Looking for a brown shoe

[FT412]

Hello everyone thanks in advance for the help any ideas on a shoe comfortable enough to bartend in and also nice looking without being too expensive. I usually wear wool or cotton pants with either a dress shirt and tie or a ocbd when not wearing a tie

 

[breakaway01]

What does “too expensive” mean to you? And do you need rubber soles, or are leather soles okay?

 

[rjc149]

This depends on what "not too expensive" means.

For cosmetically nice-looking shoes that are comfortable and not repairable (ie. disposable), I would say Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, Florsheim or Ecco are your best options. These should all run you less than $200, Florsheim and Ecco less than $100.

Personally I don't think I would want to work a bar/waiter shift in cork-soled, leather-heeled dress shoes. I was a busboy/barback in my early 20's -- lots of walking up and down stairs, fetching ice buckets, lifting kegs and crates, and just being on your feet all evening. I totally wore through a pair of cheap Steve Madden shoes in 2 months -- literally, wore holes in the uppers and broke the sole through the middle. So, get comfortable shoes, but don't go too cheap.

 

[FT412]

Rubber soles would be best and under 300 is my
Budget thanks again

 

[breakaway01]

Comfort and durability are going to be more important than just aesthetics. As @rjc149 says, you'll beat these shoes up pretty quickly.

Also, the rubber on many rubber-soled classic dress shoes is something called Dainite, which is very hard (not shock absorbing) and surprisingly slippery on wet hard surfaces. Crepe or Vibram rubber soles are probably the way to go.

Maybe something like these Samuel Hubbard shoes -- apparently they are resolable

Founder | Men's Oxford Work Shoes | Chestnut Leather

These classic 5 eyelet oxford work shoes have an air of authority. The Founder will elevate your look and give you the confidence to stride into every meeting and dinner.

samuelhubbard.com

Highlander | Men's Pebble Grain Dress Shoes | Brown Pebble Leather

We've elevated the classic pebble grain leather into a dress casual design fit for the modern world. With its pebble grain finish, full leather lining, and proprietary Hubbard Comfort System, Highlander is guaranteed to make your feet smile.

samuelhubbard.com

 

[Nitrogen]

I found these very comfortable even for long walks: https://us.ecco.com/ecco-st.1-hybrid-mens-plain-toe-836404.html?dwvar_836404_color=01053

 

[TexasToast]

I like Beckett Simonon shoes, Their shoes are very stylish well and are $200 a pair. I own 3 pairs and considering buying another pair.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

For cosmetically nice-looking shoes that are comfortable and not repairable (ie. disposable), I would say Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, Florsheim or Ecco are your best options. These should all run you less than $200, Florsheim and Ecco less than $100.

Cole Haan and Ecco are notorious for making incredibly ugly shoes. Comfortable, sure, but astoundingly ugly. Even the ones that actually look like dress shoes are pretty bad, but they're especially known for the ones with weird sneakery soles, and... Please don't direct OP to those as "nice-looking."

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

One comfort note... Being on your feet for a lot of hours is never going to be good for you. Any time you get a chance to sit down for, like, 20 seconds, your body will appreciate it, from your feet through your back.

Another... Some shoes feel bad up front, but better after some break in. Some shoes don't feel that great, but give you types of support that will leave you feeling better after a long shift, or after a year of long shifts. Squishy cloud-like sneaker soles are not necessarily the right move.

 

[breakaway01]

One comfort note... Being on your feet for a lot of hours is never going to be good for you. Any time you get a chance to sit down for, like, 20 seconds, your body will appreciate it, from your feet through your back.

Another... Some shoes feel bad up front, but better after some break in. Some shoes don't feel that great, but give you types of support that will leave you feeling better after a long shift, or after a year of long shifts. Squishy cloud-like sneaker soles are not necessarily the right move.

Pretty sure the OP by now has figured out that it’s good to sit whenever you can. That being said, I haven’t seen too many bars with chairs behind the bar.

So do you actually have any helpful recommendations as to what shoes the OP should buy?

 

[rjc149]

Cole Haan and Ecco are notorious for making incredibly ugly shoes. Comfortable, sure, but astoundingly ugly. Even the ones that actually look like dress shoes are pretty bad, but they're especially known for the ones with weird sneakery soles, and... Please don't direct OP to those as "nice-looking."

They each have a pretty varied range of models and styles, many of which are aesthetically quite inoffensive:

https://www.amazon.com/Cole-Haan-Lenox-Oxford-British/dp/B00BECIQMW/ref=sr_1_25?asc=1&qid=1653153779&refinements=p_89%3ACole%2BHaan%2Cp_n_size_browse-vebin%3A1285075011&s=apparel&sr=1-25&th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/ECCO-Dress-Oxford-Amber-10-10-5/dp/B07VHXLJMR/ref=sr_1_11?crid=C88COV4NLEJ5&keywords=ecco+mens+shoes&qid=1653153817&sprefix=ecco+%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-11

The only crime I see here is being cheap mass-produced shoes that give comfortable sneaker-like service for maybe a year of regular wear, then get tossed. That's not my personal approach to dress shoes, but then again, I'm not working on my feet all day.

I did wear a pair of black Cole Haan split-toes to work each day when I started, I found them to be comfortable, serviceable shoes that could take a decent shine.

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

They each have a pretty varied range of models and styles, many of which are aesthetically quite inoffensive:

You didn't say "they have many options that are inoffensive," you said "For cosmetically nice-looking shoes... [these brands] are your best options." They're not. The bulk of their shoes are breathtakingly ugly, and the ones you shared are fine at best.

I appreciate the comfort argument, and I don't really care about resoleability. The reason I hate recommending Cole Haan is that, if OP reads that recommendation, OP will probably get an ugly shoe.

I guess OP is more concerned with comfort. That's fine. But don't tell him that he will get a good-looking shoe if he just goes and gets something from this brand, or this one, that's not good advice.

 

[rjc149]

You didn't say "they have many options that are inoffensive," you said "For cosmetically nice-looking shoes... [these brands] are your best options." They're not. The bulk of their shoes are breathtakingly ugly, and the ones you shared are fine at best.

I appreciate the comfort argument, and I don't really care about resoleability. The reason I hate recommending Cole Haan is that, if OP reads that recommendation, OP will probably get an ugly shoe.

I guess OP is more concerned with comfort. That's fine. But don't tell him that he will get a good-looking shoe if he just goes and gets something from this brand, or this one, that's not good advice.

 

[Leiker]

You didn't say "they have many options that are inoffensive," you said "For cosmetically nice-looking shoes... [these brands] are your best options."

You left out some key parts of what he said:

"For cosmetically nice-looking shoes that are comfortable and not repairable (ie. disposable)"

 

[Daniel Hakimi]

You left out some key parts of what he said:

"For cosmetically nice-looking shoes that are comfortable and not repairable (ie. disposable)"

Did he do that? Did he refer to brands you should go to for cosmetically nice, comfortable, non-reparable shoes, or did he refer to brands you should go to for ugly, comfrotable, non-reparable shoes?