FSR May 2022

orking in the service industry is no cakewalk. Jobs in the hospitality space are taxing and can be both phys ically and mentally demanding. Long shifts spent on your feet, irregular hours, and dealing with customers are chal lenging, even for the most seasoned industry veterans. The pres sures surrounding these jobs can and do weigh heavily on the mental health and well-being of restaurant workers. It’s a slippery slope Mickey Bakst knows all too well. Bakst, who retired from the restaurant world in fall 2020, worked as a general manager and maître d’ at the Charleston Grill in South Carolina for more than 15 years, earning him the title QH pWPQHƂEKCN OC[QT QH %JCTNGUVQPq CNQPI VJG YC[ $WV DCEM KP VJG early days of his career, he wrestled with substance abuse and even suffered from an overdose in the early 1980s. Although Bakst has maintained his sobriety for four decades, he’s watched others wrestle with those same demons. Along the way, one friend, a Charleston chef named Ben Murray, lost the battle, taking his own life in 2016 after years of struggling with addiction and depression. The loss prompted Bakst and restau rateur Steve Palmer, who has also grappled with substance abuse and addiction, to take action. “In our careers, we have watched so many people destroy their NKXGU FWG VQ FTWIU CPF CNEQJQN q $CMUV UC[U 5Q VJG RCKT UVCTVGF Ben’s Friends, an organization that offers support and community THE PANDEMIC, COUPLED WITH EVENTS LIKE THE DEATH OF ANTHONY BOURDAIN, HAS BROUGHT MENTAL HEALTH TO THE FOREFRONT—AND RESTAURANTS ARE JOINING THE CONVERSATION. MENTAL HEALTH SPOTLIGHT ON BY TREVOR GRINER W

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

MAY 2022