At Shoes For Crews (Europe) Ltd., we have all new styles - with new technology - that help keep chefs safe in the kitchen, no matter what stage of the day you’re in. Whether you’re supervising, peeling and chopping vegetables, filleting fish, cooking, or garnishing plates, we have shoes that will work for all your job functions and help keep you comfortable and safe on your feet all day. All of our shoes are slip-resistant to keep you safe, but did you know we have some new technologies that keep you even safer? If you don’t know about specialty chef shoes, then you need to! Your high-street shoe won’t keep you safe, but our SFC chef shoes will!
For those new in the industry, having the right uniform and the right equipment can make a big difference to your career in helping you progress, and becoming a better chef overall. Better shoes means you can withstand the physical demands of the job, and it means fewer accidents and workplace hazards for you too. Find out how our new technology helps chefs stay safe at work.
Food Prep
Most likely the beginning of your day starts with food prep. Whether it’s peeling and chopping vegetables, filleting fish and meat, or making stock. Every chef has some role in preparing the day’s offerings.
Our Spill Guard technology will help you stay safe at work by protecting your forefoot from hot spills and liquids. No one wants scalded toes and feet, so this safety feature is important - and your average shoe will not provide this feature. Whether you’re a commis chef preparing the soup du jour, or a pastry chef working with hot, melted butter or caramels, your foot will be protected by our Spill Guard feature.
Cooking
Every chef from Executive Chef to Chef de Partie (Station Chef) to Pâtissier (Pastry Chef) to Sous Chef does some level of cooking, even if it’s only supervising and this job takes up the bulk of the day, especially in busy restaurants. Any chef role demands a shoe that moves with them not against them!
A typical shoe won’t offer Shoe Traction, which is a technology that combines traction patterns to keep you safe. Each job role determines the traction you need, and we have specifically designed a chef shoe that works differently from, say, a medical industry shoe, or a bar staff shoe; we have researched exactly where you need traction to keep you safe and comfortable at work. Better traction means fewer pain points too!
Moving Stations
Every chef role requires moving stations at some point, whether it’s only to present the food to front of house for garnishing. Moving between floor surfaces or walking on slippery floors requires chefs to wear slip-resistant shoes to reduce the risk of falling. But we also have an innovative Trip Guard technology that helps you move from surface to surface with ease.
Big lugs can be a trip hazard (the bit at the front of the shoe), so we created shoes with a tight lug pattern with a slight curve. This Trip Guard technology helps you stay safe not only whilst you’re in the kitchen, but also when you go home and move across carpets and to the outdoors too. The technology is designed to prevent trips when moving from different materials - tile to carpet, the outdoors to the indoors, etc.
Combined with slip-resistance, Trip Guard means you can stay safe when moving on slippery surfaces (and on any surface at all).
Monitoring All Food Prep
Head Chefs often monitor all food prep from starting out to getting the food to the customer, so when you’re on your feet all day and moving about, you need the most comfortable shoe possible with the best safety features.
Our styles with Flex Tread has outsoles that mimic the foot’s natural movement - they’re bendy and springy - and can move with your feet as you move from station to station, monitoring the kitchen’s progress.
Garnish and Presentation
Once all the work has been put in, the last step before the food reaches the customer is putting on the finishing touches, garnishing the plate and wiping it down ready to leave the kitchen doors.
So if your job is to garnish the food, you’ll spend lots of time on your feet, and being on your feet can take its toll on your joints, back, hips, and so forth, which is why we created Hoverlite technology, which removes 100 grams from your foot with our engineered foam compound. Over an eight to ten hour shift, a lighter shoe will take the pressure off your aching joints, feet, and back, which means you can come to work refreshed the next day.
Find the Right Chef Shoes for You:
Have a look at all we have to offer in chef shoes, or read about our specific technologies.
Be Informed: Advance Your Career
Want to read more about becoming a chef, or advancing your career, have a look at our Chef’s Guide.