While focused on providing great hospitality to guests, foodservice operations can be inhospitable environments for employees, particularly those who may be silently struggling. Long, irregular hours, high-pressure environments, cost pressures, short staffing, low wages and the expectation to always provide service with a smile can lead to burnout and exacerbate stress, anxiety, drug abuse, addiction and other mental health issues with which employees may struggle. It’s a familiar and often ignored — even accepted — aspect of the industry that’s overdue for change, says Tom Mitchell, who now works to create positive change as Canadian Chief Ambassador of The Burnt Chef Project.
Mitchell speaks from experience. After several years on the operator side and assuming increasing amounts of responsibility, he burned out, left the industry and what for him had become an unhealthy, pressure-cooker lifestyle. When he came back in, it was as a foodservice equipment manufacturers rep, a role he held for 40 years before retiring in 2023 as president of TLC Marketing and discovering The Burnt Chef Project. The UK-based, global nonprofit organization launched in 2019 with the goal of eradicating the stigma around mental health within the hospitality industry. It provides education, training, support and resources for frontline staff and management, aiming to create a healthier, more sustainable industry by prioritizing the wellbeing of the people working in it.
“I really liked what they were doing,” Mitchell says, of his decision to get involved. “One of the things that always stuck in my mind is the poor workplace culture in so much of the hospitality industry. There’s often almost a second-class citizen status given to people who work in it and we have to change that. We need to raise people up to feel like they’re performing good, quality jobs in a good, quality profession. I saw The Burnt Chef Project as an opportunity to give back to the industry and help change the culture.”
Mitchell adds that mental health issues can impact all employees, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, background or religion. And just as those traditional pillars of DEI initiatives require education, training and engagement, so, too, do mental health issues, which can disproportionally impact those who are already marginalized or struggling. The reality is, the issue is pervasive: A recent Burnt Chef Project survey of 1,273 hospitality professionals that showed 8 out of 10 (84%) have experienced mental health issues within their careers.
“Being psychotic or ‘crazy’ is extreme mental illness and perceptions associated with those conditions trickle down into any discussion of other types of mental illness,” Mitchell says. “There’s a lot of stigma around the issue, which keeps people from speaking up and seeking help with things that many in our industry suffer from, like anxiety, substance abuse and depression. It’s a stigma that we’re trying to erase and it starts with awareness, self-care and kindness — kindness to yourself and to others. That alone is a big stepping stone toward moving forward and making people feel involved, engaged and valued.”
Tom Mitchell
Canadian Chief Ambassador, The Burnt Chef Project
Chairman, MAFSI
