Increasing visibility around wellness and conversations around mental health and workplace wellness has been the priority of national organizations like the Southern Smoke Foundation, James Beard Foundation and CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach Wellness) which focus on access to health and mental health services and targeted assistance for immigrant and LGBTQ+ issues. They offer a wealth of online resources for individuals who work in hospitality and content to assist businesses and restaurant/bar managers and owners in providing healthy, supportive workplace environments.

The 2020 pandemic lockdown and #MeToo movement exposed stressors within the culinary/hospitality industry and recent self-report data across food, beverage and hospitality professionals has shown up to 63% report depression, 84% experience stress from their job, 65% indicate substance use at work and 53% feel pushed to breaking point.  

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?

A 2024 Forbes feature on industry wellness highlighted:

• Lack of job security can exacerbate existing mental health challenges.

• A majority of hospitality workers believe there’s stigma around mental health in the industry.

• Roughly 6 in 10 hospitality professionals report they are afraid to tell their employer when they’re struggling with mental health challenges

• 74% of chefs reported sleep deprivation to the point of exhaustion; more than half feel pushed to the breaking point. 

• Suicidal ideation is 2 to 3 time higher in the food service industry compared to other workplaces. 

• Restaurant and hotel employees have the highest substance abuse rates in the U.S. workforce, according to Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

• The lack of regulatory bodies across independently-owned establishments makes it difficult for workers in the industry to ask for help. 

ONLINE RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS WORKING IN HOSPITALITY 

For hospitality workers: 

• BEHIND YOU: Free F+B counseling. Southern Smoke Foundation’s mental health program, Behind You, is the first of its kind — for F+B, by F+B. At the core of this program are our university partners and their clinical teams across the U.S.  Behind You, provides no-cost mental health counseling for food and beverage workers and their families in California, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, and Texas. Those who live outside of the service states can apply for financial assistance for mental health crises through SSF's Emergency Relief Fund.

• Burnt Chef: Free Mental Health Support website + in the USA, TEXT 'HOME' to 741741

• Culinary Hospitality Outreach Wellness: CHOW is a non-profit mental health and wellness support group by and for people who work in food, beverage, and hospitality. We hold multiple virtual and in-person group discussion meetings weekly – available to chefs, servers, bussers, bartenders, owners, suppliers, farmers, writers, dishwashers, and industry veterans - and offer classes in workplace wellness and both suicide and overdose prevention. CHOW has an “EXPO” (who is a person who has walked the path of recovery from mental illness/substance use disorder and is trained to assist others in their recovery) in each meeting who can guide the conversation. Sharing is voluntary and sobriety is not required. We lift each other up so that we lose no one else to mental health struggles, addiction, or suicide. We also can connect you with dozens of resources. Calendar of CHOW online meetings, courses and events. 

• CHOW Hospitality Workplace Wellness Toolkit: Downloadable.pdf 

• The Giving Kitchen Stability Network by Giving Kitchen Through partnerships with national, regional, and local service organizations, as well as curated services specific to Giving Kitchen referrals, the Stability Network has connected thousands of people to resources related to mental health and substance misuse, physical health and wellness, employment, housing and utilities, and family and social services.

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention + crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. This number is not only for Crisis. If you or a friend/coworker are experiencing powerful emotions, call to talk to someone.

ONLINE RESOURCES FOR RESTAURANT/BAR OWNERS 

• The Ninth is a contemporary restaurant in London, U.K., with French-influenced Mediterranean cuisine by chef Jun Tanaka. Tanaka wanted to create a vision and mission statement for all staff and to affirm a culture of wellness. It’s available as a .pdf document and is a great starting point for any business wanting to define their own approach to workplace wellness. View or download “Our Culture” here.   

• CHOW has created a Temperature Take that allows food/beverage/hospitality managers to check in with their team using “temperatures” ranging from rare (feeling juicy and full of life) to well done (flavorless, can’t handle any more heat). This approach recognizes that we often have more words for our food than we have for our feelings. Additionally, the company has created a resource for challenging conversations.

• Mind Share encourages employers to train their managers to develop key skills that help them support a lasting culture of psychological safety for their team. Mind Share has created an easy-to-print checklist for managers that includes the daily, weekly, and monthly actions they can take to support their team’s well-being.

• CHOW TEXTING SERVICE: A weekly text service for owners/operators/managers to enhance staff education and foster discussions on important topics by implementing. These texts, intended for daily review during pre and post-shift meetings, will provide educational content and stimulate conversations on mental health and substance use disorder within teams. Bite sized content delivered straight to your chosen device for daily practices

HARD-COPY BOOK FOR INDIVIDUALS AND THIRD SPACE BUSINESS OWNERS 

• Cultivating Healthy Minds: A Guide To Mental Health Resources, Volume 1 for Chefs/Hospitality Individuals: “Your Recipe for Mental Wellness in the Heart of Hospitality”

About the book: “In the busy kitchens and vibrant dining rooms of the hospitality industry, the pressure to deliver perfection can be overwhelming. Cultivating Healthy Minds is your essential guide to navigating the high-stress environment of culinary and hospitality careers with grace, determination and resilience. Written by industry trained and skilled chefs, mental health experts, and experienced organizations, this heartfelt resource dives deep into the unique challenges faced by chefs, servers, and hospitality professionals. From managing burnout and anxiety to fostering a supportive workplace culture, Cultivating Healthy Minds provides multi-level resources, practical strategies and inspiring stories to help you thrive both personally and professionally.

Discover the tools to:

• Balance the demands of a fast-paced job with self-care.

• Build a supportive network among your peers.

• Transform stress into strength with mindfulness and mental health practices.

• Create space for yourself and others to start hard and difficult conversations.”