The most common ordering mistake is not the fabric or the logo. It is buying two shirts per person and discovering six weeks later that half the team is wearing something grey and pilled while the other half is in street clothes on laundry day.
The formula
For a role that wears the uniform every shift:
Pieces per employee = shifts between laundry cycles + 1
Most operations land on three. Somebody working five shifts a week who does laundry twice a week needs three shirts to never be short. Two is the number that fails the first time somebody spills.
Adjust from there:
- Back of house, heavy soil — 4 to 5 per person
- Front of house, daily wear — 3 per person
- Office or occasional wear — 2 per person
- Outerwear, jackets, vests — 1 per person, 2 for outdoor crews
The buffer nobody orders
Add 15% on top, rounded up to your next quantity bracket. That covers:
- New hires between order cycles
- Sizing swaps, which always happen
- Damage and loss
- The one person who turns out to need a size you did not order
Turnover in food service and hospitality is high enough that a buffer is not optional. Reordering eight polos three months later costs more per piece than including them up front, and you wait the full lead time again.
Worked example
A restaurant with 14 front-of-house staff and 6 kitchen staff:
- Front of house: 14 × 3 = 42 polos
- Kitchen: 6 × 4 = 24 tees
- Buffer at 15%: 6 polos, 4 tees
- Order: 48 polos, 28 tees
At our standard tier that is 48 × $6.00 plus 28 × $4.25, embroidery included, no setup fee. Both quantities sit above the 20-piece bracket, so nothing is priced at a penalty.
Size curves
If you do not yet have measurements, order against a standard curve and adjust at fitting. For a mixed adult team we start from roughly:
| Size | Share of order |
|---|---|
| S | 10% |
| M | 25% |
| L | 30% |
| XL | 22% |
| 2XL and up | 13% |
This is a starting point, not a rule. Team fittings at the Buckhead workshop replace guesswork entirely, and for a first order with a team you have not measured before, it is worth the appointment.
When to reorder
Set a calendar reminder at the point where you are down to your buffer. Standard production runs about two weeks door to door, so reordering when you have roughly three weeks of slack keeps you from ever running an understaffed uniform.