FSR May 2022

MENTAL HEALTH

to restaurant workers on the path to sobriety, as well as those who have already achieved it. Drug addiction is the mental health issue most often associated with the res taurant world, but that’s not to imply it’s the only illness to afflict the industry— far from it. Bakst says more recent con versations surrounding mental health struggles, like depression, weren’t openly discussed on a large scale until the death of Anthony Bourdain in 2018. He believes Bourdain’s suicide has been a turning point for the industry. “That’s where I believe the seed of this new dialogue has come from,” he says. According to data from the National Institute of Mental Health, 52.9 mil lion people in the U.S. experienced some form of mental illness in 2020. That translates to one in five struggling with depression, anxiety, or other men tal illnesses. Statistics related to the foodservice world are even more telling. A survey conducted by the nonprofit advocacy group Mental Health America found that food and beverage was among the unhealthiest industries in the country across various criteria, such as burn out, lack of supervisor support, finan cial instability, and negative mental health outcomes. Other consistently unhealthy industries included manu facturing, retail, and automotive Per the same survey, half of all F&B workers felt the stress from their jobs “always or often” affected relationships outside of work. Problems that start small can snow ball, particularly in an industry whose innately celebratory nature can easily spill over into employees’ personal lives. Forty-three percent of workers reported relying on unhealthy behaviors, such as drinking, as a means of coping with stressors from the workplace, according to Mental Health America. “Some of the most common things I see are stress, burnout, and addiction ACKNOWLEDGING MENTAL HEALTH

issues because it’s a pressure cooker of an environment,” Qiana Torres Flores says. Flores is a full-time mental health clinician working as the wellness direc tor for Bonanno Concepts, a hospitality group based in Denver. A position like in-house counselor is rare in just about any industry, but espe cially the restaurant world, where profit margins are tight. Nevertheless, Flores’

sequences cast a dark shadow over an already stressed demographic. “Work in hospitality or restaurants typically means meeting people’s every need on a regular basis,” Flores says. “That requires putting your own needs on the backburner in order to meet some one else’s.” She adds that very little attention is paid to taking care of the people who

QIANA TORRES FLORES

“SOME OF THE MOST COMMON THINGS I SEE ARE STRESS, BURNOUT, AND ADDICTION ISSUES BECAUSE IT’S A PRESSURE COOKER OF AN ENVIRONMENT.” QIANA TORRES FLORES, BONANNO HOSPITALITY

appointment could signal a shift, if not a sea change, in how restaurants address mental health. Frank Bonanno, chef-owner of Bonanno Concepts, says the group is able to employ a full-time clinician in part because it’s a private business with no responsibilities to shareholders. This gives Bonanno a great deal of latitude with respect to the bottom line, and he’d rather prioritize staff well-being. Having worked in the service indus try herself, Flores is keenly aware of how intense it can be. She says these stresses were only exacerbated by the pandemic, particularly in the service and hospi tality space, which suffered more than almost any other industry. The constant worry over layoffs and furloughs, as well as the potential con

take care of guests when they venture out for a night on the town. For those working in the service industries, ques tions aimed at accommodating the guests are fired off frequently. “How are we doing today, folks?” “What can I get for you?” “Do you have everything you need?” Even behind the scenes, questions

59

FSRMAGAZINE.COM

MAY 2022