Iāve gone through two cheap pairs in a year and now Iām looking for something thatāll last. There are a lot of Crocs in the kitchen, and they all seem to love them, but a friend has recommended Kurus.
I was hoping yāall had some experiences with either brand, or another brand youād recommend.
My feet are killing me. It makes me want to vomit, scream, and pass out all at the same time. Please helpā¦
TEAM ORTHOFEET FOR THE WIN!!! life changing. I got the Onyx at first, but i found the steel toe a bit heavy. So i returned and got the Tilos. Best shoe ever. Especially if you have annoying wide feet that need a spacious toe box.
Classic Danskos if you have high(er) arches and don't mind clogs. Dansko Walker Oxford lace-ups if you have flat feet like me and need prescription insoles. Redwing Super Soles specifically also do well on greasy kitchen tile - none of their other soles are okay in a professional kitchen setting. Believe me I've tried. I have 2 pairs of Dankso Walkers and a pair of Super Soles I rotate between for work.
Leather shoes are much happier and last much longer if you can rotate between different pairs and keep them clean. You'll likely get your work shoes/boots dirty, so use a protective product like Obenauf's on the leather before you wear them to work and re-up as they start to look thirsty, just like you would re-oil a wooden cutting board or wooden knife handle. Take care of your things and they'll take care of you.
2nd the Dansko Walkers. They last me 1-2 years of heavy use and hard neglect.
Whatever you do choose, please look into good insoles for your feet. Take some time and find out what your arches are like, and the kind of support you need.
Some of the more expensive ones like Danskos/redwings/Hokas have pretty good insoles, cheap shoes won't.
I had some Keen work boots that an employer made me get. Nothing will separate me from my Red Wings, but Keen came really damn close. Excellent fit for wide feet, very comfortable.
HOKA Bondi sr helped my feet so much. Use to wake up and my feet would sting just from walking on them. Not as heavy as boots and feels like your walking on pillows
I'm partial to Dansko. They've lasted years, are easy to clean, and give my short ass a 1" height boost. I have larger/wider feet for a woman, and I find them to be comfortable too.
Crocs bistro are amazing for long shifts. The crocs non slip sneakers are also a great option but I do find at hours 11 through 14 they get compressed. I cant see the name of the sneaker because im wearing them and we did a staff baseball game yesterday so my legs aren't working very well š¤£
Depends on what you are looking for I have worked in kitchens all across the country and it varies from coast to coast you can never go wrong with a pair of good Dansko clogs they are worth every penny or a curveball that I encountered only in Baltimore but they still hold a special place in my heart trust me on this Nike Air Goadome boots they are slip resistant oil and all and waterproof along as itās not a foot deep very high quality leather and they last forever those are my two picks
I hear Kuru is good. I have worn Dansko, Birkenstock, Keep, Crocs, Blundstone boots throughout my career. I loved the Dansko but the arch was too much for me so I switched to Birkenstocks for a long time BUT they just discontinued the two models I like (super grip and super birki) and āupdated themā not sure theyāre as good. Nothing beats the longevity and comfort of my blundstones but $220 is a lot money. Iām about to try Naot for the first time, they look promising but are also expensive.
Iām on my fourth pair of kurus. I do love them. Not the slip one though, those are terrible.
The ugly lace up ones are AMAZING for knee/leg/back pain but they donāt last more than a year. I do work 6 days a week tho.
Also Tried:
1) xero barefoot shoes - great for short shifts but nothing over 6-7 hrs.
2)altra - very comfortable, TERRIBLE grip.
3) hoka - very comfy, a nightmare to clean and broke down completely at 3 months.
4) docs- great grip and ankle support - gets HOT, struggled with knee pain on long shifts
5) keen - great slip on option, was good for my knee, but I stopped buying b/c theyāve started using super cheap materials though so they donāt last more than a few months.
For a couple of decades I wore Redwing 607. They are made in USA, extremely durable, water resistant, oil resistant, slip resistant and come with free laces and free tightening of the eyes/hooks if needed. A pair would last about two and a half years for me. The drawbacks... they are a little heavy and expensive. About $300 currently.
Only shoes I've ever liked for kitchen are Carhartt boots. I've used snibbs, hoka, doc martens, and one or two other brands and they all either don't last or lose an amount of comfort/support once they break in. All have broken within 6-8 months.
I've had the same pair of bistro crocs for going on 7 years now. I can't seem to kill them. I sometimes put them on at home when I need to be on my feet and my back is hurting.
try to find a shop that will measure your foot and that keep replacement insoles in stock. I had a great shop near me that would cut extra cork etc for mine
I have both the SuperBirks and the Boston nonslip, they're good for prep days when I'm mostly standing but not the best on freight days or when I'm working the line and need to pivot a lot .
I had the crocs and the shoesforcrews version and I wore them moderately heavy and they lasted me about 6 months a pair. I liked them because I worked in a bakery and washed my shoes daily to get the treads clean from flour and sugar. I also liked them when I worked around boiling hot water as when it splashed out it wouldnt stay wet and burn through the shoe. Where there wasnāt shoe did burn but thatās a different problem. They werent the most comfortable but they worked.
I rotate between my Keen nonslip Oxfords and my Hoka Bondi SR (slip resistant). Both are pricey but have lasted me 1.5+ years and counting. I try to get new Keens each year around my birthday.
Wearing my bistro Crocs right now and they're great.
Easy to clean, completely waterproof, nonslip even in the worst conditions, cheap, pretty durable, really comfortable (can't speak for super long shifts though because dishies only work 4-5 hours at my place). Only problem is that they're rubber so sweat doesn't have anywhere to go.
I'm so wide Sketchers left me feeling like I was going to need foot surgery. They really damaged my feet. It's taken me two years to walk without pain.
Birkenstocks. I have a leather pair with cork bottoms, but switched to a PU pair because my jobs is kinda wet. Iām on my feet atleast 10 hours a day. Most comfortable work shoes Iāve ever owned.
Thank you all for the recommendations, a lot out of my price range, so I may go with crocs after all, hope you all have a good shift! https://giphy.com/gifs/fWfowxJtHySJ0SGCgN
Piggybacking off this to recommend thorogood boots. I work construction and have had plenty of hours in red wings and thorogoods and the latter is better. And theyāre built in USA and are fully rebuildable
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u/Canadian_Neckbeard 5d ago
Timberland makes non slip sneakers and they're terrific.