Gear
Gear for the shift
The stuff that makes a double go easier. Picked by a working bartender, not a marketing team.
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On your feet
Shoes and socks
A ten hour shift starts at the floor.
Non-slip work shoes
Kitchen floors are wet more often than they are dry. Get the ones rated slip resistant.
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The floor
Server kit
What should be in your apron before doors open.
Server book with zipper pocket
Holds checks, cash and cards, and the zipper means nothing falls out mid-rush.
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The bar
Behind the stick
Tools that hold up to a busy weekend.
After close
Going home
For the part after the side work.
The method
How this list was put together
Everything on this page is something used on a shift, or watched someone else use on a shift for long enough to know it holds up. Nobody paid to appear here and no brand was given a place in exchange for anything.
Each link opens an Amazon search rather than one listing. A single product page sells out, changes seller or disappears, and the link dies with it. A search keeps working, and it leaves the choice of which one to buy with you.
There are no prices and no product photographs anywhere on this page. Amazon's Associates terms permit either only when it is pulled live from their API, because a saved price is stale almost at once. Rather than show a number that might be wrong, this page shows none.
Picks last reviewed . 13 picks across 4 groups.
Questions
What people ask about working gear
- What shoes should I wear working in a restaurant?
- Look for a sole that is rated slip resistant rather than one simply described as non-slip. The rating is the part that has been tested, and a kitchen floor collects water, oil and dropped ice over a shift. After that it comes down to fit and how many hours you are standing.
- What should be in a server apron?
- Two pens at least, because one always walks off. A book that closes over checks and cash, a wine key if you open bottles at the table, and a lighter if your section has candles. A spare hair tie and a small pad earn their space too.
- What does a bartender need behind the bar?
- A jigger you can read in low light, a bar blade, a spout for every bottle poured by hand, and more towels than seems reasonable. Bars supply some of this. The things people end up buying themselves are usually the ones they would rather not share.
- Do restaurants pay for your work shoes?
- Some do, some have a discount arrangement with a shoe supplier, and plenty leave it to you. It is worth asking before your first shift rather than after you have bought a pair.
- Why are there no prices on this page?
- Amazon's Associates terms allow a price to be shown only when it is pulled live from their API. A saved price is out of date almost immediately, and an out of date price is misleading, so this page shows none at all. The links go to current listings.
- Why does each link go to a search instead of one product?
- A single listing sells out, changes seller or gets delisted, and then the link is dead. A search keeps working. It also leaves the choice with you rather than pushing one item.
Tip pools, tip-outs and splits by hours. Still free.
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