For a Dubai F&B uniform, the economics are straightforward: a branded cotton apron costs AED 9.50 each as a single unit or AED 640 for a pack of 50 (AED 12.80 each, 60 × 92 cm, 5 working days), a front-of-house polo runs AED 7 to AED 48 depending on fabric, and a cap from AED 8.50. The decisions that actually matter are fabric weight for a hot kitchen, and branding method — screen print, heat transfer or embroidery — because that is what determines whether the logo survives a hundred industrial washes.
Aprons: what to specify
Most kitchens over-specify the apron and under-specify the print. The apron itself is a commodity; the branding is where jobs go wrong.
Our standard Cotton Aprons are AED 9.50 per piece, in cotton, available in multiple sizes, with screen printing or heat transfer printing. The pre-packed 50 Cotton Aprons set at AED 640 is specified at 60 × 92 cm, 0.175 kg per piece, and ships in 5 business days after design approval — that is the size that works as a bib apron for both kitchen and barista use.
Bib, waist or cross-back?
- Bib apron (60 × 92 cm) — the default. Covers chest to below the knee. Right for line cooks, baristas and anyone near splatter.
- Waist apron — shorter, from the waist down, with front pockets. Right for servers, because it leaves the shirt and name badge visible, which is the whole point of branding front-of-house.
- Cross-back — no neck strap; the weight sits on the shoulders. Worth it for anyone wearing an apron a full ten-hour shift, and the format most specialty coffee shops now choose.
In a Dubai kitchen the real variable is not the cut but the fabric weight. Heavy canvas looks premium in photos and is punishing to wear beside a grill in July. For hot kitchens specify a lighter cotton or a poly-cotton blend; keep the heavy canvas and denim looks for baristas and front-of-house, where it reads as craft rather than as a sweat trap.
Branding methods: which one for which garment
Three methods cover almost every uniform job, and the choice follows the fabric and the wash cycle, not the price list.
Screen printing
Ink pushed through a mesh screen, one screen per colour. The lowest cost per piece at volume and the most durable finish on cotton — a correctly cured screen print outlasts the apron. The catch is setup: each colour needs its own screen, so a three-colour logo on 50 aprons is expensive per piece, while the same logo on 500 is the cheapest option in the store. Best for: aprons, tote bags, cotton tees in quantity, one- or two-colour logos.
Heat transfer / DTF
The design is printed onto film and heat-pressed onto the garment. No per-colour setup, so photographic logos, gradients and multi-colour artwork cost the same as a single colour, and small runs are viable. The trade-off is feel and longevity — a transfer sits on top of the fabric and will eventually crack if it is washed at 90°C, which commercial laundries do. Best for: short runs, complex artwork, polyester performance fabrics that screen ink will not key into. Full comparison in our guide to embroidery vs DTF vs vinyl for uniforms.
Embroidery
Stitched thread. The most durable and the most premium-looking, priced by stitch count rather than colour count, so a dense logo costs more than a simple one. It survives industrial laundry indefinitely, which is why hotels embroider. The limit is detail: fine text below about 4 mm and thin gradients will not resolve in thread. Best for: chef jackets, caps, polos, anything going through a commercial wash — and anywhere the garment is the brand.
The practical rule: embroider the chest logo on polos, caps and chef wear; screen print aprons and tees in volume; use heat transfer for short runs and complex artwork. If a commercial laundry handles the uniforms, embroider everything you can afford to.
Real prices (AED, VAT inclusive)
Live MaxPrint store prices. Garment prices are per piece before branding; packs are priced as sold.
| Item | Specification | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton Apron | Cotton, screen or heat transfer print, per piece | 9.50 |
| 50 Cotton Aprons | 60 × 92 cm, cotton, 5 working days | 640 |
| SELECT 180 Roundneck T-shirt | Entry-weight cotton tee | 4.00 |
| Promotional T-Shirt, White | Per piece | 7.00 |
| EDNC Santhome Polo Shirt | Entry-level polo, per piece | 7.00 |
| SAILOR Cotton Polo Shirt | Cotton polo | 8.50–9.00 |
| NARVA 5-Panel Cap | Heavy brushed cotton | 8.50 |
| TARTU 6-Panel Cap | Heavy brushed cotton | 8.50 |
| Reflective Safety Vest | High-visibility, M to XXL | 8.50–10.50 |
| Giftology SALAMA Roundneck T-shirt | Anti-microbial | 10.50 |
| All Day Sports Roundneck T-shirt | Performance knit | 13.00 |
| Core365 Santhome Roundneck T-shirt | Adult performance | 14.50 |
| REGLAN Santhome Polo | 2-ply 100% cotton | 17.00 |
| SLAZENGER Polo Shirt | Branded polo | 17.00 |
| Dubai Premium 6-Panel Cap | Structured cap | 18.00 |
| Nextt Level Bio-Washed Round Neck | Bio-washed cotton | 18.50 |
| CARRIBEAN Santhome Polo | Cotton polo | 19.00 |
| ULTRA Santhome RPET Sport Cap | 6-panel, DryNCool, recycled | 22.00 |
| BioOne80 Santhome Roundneck T-shirt | Premium cotton | 22.00 |
| APEX Santhome Visor Cap | Visor only | 24.00 |
| TECK Santhome DryNCool Polo | UV protection, moisture-wicking | 28.00 |
| STORM Santhome Textured Cap | 6-panel textured | 28.00 |
| Santhome TERRA Polo | Recycled | 30.00 |
| ADF Santhome All Day Fresh Polo | UV protection | 30.00 |
| Swift Santhome Trucker Cap | 6-panel, two-tone | 31.00 |
| HIGHLANDER Santhome Polo | Cotton polo | 32.00 |
| Santhome COMO Polo | Premium texture knit | 33.00 |
| DELTA Santhome Fitted Cap | DryNCool performance stretch | 34.00 |
| CoolTex Polo Shirt | 100% cotton, 220 GSM | 35.00 |
| NEXTT LEVEL Polo | 100% recycled material | 35.00 |
| ORCA Santhome Polo | Mercerized cotton | 38.00 |
| PEAK Santhome Cap | Advanced seamless 6-panel, DryNCool | 41.00 |
| Santhome PRO EARTH Polo | Fully recycled, men's or women's | 48.00 |
| MARSHALL Santhome Wind Jacket | Lightweight comfort shell | 65.00 |
| 50 Promotional T-Shirts, White | Per pack of 50, one size | 470 |
| 50 Reflective Safety Vests | Per pack of 50, size M | 670 |
| 50 NEXTT LEVEL Recycled Polos | Per pack of 50, one size | 1,900 |
Browse the full fabric printing range and the polo shirt collection for the current colour and size availability.
Building a kitchen uniform package: worked example
A 12-cover independent restaurant in Dubai with six kitchen staff and four front-of-house, two sets each, using live store prices:
- Kitchen: 12 cotton aprons at AED 9.50 = AED 114, plus 12 CoolTex 220 GSM cotton polos at AED 35 = AED 420
- Front of house: 8 Santhome COMO premium knit polos at AED 33 = AED 264, plus 8 aprons at AED 9.50 = AED 76
- Caps for the pass and delivery: 6 TARTU 6-panel caps at AED 8.50 = AED 51
Garments total AED 925 before branding. Branding is quoted on logo size, placement count and method, so send the logo and we price it against the exact garment list. Note the asymmetry worth exploiting: the apron at AED 9.50 is the cheapest branded surface in the whole uniform, and it is the one the customer sees most at the counter. Spend there before you upgrade the polo.
How to order
- Send the garment list with sizes. Count by size, not by headcount — a 10-person team is rarely two of each size, and size mix is what we order against.
- Send vector artwork (AI, EPS or PDF, fonts outlined) plus the Pantone references. Embroidery needs the logo digitised first; we handle that, but it is why embroidery quotes take a day longer.
- Confirm placements and sizes in mm. Standard is a left-chest logo at 70–80 mm wide, a centre-chest apron logo at 150–200 mm. Say if you want a back print or a sleeve mark.
- Tell us the wash regime. In-house domestic machine or commercial laundry at 90°C? This single answer changes our method recommendation more than any other factor.
- Approve the proof, then allow 5 working days for apron and standard garment runs after final design approval. Order 10–15% spares in the first run: new staff arrive, and a second run of three aprons costs far more per piece than three added to the original batch.
FAQ
Will a printed logo survive commercial laundry?
A properly cured screen print on cotton will survive repeated hot washes well. Heat transfer and DTF will not survive sustained 90°C commercial washing — expect edge lifting and cracking within months. If the uniforms go to a commercial laundry, embroider the logo or accept that transfers are a consumable.
What is the minimum order for branded aprons?
Single units are available at AED 9.50 each, so there is no hard garment minimum. The economics, though, are driven by branding setup: screen printing has a per-colour setup cost that is painful across five aprons and negligible across 200. For small runs under about 25 pieces, heat transfer is almost always cheaper overall. See how printing MOQs work in Dubai.
Which polo fabric for a hot Dubai kitchen?
A moisture-wicking performance knit rather than heavy cotton — the TECK Santhome DryNCool at AED 28 or the ADF All Day Fresh at AED 30 are the practical picks. Note that performance polyester needs heat transfer or embroidery; screen ink does not key into it reliably.
How many aprons per person should I order?
Three per kitchen role, two per front-of-house role. Kitchen aprons are changed mid-shift and the third set covers the laundry cycle. At AED 9.50 a piece this is the cheapest insurance in the uniform budget.
Can you match our aprons, polos and caps to one brand colour?
Across one branding method, yes. Across methods expect a visible shift, because embroidery thread, screen ink and transfer film render the same Pantone differently, and the base fabric colour shows through differently again. Supply the Pantone and we will advise where to expect variation. Our Pantone vs CMYK guide explains the mechanics.
Do you supply chef jackets and trousers?
The current catalogue centres on aprons, polos, T-shirts, caps and outerwear such as the MARSHALL wind jacket at AED 65 — all brandable by screen print, transfer or embroidery. For chef jackets and kitchen trousers, send us the specification and quantity and we will quote against it rather than guessing from a list.
Get your uniform package priced
Send us your garment list with the size mix, your logo and how the uniforms will be washed, and we will come back with a per-piece price including branding and a production date. WhatsApp +971 52 210 0909 or call 052 210 0909, or start from the fabric printing collection. If you are fitting out a new restaurant, our restaurant branding print checklist covers everything else you will need in week one. All prices include VAT, with delivery across the UAE.
