The walk-in is cold in August. The walk home is at eleven at night, year round, and it's the only part of the day nobody's shouting through. This is the sweatshirt for both of those — SERVICE ENTRANCE / Back of House / NIGHTS · WEEKENDS · HOLIDAYS, hand-lettered with the weight of a sign that's been screwed to a wall since 1954, in the trade's own words, explaining itself to nobody.
That bottom line isn't a complaint. It's posted hours. You worked Thanksgiving, you'll work New Year's, and everyone else's day off is your Saturday — stated flat, like an operating notice, which says it harder than any joke about it could.
Printed on the Gildan 18000 heavy-blend crewneck — thick, warm, and honest about where it's going to live — in three flat inks: bone script, a hard jade drop shadow, amber bands. Direct-to-garment printed so the ink sits in the fabric rather than on top of it, in nine dark colorways: navy, maroon, forest green, black, dark chocolate, indigo blue, dark heather, charcoal and graphite heather. Black is the kitchen's own uniform colour, so the whole range leads dark on purpose.
Chefs: this is the one the brigade wears home. And it's the culinary-school graduation gift that isn't aimed at somebody who's never been in the weeds — the only thing at the ceremony that knows what the job actually is.
Made to order and printed in about 3–7 business days before it ships. Wash cold, tumble dry low, and skip ironing directly on the print.
Heard, chef.
