FSR May 2022

MENTAL HEALTH

health can’t rest solely on the individual. “That responsibility falls on us as the employer because employees often cite their jobs as the reason for their mental health issues,” she says. Like Flores, Mankin says part of what makes it difficult addressing this topic within the industry is the stigma that comes with it. She believes these conver sations could be made easier by granting restaurant employees the same benefits office workers enjoy—and that starts with treating them a certain way. “I think the first step is a level of respect,” she says. “We have to offer restaurant workers the same kind of respect and perks that we offer tradi tional workers. As a company, we have tried to ingrain in our people that this is a real job and that it can be a career.

We’ve tried to be better at listening to their problems and treating them like they’re real problems. I think that’s huge.” Still, even restaurant operators with the best intentions may not have the resources to implement programs as Bonanno Concepts and The Social Order have. That’s where volunteer efforts and organizations like Ben’s Friends can step in to fill the void. In creating Ben’s Friends, Bakst and Palmer looked to their own personal experiences as both veterans of the res taurant industry and recovering addicts to help others within a safe environment. Since the first chapter of Ben’s Friends opened in Charleston six years ago, the group has spread to 15 cities across the U.S. It also offers a virtual Zoom option. The meeting times, often mid-morning, are conducive with restaurant schedules, which typically run from afternoon to late night. Whether an internal or external resource, Bakst says such initiatives go beyond basic altruism. Taking care of employees’ mental wellness has become nearly a necessity in the current job mar ket, where staffing shortages continue to hinder businesses’ ability to operate at 100 percent. “It is not news to anybody that our industry is being racked,” he says. “There is such a radical shortage of people that any great operator is going to know, they have to figure out ways to take care of their employees. That’s whether they care to or not. That’s a business decision.” Regardless of motives, the move ment of taking care of your workers is picking up steam. Bakst says several of his friends who are still working in the industry have started running clubs in various cities in an effort to promote healthy living and a healthy alternative to destructive behaviors. Ultimately, Bakst believes it’s impera tive for restaurants to start prioritizing employees’ mental well-being after over looking it for so many years. “We haven’t taken the same care of our own people as we took of the strangers who walked into our dining rooms,” he says. “That is really a tragedy.”

ENDING THE STIGMA Bonanno Concepts joins a small but growing legion of brands, including one behemoth fast casual, that are placing a premium on mental health. Just last year, Chipotle partnered with Aduro, an expert-led employee well-being platform and launched the virtual mental well ness program Strive, which offers coach ing and support to help employees set and achieve well-being goals. Other brands are taking slightly dif ferent approaches with the same end goal of improving the mental health of workers. Oklahoma City–based hospi tality group, The Social Order Dining Collective, recently beefed up its bene fits package across its multiple concepts, which include fast casuals Fuzzy’s Taco

COURTNEY MANKIN

THE SOCIAL ORDER

“THAT RESPONSIBILITY FALLS ON US AS THE EMPLOYER BECAUSE EMPLOYEES OFTEN CITE THEIR JOBS AS THE REASON FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.”

Shop and Spark, as well as full-service restaurants Seven4. Although the group doesn’t have a dedicated therapist on call, it offers employees healthcare benefits, two weeks paid time off, and mental health assistance. Courtney Mankin, president of The Social Order, thinks the broader empha sis on employee well-being stems from the pandemic, which heightened levels of anxiety and depression. She also says that something as nuanced as mental

COURTNEY MANKIN, THE SOCIAL ORDER

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

MAY 2022