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The Bartender Shoe Search – Four Month Update

September 25, 2013 By Official Bartender Michael Bowers | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Here's why.

Editor’s Note: Four months ago Dappered put the call out to you the readers, for good looking yet durable shoe suggestions for our Official Bartender, Michael Bowers. He was beating the snot out of his shoes, and continues to do so. Three pairs were chosen to be tested for comfort, durability, and looks. Four months in there are no holes in soles yet… YET. Each pair has been rotated in equally with the others. Get Michael’s take on each below.

Pair #1: Shoes for Crews “Senator” – $79.98

Shoes 4 Crews

I had never heard of Shoes for Crews before reading the comments on the initial post in this series. Since many of you Dappered gentleman recommend them, and because the company bills its shoes as specifically designed for the service industry, we thought we had to take a pair for a spin. Browsing the website didn’t turn up many options that would fit with my usual bartending attire, but the Senator style seemed like it could work.

New out of the box, I wouldn’t call them stylish. Their proportions and shape feel old-fashioned compared with the modern feel of the Rockports and the classic feel of the Allen Edmonds. Leather looks cheap, too. The one area wear these really stand out, though, is traction. For most people, traction probably isn’t a huge concern, but for a bartender, good traction is a bonus. These are so grippy that I nearly tripped the first time I walked from the concrete floor behind the bar to the carpeted dining room. Four months in, they’re a bit scuffed and the leather is beginning to show plenty of creases, but otherwise the shoes are holding up pretty well.

 

Pair #2: Allen Edmonds “Hector” – $295.00

Allen Edmonds

No surprise, these are great shoes. The look is classic, the construction is solid and the materials seem to be of great quality. They have some down sides, though. The cushion that the natural rubber sole provides with each step is nice, but they are not as comfortable over many hours standing as the Rockports and Shoes for Crews. And they’re relatively heavy, which doesn’t make a difference walking from the elevator to an office chair, but after 9 hours on my feet, they can feel like weights attached to already heavy legs.

As far as durability is concerned, the upper feels solid, but I’m not convinced by the sole. After only a few shifts, noticeable wear and tear began to show in the rubber. Now, after four months, the right shoe (but oddly not the left) shows significant wear in the tread. Though the upper is in relatively great shape compared to the other shoes, I’m not certain the soles are going to last an entire year.

 

Pair #3: Rockport “Dialed In” Cap Toe – $78.97

Rockport 2

These are a real surprise. After the age of 60, my dad would wear nothing but Rockport shoes. The few pairs he wore until he entirely gave up shoes for thick soled slippers were designed for one purpose: comfort. Those nondescript, lightweight walking shoes were all I associated with Rockport until this pair.

Of the three, these have garnered the most attention (and compliments) from customers and co-workers. They feel modern and stylish, without being loud. In short, they look great. They feel good to wear, too. They’re still comfortable after several hours on my feet. Like my dad’s shoes, though, these are lightweight–bordering on flimsy even–and off all three pairs, these are the ones I expect to give out first. After wearing them for every third shift for four months the leather is starting to look pretty rough, with significant creases in the leather of the upper.

After Four months, no clear winner yet. And since this is the “control” round, Michael hasn’t been doing much to care for the shoes, other than tree them after use. You try scrubbing down and polishing shoes after bartime. Which pair would you choose? Is it worth investing the time and money in serious leather care products, or just go inexpensive and replace as needed?

Shoe Update Footer

About our Bartender – Michael Bowers is the Head Bartender at the Modern Hotel and Bar in Boise, Idaho.  His patrons know him for the uncanny precision with which he tends his bar.  Michael’s cocktails have been noted by, among others, Food and Wine, Sunset Magazine, GQ, and the New York Times.  See more in The Drink archive.

Filed Under: Shoes Tagged With: Allen Edmonds, bartender shoe, Bartender Shoe Search, comfortable durable work shoes, most comfortable shoes, Rockport, Shoe hell, Shoes For Crews, work shoes

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Comments

  1. Dappa says

    September 25, 2013 at 4:25 AM

    Well the question I’d like to ask is, does any of these shoes give enough cushioning for all day or even extended hours of constantly standing/walking around?

    They all are dress shoes and I don’t see any of them being comfortable for 6+ hours of standing around, comparably say Nike lunarglide (yeah yeah, I know it’s dress shoes vs. running shoes, so apple vs orange, but just for comparison purpose in terms of cushioning).

    Unless you have thunderthighs made of steel, I can just imagine my entire lower half (especially feet and lower back) hurting and being sore like crazy afterwards If wear any of these thing and standing around for 6-8 hours… But I’d like to be convinced otherwise if that’s the case.

  2. Jason M says

    September 25, 2013 at 4:42 AM

    Wow, the Senator’s color changes so drastically form the picture on their website.

  3. Chris says

    September 25, 2013 at 6:03 AM

    When I bartend, I wear Nike Frees. Where I work, it’s dark, and speed is extremely important.

    I guess that it largely depends on your establishment, but I can not imagine bartending in some form of dress shoe.

  4. Andrew says

    September 25, 2013 at 6:29 AM

    I used shoes for crews exclusively when I bartended and waited tables. The places I worked had tile floors in the BOH (as most do) and if I didn’t wear the SFC, I was sliding all over the place. HUGE part of a good pair of shoes for the service industry.

  5. pierrot says

    September 25, 2013 at 6:57 AM

    Hmm those Rockports are interesting – they definitely break my impression of the brand, the style and price are right too…

  6. Patrick Snyder says

    September 25, 2013 at 7:37 AM

    Those Rockports really are sharp (though those soles are really minimal), but I wouldn’t hold the compliments you are getting in them against the AEs. If you were wearing a walnut or light brown pair of Park Ave’s or Even Upper West Side’s you’d probably be getting similar attention. Those hues tend to get more attention and elicit more ooo’s and aaa’s than a black pair of shoes, no matte how sharp the black may be. Really any color brown probably gets more attention than black. There’s just so much more room for variation, contrast, etc (even my really dark brown shoes make my outfit pop when given a little shine). Shoes for Crews makes clunky, workhouse shoes, so I wouldn’t expect many compliments on them, but that’s kind of the point.

  7. Patrick Patro Lind Lino says

    September 25, 2013 at 7:38 AM

    I see what you did there.

  8. jamie says

    September 25, 2013 at 8:31 AM

    Lots of wear and tear on the uppers for these shoes which I’m assuming is due to them frequently getting wet. Shoe trees are essential for maintaining the uppers, but just as important – if not more so, if your shoes will be getting soaked regularly – is to treat the leather uppers! Granted its a “control” round, but these shoes all need some TLC. I’m not suggesting they be cleaned, conditioned, and polished every shift, or even every week (although based on the work conditions, they probably should be), but they should definitely be treated regularly with something like Obenaufs LP (plenty of discussions online debating what to use – Obenaufs, mink oil, etc.), but without some protection from getting soaked, the leather uppers are going to fall apart. Occasional treatments of Obenaufs along with some wax polish will prevent the shoes from getting soaked in the first place, and will keep them looking nice. It only takes a few minutes to care for your shoes – and its cheaper than buying a new pair every six months!

  9. Joe says

    September 25, 2013 at 11:04 AM

    Agreed. I hate to be a proponent of disposable footwear, but I think in this case, with as cheap as they are… replacing those Rockports every 6 months might be a decent play.

  10. Butch_Zee says

    September 25, 2013 at 11:43 AM

    Back when I bartended, I wore Birkenstock shoes. They were actual shoes not sandals, leather and black. They had a very oddly shaped toe box (which is the shape of asll Birkenstock shoes/sandals) but they were extremely comfortable. Comfort: A+, leather: A, looks: D+/C-

  11. Scott Hendrickson says

    September 25, 2013 at 11:52 AM

    I’m no bartender, but I have a pair of brown Rockport longwings with Vibram soles that I wear very regularly, love ’em!

  12. Will says

    September 25, 2013 at 1:12 PM

    I’ve also had similar problems with my Allen Edmonds starting to detach at the sole after just a few wears. Have heard nothing but how high quality AE shoes are and was disappointed. I could see how they’d last for people with office jobs that drive everywhere, but someone for someone who’s on their feet a lot, I’d suggest Clarks DBs.

  13. Patrick Snyder says

    September 25, 2013 at 1:24 PM

    That’s a much bigger quality issue than the one mentioned in the article. You should give AE a call/email to let them know. They’re very helpful when someone brings up a quality issue. You say you’ve had similar problems, as in multiple pairs of AEs where the sole detaches after a few wears? That’s a serious issue.

  14. Will says

    September 25, 2013 at 2:26 PM

    No, it’s only one pair, I just phrased that poorly. I bought them at a Nordstrom’s Rack and no longer have the receipt or box as I just recently moved abroad. Even if they could help me out in the states, I can’t imagine they’d ship boots back and forth across the Atlantic without a receipt.
    It’s a pair of Bayfields that I had the problem with. Basically the sole is already detaching at the toe. The fact that it’s occurring on both the left and right shoe, more so on one than the other, has lead me to believe it’s a general quality issue with the shoe, and not just one defective shoe.
    Thanks for the advice though!

  15. chris says

    September 26, 2013 at 3:27 AM

    I’m a very active restaurant manager and have bartended and served in the past. I love my Rockports! You can always find them for under a hundred and count on them to last a good while in harsh conditions and I think they have some pretty good traction! Just make sure the sole feels a bit sticky/tacky and you should be good. I also like Johnston and Murphy and can find them for about a hundred also.. I’m happy to see have liked the Rockports also.

  16. ARP says

    September 26, 2013 at 4:53 PM

    I think DM’s would have the same problem as AE’s- they’re heavy shoes and start to feel like weights around your ankles after a few hours.

  17. Invictus says

    September 26, 2013 at 5:06 PM

    That is entirely possible. I almost exclusively wear boots, and I’m a runner, backpacker and hiker, so to me, the weight wasn’t as important as longevity. I got four years of restaurant duty out of them before the sole cracked, so I think I got my money’s worth.

  18. Alex says

    September 27, 2013 at 6:37 AM

    Seems like we’re overlooking the cole haan / nike dress oxfords? Would that not be the most comfortable / dressy shoe available?

  19. Paul Stagg says

    September 28, 2013 at 6:50 PM

    Clarks. QED.

  20. Tom says

    October 2, 2013 at 7:25 PM

    That’s what I suggested, but I think given all the options I also would have chosen the “shoes for crews” option after the initial comments. Was kind of hoping against hope he’d chosen Nike Air Cole Haan to see how they’d compare since it is my go-to shoe when I need a new pair, and I’d be pulling for those to do really well.

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