facial piercings come out while you're on shift, no unnaturally colored hair, small tat's in good taste are fine (no profanity or nudity).
Don't like it?
Work somewhere else.
No one is begging you to stay.


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## harvest (Jul 2, 2008)

No matter what. It is still needed to be remembered and respected of professionalism. To be professional is to respect the establishment and the food. Freak after work not during.


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## greg (Dec 8, 1999)

Nice try, Ed.


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