What hospitality businesses need from us
Hotels and restaurants operate under conditions that other B2B sectors do not encounter: hot kitchens, sauces, wine, daily industrial laundry at 60-90 °C, frequent staff changes with short-notice reorders.
- Embroidery boil-proof to 90 °C — readable even after 100 industrial wash cycles
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified fabrics — tested for harmful substances, skin-friendly
- Quick reorders — embroidery data stored, single pieces delivered in 5 working days
- Full range of aprons, chef jackets, polos, shirts, vests, caps
- Food-safe inks when printing on contact areas
- Multi-address shipping for hotel groups and restaurant chains
For a fully coordinated outfit stack across kitchen brigade, service crew and reception team, see the dedicated sub-hub Hospitality Workwear Full Set with Karlowsky chef jackets (HACCP-compliant), Russell polos, Beechfield caps and Seidensticker reception shirts. For hotel-specific reception crews (front desk, concierge, spa and housekeeping) with gold/silver/mercerized embroidery for boutique hotels, see Hotel Reception Crew Uniform.
Which finishing process fits hospitality?
The choice is clear: embroidery dominates in hospitality because it withstands heat, grease and industrial laundry better than any print.
- Embroidery — first choice for aprons, chef jackets, polos and shirts. We use Madeira yarns with high heat resistance that survive mangle ironing and hot tumble drying without colour loss. Recommended size: 7 x 5 cm chest logo, larger on apron bibs.
- Screen printing — economical for promotional aprons with large logos, cocktail bar promo shirts or event apparel away from the kitchen. Use plastisol printing with food-safe pigments.
- DTF printing — useful for complex logos on dark aprons or functional fabrics. Withstands industrial laundry at 60 °C.
Embroidery is also the only process accepted as visually premium in upscale hospitality — an embroidered logo on the apron looks considerably more refined than a print.
Recommended brands and styles
- Karlowsky aprons — restaurant classic, many cuts and colours
- Premier Workwear Hospitality — service polos and chef jackets in solid quality
- Hakro Performance Polo 110 — boil-proof polos for service staff
- B&C Inspire Plus — organic polo for service in sustainability-focused restaurants
- Stanley/Stella Vibes — modern organic t-shirts for café crews and bartenders
For aprons and chef jackets we recommend 65/35 polycotton blend — boil-proof, dimensionally stable, less wrinkling under mangle ironing. Pure cotton is possible but more care-intensive.
Volume discount and pricing
Hospitality orders vary in size: a café with 6 aprons, a restaurant with 25, a hotel chain with 200. We calculate transparently and apply the tier across multiple styles.
| Quantity | Discount | Typical use case (hospitality) |
|---|---|---|
| from 3 pcs | 3 % | Mini crew, pilot order |
| from 20 pcs | 10 % | Restaurant, mid-sized café |
| from 50 pcs | 15 % | Larger restaurant, small hotel |
| from 100 pcs | 25 % | Hotel with multiple departments, restaurant chain |
| from 200 pcs | 30 % | Restaurant group, hotel chain with multiple properties |
| from 500 pcs | 32 % | Major event, festival, corporate rollout |
Aprons, polos, chef jackets are added together for the discount tier — you do not have to reach the minimum quantity per style.
Real-world example orders
- Restaurant chain with five locations — 60 bistro aprons Karlowsky in two colours with embroidery (logo chest and lettering on the back). Delivery to all five locations coordinated, 11 working days production.
- Hotel with 80 rooms — 40 polo shirts Hakro Performance for reception and service plus 20 aprons for the breakfast room. Embroidery on polos, embroidery and print combined on aprons.
- Café-bar in Berlin — 18 t-shirts Stanley/Stella Vibes (organic cotton) plus 12 bartender aprons. Small order with DTG digital print due to detail-rich café logo.
How reorders work
Staff turnover is frequent in hospitality — a new server, a new chef, a lost polo. We have a simple process:
- You send your need by email or phone with quantity and size
- We use your stored data — style, colour, logo position, embroidery file
- Shipping in 5 working days — often faster on standard colours and sizes
- Invoice referencing the original order — no new setup, no new mockup needed
This routine significantly reduces follow-up costs. Setup costs apply only once.
Material specification table — the key hospitality models
| Model | Brand / Article | Fabric weight | Fibre content | Cut | Industrial wash | Hospitality use-case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Heavy Polo | B&C PUC11 | 230 g/m² | 100 % cotton (piqué) | Classic | 60 °C | Restaurant service, hotel reception |
| ID.001 Polo | B&C PUI10 | 200 g/m² | 65 % cotton / 35 % polyester | Classic | 60 °C | Mid-range service crew |
| Lux Polo Men | Stedman ST3000 | 200 g/m² | 100 % cotton (piqué) | Classic | 40 °C | Standard hotel polo |
| Lux Polo Women | Stedman ST3600 | 200 g/m² | 100 % cotton (piqué) | Tailored | 40 °C | Women's service crew |
| Performance Polo | Tee Jays | 200 g/m² | 95 % cotton / 5 % elastane | Stretch | 40 °C | Service crews with movement |
| Karlowsky apron | Karlowsky | 180–300 g/m² | 65 % polyester / 35 % cotton | Classic | 95 °C | Kitchen, breakfast, buffet |
| Premier bib apron | Premier | 220 g/m² | 65 % polyester / 35 % cotton | Classic | 95 °C | Chefs, cocktail bartenders |
| Premier waist apron | Premier | 220 g/m² | 65 % polyester / 35 % cotton | Half-length | 95 °C | Service staff waiters |
All apron fabrics OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified. Industrial wash compatibility documented.
Print method comparison for hospitality apparel
| Method | Min. quantity | Durability | Industrial wash | Suitable for | Not suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embroidery | 10 pcs | 100+ washes | up to 95 °C | aprons, polos, shirts — service standard | photo motifs |
| DTF print | 1 pc | 50+ washes | up to 60 °C | service tees, caps, multi-colour | 95 °C industrial wash |
| Flex print | 1 pc | 40 washes | up to 60 °C | employee names, job title lettering | 95 °C industrial wash |
| Screen print | 25 pcs | 80+ washes | up to 60 °C | promo tee bulk runs | polos (piqué) |
Recommendation: restaurant service polos are embroidered in 99 % of cases. Embroidery is the only finishing that survives industrial wash at 90–95 °C. Print methods handle 60 °C maximum.
Configurator workflow — hospitality order in 5 steps
- Pick apparel type. Restaurant service: B&C Pro Heavy Polo. Hotel reception: Lux Polo Men + Women. Kitchen staff: Karlowsky apron or Premier bib apron. Cocktail bar: Premier waist apron.
- Record size needs. Standard 5–25 employees per location. For multi-location hotel chains: women's/men's/mix combined in one order with multi-address shipping.
- Upload logo. Vector SVG/PDF for embroidery. Embroidery logo left chest 7 cm standard. For Pantone brand colour (hotel brand colours) specify Pantone reference.
- Embroidery with optional print combination. Standard: embroidery left chest (hotel/restaurant logo). Optional: DTF chest right with employee first name for personal service.
- Pre-press sample option. For Pantone-critical logos (bank-hotel brand colours) we offer embroidery pre-press samples (€60–80, credited against main order). Guarantees colour-accurate bulk run.
Experience cases — three typical hospitality orders
Case 1 — Lübeck hotel chain, 125 Lux polos (Men + Women) for reception
Hotel chain in Lübeck ordered 75 Lux Polo Men (ST3000) + 50 Lux Polo Women (ST3600) in hotel brand colour sand for four site reception crews. Finishing: embroidery left chest (hotel logo, 7 cm, Pantone gold thread). Unit price at 125 pieces mixed: €16.90 net. Pantone match via pre-press sample (€78, credited). Delivery 12 working days.
Case 2 — Hamburg restaurant chain, 45 B&C Pro Heavy polos
Restaurant chain in Hamburg ordered 45 B&C Pro Heavy polos (PUC11) in bottle green for three locations. Requirement: 60 °C industrial wash compatible (restaurant laundry), embroidered restaurant logo. Finishing: embroidery left chest + flex print right chest (first name per employee). Unit price at 45 pieces: €22.40 net. Delivery 11 working days.
Case 3 — Munich café crew, 18 Karlowsky aprons with embroidery
Café operator in Munich ordered 18 Karlowsky aprons in black with café logo embroidery. 95 °C industrial wash compatible. Unit price at 18 pieces: €18.40 net (apron from €12.90 + one-sided embroidery €5.50). Delivery 9 working days.
What we do better than competitors
- 95 °C industrial wash compatible — embroidery from our facility survives industrial wash up to 95 °C. Industry standard often guarantees only up to 60 °C.
- Multi-address shipping for hotel chains — for multi-location orders we ship directly to each hotel address with one collective invoice. Important for hotel groups with multiple locations.
- Re-order service with stored logos — one-off logo setup (punching €25–65), no new setup fee on follow-up orders within 24 months. Significantly reduces follow-up cost.
- Invoice payment after credit check — for established hotel and restaurant clients we offer invoice payment with 14 days payment terms. Industry standard is only prepayment or PayPal.
- Pantone match service — for hotel brand colours we offer embroidery pre-press samples for €60–80 (credited). Guarantees colour-accurate bulk run.
Ready for your service apparel?
Request a quote → · Open configurator →
ShirtStore is your partner for hospitality and hotel apparel with logo, apron embroidery and service outfits across Germany and the EU. We embroider and print aprons, chef jackets, polos, service shirts, t-shirts, vests and caps for restaurants, hotels, cafés, bars, bistros, catering operations, restaurant chains and hotel groups. Our embroidery is boil-proof to 90 °C — it withstands industrial laundry, mangle ironing and commercial detergents over years. All apron fabrics are certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100, tested for harmful substances and approved for direct skin contact. We offer classic brands like Karlowsky, Premier Workwear, Hakro Performance, B&C Inspire and Stanley/Stella for café apparel. Volume discounts start at 25 pieces with 5 %, from 100 pieces you receive 15 %, from 250 pieces 20 % — calculated across all styles in the order. Benefit from quick reorders of stored data in 5 working days, multi-address shipping for hotel chains, invoice on account after credit check and a personal account manager from 50 pieces. We deliver in 7-9 working days from print approval and combine embroidery with printed names for personal service interaction. Made in EU from our facility in Berlin, Germany.
