BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Some restaurants are changing the recipe when it comes to how they handle the mental health of employees.
This shift in perception comes on the heels of what was likely the toughest stretch in the industry's history: the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the pandemic, many restaurants experienced staffing shortages, supply chain problems, rising food costs, and burnout.
The industry already had a tough reputation with the American Psychological Association reporting that mental illness was prevalent in restaurant workers, who were most at risk for substance use and heavy alcohol use.
The restaurant industry is a high-stress environment and it is pretty demanding. These two factors can play a part in employees having mental health struggles.
Marco's Italian Restaurant chef and owner Marco Sciortino said, "Be present. I think being present is the biggest thing you can do. Know your staff. Ask them, 'Hey, how are you doing today?' Don't ignore them. Don't ignore how their feelings are. It's not embarrassing to have a rough day and say, 'Are you ok? Do you need anything?'"
"I think that talking about it more does help people," Osteria 166 director of sales and operations Alyssa Sumers said.
This is why Sciortino and Sumers have made it their mission to shift mental health struggles away from being a taboo topic.
Through the Erie County Anti-Stigma Coalition initiative, they are hoping employees will feel more inclined to talk about their struggles and not fear the stigma or worry for their job security.
A virtual panel discussion via Facebook, took place last week to start the conversation.
"We're hoping that the ability to offer our staff help, give them some tools to talk to somebody or even just go online and just research what is happening in their world and hopefully, it helps," Sciortino explained.
Sumers shared, "We have 'HealthiestYou' and that is free to our staff members. We just sign them up for it and then it's private after that. As soon as we give them the sign-in. That's not for mental health. It's for physical health as well."
HealthiestYou is designed to complement, and not replace, the care you receive from your primary care physician.
Physicians are from an independent network of doctors who advise, diagnose, and prescribe at their own discretion.
Physicians provide cross-coverage and are subject to state regulations.
Sumers is hoping to lead by example.
"Me, personally, after the pandemic, I actually started therapy for personal reasons and for the restaurant. It helped me so much that I advocated, I tell people like, 'Hey, getting something to talk to and working things out really does wonders'," said Sumers.
Moving forward, Sumers hopes everyone can walk away with this message:
Sumers said, "The conclusion of our panel is just, people being nice to people. In the restaurant industry, they forget that we are all people too. We go through stuff, we make mistakes, everything is not perfect every time. Being kind to the people around you is probably the biggest thing."
