Tips for Choosing the Right Kitchen Shoes
With knives, hot pots and pans, and plenty of staff members jockeying for position in restaurants and commercial kitchens, you need to protect your feet with something sturdier than your beat-up sneakers. Not to mention, you need something with some grip so you won’t be flipping tail over teakettle when hustling your latest masterpiece from the stove to the counter.
We consulted industry professionals to get their expert tips on why kitchen shoes are necessary — including some lessons learned the hard way — and what to look for when choosing a pair.
Potential Hazards
“In the restaurants I worked in, it was common for floors to always be slick, either from grease or pieces of food product that had fallen, or water from cleaning up line floors or over at the dishwasher,” says John Taylor, a former line cook and kitchen dweller with 10 years of industry experience at multiple restaurants.
Kate Elderkin, a lifelong chef with international experience, learned the importance of durable, protective shoes the hard way. “I actually had a kitchen disaster,” says Elderkin, who currently works as a prep and event cook for Lisa Dupar & Company, a caterer in Redmond, WA. “When I was first starting out wearing sneakers with mesh, I spilled a huge pot of boiling pureed onion soup on me and my feet. The shoes absorbed the soup and I had a third-degree burn on my right foot. If I was wearing proper shoes, this would not have happened.”
PRO TIP: Choose shoes that fully cover the foot and have non-absorbent uppers. For messy environments, like butchering stations, consider kitchen Wellies.
Cost vs. Calamity
Every day there are slips and falls in restaurants due to wearing the wrong footwear — 275,000 falls annually, according to the National Safety Council. That’s why slip-resistant shoes are preferred.
Taylor can vouch for that: “There's not enough time in a day to list all the bad experiences I've had from not wearing proper shoes. I personally have had some pretty nasty falls, gotten some bruises and cuts, dropped dishes, food product. I've seen others do the same thing.”
If images like that don’t have you convinced, maybe a lighter wallet will. Because not only can a lack of proper footwear cause physical harm in the kitchen, but it can hurt your bottom line. Valuable employees sidelined or slowed by injuries, medical expenses, even liability lawsuits, can sap your revenues.
Safety, on the other hand, can pay.
“In some cases, requiring your employees to wear slip-resistant shoes will lower your insurance costs,” says Tom Law, a senior training instructor at Golden Corral, based in Raleigh, NC. “Some shoe companies offer up to $5,000 reimbursement for any slip and fall workman comp claim.” Talk to your insurance agent about discounts that may be available to you.
PRO TIP: Choose slip-resistant shoes for anyone spending time in the kitchen, especially your dedicated kitchen staff.
Special Features
Many chefs like a shoe that’s no-fuss — something easy to clean, that provides good support, is sturdy if something falls, and that can be put on and taken off quickly. But there are other aspects of good kitchen shoes to look for.
Taylor suggests a shoe that’ll be up to the challenges of standing for the larger part of a day: “Comfort was a big thing for me,” he says. “When you're on your feet for 6 hours out of an 8-hour shift, it helps to be comfortable in your shoes.” Mario Batali’s signature orange Crocs get points for “style and originality,” but Taylor stops short at endorsing open-backed shoes in the kitchen due to the lack of ankle security.
Elderkin prefers her old-school black leather clogs, because “they look the most professional,” she says.
Covered Head to Toe
The right shoe for you may not be the right one for other chefs. Just don’t overlook this important aspect of your kitchen uniform. After all, when you’re working with hot foods and sharp instruments, it’s important to be covered from head to toe.
Michael S. Julianelle is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife and young son. He runs the anti-parenting parenting blog Dad and Buried.
