Eurest updates its uniforms with an eye toward inclusivity

With nearly 18,000 frontline employees at about 1,700 marketplaces across the U.S., Eurest focuses on feeding workers at companies large and small.

But Eurest, a division of Compass Group, knows well the importance of looking good when it comes to performing one’s best and taking pride in that critical mission.

For the last 15 years, the on-site foodservice provider has partnered with Los Angeles-based Newchef Fashion, a woman-owned uniform manufacturer.

Recently, though, Eurest revamped its uniform program with Newchef for greater inclusivity, flexibility and the sometimes hard-to-quantify benefits of looking and feeling one’s best.

“This is a new era and a new chapter in our relationship,” said Eurest Chief Culinary Officer Chef Chris Ivens-Brown. “What we give our associates to wear is so important for them to feel good about themselves. They fit well. They feel good. When they’re feeling good and looking good, then they’re going to perform better.”

That means chef coats tailored to the female body, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The updated attire offers a modern fit, with mesh panels on the side for enhanced flexibility.

“When a female chef puts on her coat, it symbolizes more than attire—it represents empowerment, designed by and for women,” Natacha Jacque, Eurest’s senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion, said in a statement.

Eurest workers will also be able to wear aprons with interchangeable color straps, to celebrate cultural holidays, special months and other observances.

“We have a lot of celebrations throughout the year,” Ivens-Brown said. “Black History Month, Pride, breast cancer awareness month … We just thought this was a good opportunity to bring to life a celebration, and then they change the straps out on their aprons to celebrate that particular day or month. It’s not like a pin or a badge, which can fall off [in food].”

For baristas, a growing part of Eurest’s business, reimagined uniforms are more in line with modern styles, giving those who work the coffee bars the opportunity to select from a variety of fabric weights.

Newchef updated Eurest’s maternity chef coats with lighter fabrics and venting for improved comfort.

And the new dietitian jackets are now made with sustainable hemp.

The updated designs are backed by research that considered not only functionality but fashion, Ivens-Brown said.

“We did a lot more research into what people wanted to wear and what was being worn and what was on trend,” he said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct incorrect information provided by Eurest regarding the number of marketplaces in which it operates.