FSR May 2022

MENTAL HEALTH

like these are rarely directed to the staff who wait on customers, prepare their meals, and anticipate their every desire. Bonanno and his wife and business part ner, Jaqueline, recognized this dynamic for what it was: a deficit that needed to be addressed. “Mental health is an issue throughout the United States,” Bonanno says. “We knew other industries and companies had mental wellness counselors or men tal therapy available for their people, and we wanted to change our industry. We want our industry to be thought of in that same way.”

describes as a paradigm shift. Like many hospitality businesses, Bonanno Concepts was forced to tem porarily halt operations in the early days of the pandemic. Before reopening, the owners decided to poll staff across their 10 restaurants about their wants and needs. Bonanno says the results were a bit surprising. “Money was No. 3,” he says. “Paying people more doesn’t necessarily make them happier. You want your people to be happy.” Instead, the most important factor was mental health. “We have a lot of friends who are psy chologists, and we bounced some ideas off them,” Bonanno says. “I’ve spent enough time on a couch, but I don’t know what a [mental health] program looks like.” With that in mind, the Bonannos set out to find a mental health professional who could develop a program that would

cater to the needs and schedules of staff members. The search for the right candi date began last summer, and by October, Flores was providing free mental well ness sessions. Bonanno points out that hospitality workers have traditionally faced a num ber of barriers in seeking mental health services. Not only can therapy be expen sive, but scheduling during non-work ing hours can also be difficult. A ded icated, full-time counselor eliminates both challenges. With many restaurant employees working nontraditional hours, having a professional like Flores readily avail able is one way to ensure staff members at least have the option to participate in the program if they like. Plus, as Bonanno points out, offer ing free mental health services differ entiates it from competitors, making it a more desirable place to work. The com pany also pays 75 percent of healthcare

COVID OPENS THE DOOR

Others are coming to the same realiza tion. Due in part to the pandemic, efforts to prioritize the mental health and gen eral well-being of staff can be seen throughout the country in what Flores

“BECOMING MORE AWARE OF WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE AND MAINTAIN BALANCE IS REALLY, I THINK, THE MOST CRUCIAL ASPECT.” LEE WILSON, BONANNO HOSPITALITY

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

MAY 2022