Article for "Workplace Bullying and Harassment" (Visions Journal, 2020)
For as long as I can remember, I’ve cherished the idea of being able to provide world-class service to the people who come into my workplace, to offer them a sense of escape from their daily lives and have them experience something transformative, if even for a moment. My entire adult life, for better or for worse, has been devoted to the pursuit of excellence in hospitality.
Among hospitality’s ranks, I’m considered one of the lucky ones. I’ve had the privilege to work in some of Canada’s most acclaimed bars and restaurants, I’ve worked alongside heavyweights in the national and international hospitality communities, I’ve collaborated with chefs who work in Michelin Star kitchens and have been showered with accolades from near and far. I don’t say this to be boastful—far from it. I say it because it’s important to acknowledge that my experience in hospitality is that of someone near the top of the hospitality world. I’m white, cisgendered, male and able-bodied. In short, my life in hospitality is as good as it gets. It’s been much easier for me to climb the hospitality career mountain than it has been for many others. I can only imagine the hardships experienced by those who aren’t as privileged as I am.
Two years ago, I was inspired to help found Mind the Bar, a mental health service and resource centre for people who work in the hospitality sector.
“Why do cooks and bartenders need a mental health service?” I’m often asked this question when I bring up the topic of mental health in the hospitality industry, or my role with Mind the Bar. Often the person asking the question is just looking for an excuse to commandeer the conversation in a new direction—why other professions are more valuable or more stressful or more deserving of mental health services. After all, why would anyone whose job it is to serve food need help managing stress? “It’s not that we’re necessarily worse off than anyone else,” I often respond, choosing an answer that’s difficult to argue with. “It’s just that we have a unique set of problems.”