McDonald's Dress Code

The dress code at McDonald's is a uniform, consisting of company-issued hats, shirts, aprons, name tags, and your own black pants and dark, slip-resistant shoes. Employees in managerial or corporate roles are expected to dress business casual.

The dress code at McDonald’s is dictated by food safety, and may involve hairnets and beard nets for kitchen staff. At a minimum, each crew member will be issued three shirts, one apron, and one hat/visor.

You will be sent home if management determines that you are in violation of the uniform policy. Consistent violation of the uniform policy could result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Understanding McDonald’s Dress Code

If you’re wondering what kinds of clothes you’d need to buy for your job working at McDonald’s, the answer is simpler than you might think. McDonald’s provides your uniform shirts and hats, leaving you only responsible for your pants and shoes.

McDonald’s requires employees to wear black pants that aren’t leggings, sweatpants, yoga pants, or jeans with wide legs or large stitching. Employees’ shoes also need to be black, closed-toed, non-slip, sturdy, and polished, which means no nylon or canvas. This is to protect your feet from hot oil or other hazards while you work.

You’ll wear your McDonald’s shirt, nametag, and hat during your shift as well. If it’s cold, employees are often allowed to wear long sleeve shirts in approved colors under their short sleeve uniform shirts.

In addition to this, employees are required to keep their nails short and clean to keep food sanitary, and if their hair is longer than their shirt collars, it needs to be put up.

Employees can typically have piercings, but again, to keep the food sanitary and for your safety, you may be required to limit yourself to wearing only studs or small hoops, depending on where your piercings are located. Employees are also typically not allowed to wear bracelets or watches.

McDonald’s states that it aims to be a family-friendly, professional establishment, so it doesn’t allow its employees to have unnatural hair colors or visible “extreme tattoos.” It also states that managers will decide whether employees need to cover up particular tattoos or not.

For those who want to wear hijabs, turbans, or other clothing for religious purposes, McDonald’s does allow this as long as the articles of clothing are an approved color (generally neutral or black).

What to Wear to a Job Interview at McDonald’s

While McDonald’s, like most companies, doesn’t have any policies regarding what you should wear to an interview, there are some best practices in this area. To help prospective employees know what to prepare for, current and McDonald’s employees have shared what they wore to their successful interviews.

The general consensus is that casual yet polished clothing is the best way to go. If you can, wear a professional top with clean, wrinkle-free slacks, a skirt, or a dress. Dark, nice jeans and a dressy top were recommended by some commenters, explaining that looking polished and professional is more important than looking fancy.

Make sure you have fresh breath, smell clean while only using minimal perfume and cologne, and style your hair so that it looks well maintained and professional.

If you’re in doubt about what to wear for your interview, always err on the side of overdressed rather than under.

However, if you don’t have any professional clothes, don’t let that keep you from showing up to the meeting. Instead, do the best you can with what you have, borrow some clothes from a friend, or utilize a service that lends professional clothing to those who need it for job interviews.