The Burnt Chef Project – Mental Health Awareness in Hospitality

The Burnt Chef Project was setup in May 2019 after the Founder, Kris Hall, had spent years watching his close friends suffer from the ill effects of working within hospitality without feeling confident to discuss the subject.

Burnt Chef Project Website – Click To Find Out More

Kris Hall says:
“I’ve been working closely within the hospitality industry for around 9 years and have seen first hand the struggles of mental health issues within the trade with both clients and friends.

​Margins are slim and with increased focus on saving money both employers and employees feel the effect of this on their mental health. Long antisocial hours, tough environmental conditions and pressures to perform are just some of the issues that hospitality professionals are fighting against on a daily basis.

We recently conducted a survey of 1273 hospitality professionals which showed that 8 out of 10 (84%) of respondents had experienced mental health issues within their career and 46% would not feel comfortable talking about their health concerns with their colleagues.

Hospitality staff should be able to discuss the state of their mental health and gain support from their peers and employers. It’s important that although mental health can’t be seen it is regularly discussed and policies reviewed. This should be the new definition of ‘badge of honour’.

Together we can burn away mental health stigma within hospitality once and for all.”

HSQC offer support to food business operators in developing food safety management systems, offering hygiene training and auditing practices.  Contact us if you need any support with any of the above: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.