Burger bar owners launch mental health program for hospitality workers

The pandemic causes several economic issues for the hospitality industry, but it also caused mental health issues among the many thousands of staff that serve us.

In combatting these metal health issue, burger bar operators Lachlan Stevens and Daniel Chin started a men’s mental health support group called The Barstool Brothers.

The initiative has been so successful, they are now looking to expand the program nationally to help all hospitality workers with their mental health in the form of national mental health training program.

"We feel there's a big gap in the market in mental health and hospitality," Chin told ABC News.

"Hospitality can be underrated in how hard it can be. It's often full of young people coming out of school or university.

"There are hours worked late at night and on weekends, which means you miss out on social events with family and friends and it can be stressful and fast paced.

"We've designed a package called The Barstool Project to deliver to hospitality venues in training staff in awareness of mental health.

"It will include information on how to spot signs and symptoms of poor mental health and how to communicate with people at the bar, as well as staff and management," Chin said.

"It's important to start that conversation, as opposed to serving another beer and walking away."

For Stevens, who fought in Afghanistan for the Australian army, mental health is paramount.

He often hears men talking about their mental health, especially those who go to his bar for a burger and beer.

"We have a venue to bring the community together and we'll always do that, but we're now in at a stage where The Barstool Brothers and the Project is becoming bigger than [the bar] His Boy Elroy itself.

"That fills me with pride because we went into something with a commercial perspective but have come out on the end where we can have great social impact.

"That's what fills my cup and we're motivated to keep driving this forward."

The program takes under two hours to deliver and will be launched in Wollongong to around 300 people.

Stevens and Chin have also caught the interest if the federal government having met with federal assistant minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride.

"I was so pleased to be able to be introduced to The Barstool Brothers because I had heard of the work they did through COVID and was really impressed by the benefits local people have seen so far and their advocacy," McBride told ABC News.

"Some of the most effective mental health and suicide prevention programs are local, and local people have seen a need in this case for hospitality workers and have put forward a local solution to a widespread problem."

Stevens has welcomed the support.

"We're not in the position of seeking funding at the moment, but we certainly will be and we want the minster to bear witness to our journey and how it's progressing.

"Anything that can alleviate pressure off hospitals and emergency rooms is something all governments are concerned with."

Jonathan Jackson, 22^nd May 2023