Restaurant burnout happens in every job and to everyone…yes even Elon Musk gets burnt out, that is why he still plays video games. Former President Donald Trump drives one of his Bentley’s through Florida, New York or whichever of his personal residences he is at to let off steam.
What do people in the restaurant business do to let off steam or are burnt out?
- Find a cooler to cry in
- Escape outside for a quick smoke
- Hold it in until the shift is over
- Laugh
- Cry
- Let it out on the dish pit
- Book a vacation over a busy holiday
- Show Karen who calls the shots
- Have a few shots
- Hide in dry storage
- Eat, there is food everywhere
- Punch an unruly guest in the face
- Walk off, cause you’re tired of this shit
- Dropkick the manager
- Chase sunrise
- An extra 8-ball
- No call, no show the next day and claim an emergency
- Name one that is missing from list…
The restaurant industry gets intense, its a sales and people based business, everyday is a wildcardl. Many personalities are involved and that makes working complicated. To say its a roller coaster is an understatement. The ups, downs and loops can happen all in one interaction with a party of 6. Say hello to high emotions and a cycle of perpetual restaurant burnout, stress and bewilderment of how people can behave..
…And the test shows…This is the COLD HARD TRUTH.
No job or career is free of stress, many are all stress. Stress leads to burnout. Burnout leads to many places, generally all of them not good, except getting out of work as quickly as possible when its time to go. One of the main culprits of this is that negative feeling from stress and burnout.
Restaurant Burnout from Negativity
Negativity is all around and anyone that has been in this game for more than about 6-8 months knows the worst come out in people when they are out to dinner in a restaurant. This is the reality more than other side of this coin; the best coming out. Most celebrations are torture on the host, business meetings can go awry, breakups happen at dinner or someone tends to drink too much on date night.
It happens, we always have to act that the glass isn’t half full, probably more along the lines of the glass being 95% full, no matter how much of a trainwreck is listening to you talk about today’s special. It takes a few minutes and then get out before it really gets bad. Do not let the negative energy bring down the group that will hear about the special. They will probably be amazing and not a total disaster!
Find ways to keep it positive and avoid perennial restaurant burnout.
When the 30 seconds comes to let it all out, do so.
The Truth of Being in the PEOPLE BUSINESS!
Not everyday is rainbows and unicorns. After bad days and moments, find something good, happy or find the person in the building that makes you laugh the most. Smile, you are making money and about to leave with more than you walked in with!
Celebrate, shifts end and when every mental patient having dinner or sitting at bar leaves.
Ideally this is how it works, realistically, the real burnout starts when music goes off and the lights go up. This is when there is time to think and process. A time, to realize how terrible people can be and how terrible working in the this business can be. Counting tips at the end of the night goes both ways, every shift isn’t a winner, if it is, please let us know. Everyone has a bad day gone worse and a rough night with poor tips takes the cake.
When the music goes off and the lights come on, when restaurant burnout begins
These nights and most nights in the business as whole manifest quite a few emotions, many negative. These lead to the dark side of restaurant business, partying, drugs, super late nights, isolation, and unhappiness at work, to name a few.
Burnout in the restaurant business isn’t good. Burnout in any part of life is a sign/cry for help. Behaviors that many associate with relieving these feelings, actually tend to make it worse. Addiction is very similar to burnout in that the reveals a different side usually focusing on escaping the easiest way possible. People who have depression as well, experience similar feelings.
Its no wonder that burnout, depression, addiction and quick escapes can all be co-morbid!
Now, we are not Ph.D’s, psychiatrists or even Master’s Level practitioners here. Merely people with experience in the trenches of kitchens, Karens and the dreaded clopen.
Feeling this burnout isn’t always cured with extra days off or even a trip away.
Getting Over Restaurant Burnout
Try changing some behaviors, habits and routines.
Behaviors: stop having a drink or 17 after every shift. A $13 drink can easily turn into a $234 (missing the next day of work) drink. Alcohol is a depressant and not good on the body. The drugs, staying up all night, eating fast food and trying to forget how challenging working can be needs to be replaced. They need to replaced with activities and behaviors that encourage an open mind and soul, bring some clarity or heal the body.
No, this is not a full lifestyle change, still enjoy a drink (not 17 or after every shift), that would create more stress. Do not stay up all night playing video games or watching movies; its fun, not good for brain.
Instead, try easing into going to sleep within an hour of getting home/off work, waking up early and taking a walk outside. Vitamin D from the sun has profound effects on the aforementioned afflictions of restaurant burnout and gives a reason to get up and get going with the sunrise, instead of going to bed with it. This can have incredible effects on all facets of life from attitude to circadian rhythm and more! Give it a shot, 1-3 times a week for about 2 weeks.
How to get over sleep depravation preventing Restaurant Burnout?
But what about working nights?
Take a nap!
There is nothing wrong with taking a nap to let the body recharge and energize.The book Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim gets very detailed on how to best utilize naps for optimal performance. The thesis is that a 30 minute-2hr can really help the body and mind reset, calming the feelings of burnout or overworking.
Burnout and overworking are two endemic problems of the restaurant business, do not forget.
It might not be possible to nap everyday or even every workday. There are lives to be lived outside of work. There should be opportunities several days a week to take advantage of the power naps provide, especially if they reduce burnout! Bonus points for helping to cope with the war that exists when clocked in at work.
As with everything, give it a shot and ease in, the wheel takes time to build and tweak. Trying to massively change things overnight is unrealistic and exhausting. Only lottery winners (gamblers) are overnight millionaires, the rest take time to build. Slowly change some of the habits, that might secretly be having negative impacts. Not all are visible either.
Burnout in the restaurant is terrible and the behaviors/escapism that accompany it are equally as bad. There is no way to avoid these feelings, only how they are managed. Everyone in every job experiences this, its not isolated to the restaurant industry. What is challenging is how the restaurant industry as whole approaches this.
Trade in the Badge of Restaurant Burnout!
There is a long standing notion that restaurant burnout and stress are to be worn like badges of honor in the restaurant industry. Cigarettes are commonly associated with people working in the business as means to deal with the stress and burnout. Time and science have shown that nicotine and smoking as whole is more of a habit, creating more stress through cravings.
Full disclosure: my father lived off coffee, bread & butter, cigarettes and kitchen scraps for 30 years in the restaurant industry. It’s not an ideal lifestyle, later in life he had many heart and physical problems. The problems only changed when he started walking regularly and cutting down on smoking/drinking.
Stop the cycle, do not go cold turkey, take a page from the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous and start with what most hinders sobriety (burnout, stress in this case) and start there, again taking baby steps. Recovery never ends, its a choice, as is coping with burnout in a restaurant. It is always around, don’t go seeking it.
Changing behaviors and responses to stimuli is work. How many other things in life come easy though? Smart and hard work is generally a good path to changing any situation. The ace in the hole?
Stepping up to Restaurant Burnout
SAYING NO!
Say no to what brings the stress/burnout or allows the cycle to continue. This might be the hardest work of all. It is saying no to your family after all. A work family, especially in the restaurant business, shares a special bond, this bond is quite tight. Being together through the challenges of a busy service forges relationships and encourages the post-shift antics that ensue. More than anything, comfort is the easiest feeling of all to have and seek.
Comfort is very challenging to overcome. People crave it and being uncomfortable is not desirable. Having the uncomfortable feeling is what keeps the cycle of restaurant burnout going. The good thing is, to make the uncomfortable, comfortable or tolerable requires very little. Only dedication and commitment.
Commit to only going out 1 or 2 times a week with the work family and waking up 2 hours earlier or spending x amount of time doing an activity that relives the burnout more than shots of whiskey and an 8-ball. However, know at first, it will be uncomfortable and stressful, eventually it will change and feel good.
An End to Restaurant Burnout?
This industry is a beast and will always be a beast until the robots take over. The good thing is, that seems to be further away than we think. Hospitality is about creating human interaction and experiences, it is a state of the human existence. Food is for bonding, sharing and nourishing. Unfortunately, dining is at the top of the list of what brings out the worst in people. There needs to be a detailed study on this or what causes it.
Make different choices.
Do not go cold turkey on anything.
Still enjoy yourself and have fun.
Find what works for you to relieve stress and restaurant burnout.
Do this without what has always been done.
Stop negative behaviors/routines that continue the cycle or limit them.
Restaurant burnout will never go away in this industry or any industry. It shows its ugly face everywhere and to everyone at some point. Life is about 10% what happens and 90% of YOU react to it.
Choose wisely.
Cheers
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