Rationale Memo – Team 3
Issue
Substance abuse is a prevalent issue in the food service industry. The Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) conducted national surveys on alcohol
and substance abuse amongst full-time employees aged 18-64. These surveys took place from
2008 to 2012. Data showed that accommodations and food service were third in heavy alcohol
use and number one in illicit drugs (19.1%) use and substance use disorder (16.9%).
Substance abuse crosses all forms of food service and professions within the industry.
FSR brought up that food service is based on entertainment and that customers are “entertained”
through food and drinking. There is an ease of accessibility to liquor. Working in this industry
means irregular work schedules and socializing mostly takes place at night when drinking and
drug use popularly take place. There is peer pressure in the workplace. Most food service
workers have added stress from living paycheck to paycheck and having low job security.
There is little assistance with harm reduction for these workers. Approximately 14% of
employees get assistance for substance abuse from employers. Chefs shared with NPR how they
are dealing with the issue; there are grassroots organizations such as The Giving Kitchen based in
Atlanta and Chefs with Issues founded by Kat Kinsman. More plans can be implemented for
harm reduction in the food service industry.
Importance of this Issue
American Addiction Centers is a treatment center for substance use. “Substance Abuse
Among Food Service Workers” (Sept 2022), emphasizes that food service industry employees
have a habit of substance use as a form of self-medication because of the stressful environment it
brings. American Addiction Centers conducted a survey, which showed 40% of food service
workers aren’t able to get through a work shift without substance and considered it a part of their
work culture. “Addiction in the Restaurant Industry – Statistics & Treatment”, (Aug 2022) listed
factors that cause high levels of substance use by employees in the food industry; stressful
environment, low wages, irregular work shifts including late nights, work culture norms, alcohol
availability at workplaces, and peer pressure.
San Francisco Examiner’s article “New group aims to help San Francisco’s restaurant
workers get sober” (Johnson 2022), talks about Gina Helvie’s, who lives in San Francisco and
worked in the food industry for almost 20 years, experience with substance use in the food
industry. Helvie mentioned drinking on the job results in her own work performance to be higher
because the food industry is overly stressful and challenging. Johnson, author, stated it’s almost
impossible for professionals in the food industry to be sober because of the cultural pressures
that occur.
SAMHSA, a harm reduction service, engages with people who use substances and
addresses substance use through prevention, treatment, and recovery. Their mission is to prevent
overdose deaths and reduce health risks that are related to substance use.
The emotional impact of addiction is particularly relevant in this context, and it's crucial
to understand how drug abuse affects these workers. The American Addiction Centers' blog post
noted, “food service workers who struggle with addiction are more likely to experience
depression, anxiety, and stress, which can further exacerbate their addiction.” This is a critical
point to consider, it highlights how addiction can have a domino effect on one's mental health,
and it can become a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.
Furthermore, the impact of drug addiction in the restaurant industry extends beyond the
individuals who are directly affected. Addiction can have a ripple effect on families, loved ones,
and the community; it strains relationships, and financial difficulties, and causes job loss.
Overall, the emotional impact of drug addiction in the restaurant industry is significant, and it's
important to address this issue with compassion and a desire to make a positive change.
One story is the life of a chef, author, tv personality, and service worker Anthony
Bourdain. Bourdain's addiction to drugs, including cocaine and heroin, was fueled by the high-
pressure and stressful environment of the kitchen. In his memoir “Kitchen Confidential,”
Bourdain wrote about the rampant drug use he witnessed in the restaurant industry, stating that
“the kitchen culture is defined by drugs.” He had a lifelong battle with his drug addiction and
was very open about how it affected his life. Bourdain sadly committed suicide in 2018, but his
legacy continues to inspire everyone in the food service industry.
Drug abuse in the food industry is a serious issue that must be addressed with urgency.
Drugs such as opioids and amphetamines are often used in the food industry to increase
production and continue to work for long hours. However, the use of drugs has serious
consequences such as addiction, risk of overdose, and even death. As a society, we should
prioritize strategies to reduce and address drug abuse in the food industry.
One strategy that can be implemented is regular drug testing for workers in the food
industry. This would allow employers to know who may be struggling with addiction and
provide the necessary help and resources to overcome their substance use disorder. Regular drug
tests can also be a deterrent for individuals who may consider using drugs in the workplace. This
would serve as a way of reducing the number of people using drugs in the food industry. The
food industry has 21.1 million full and part-time workers and a large percentage of them use
drugs. It is imperative that we take action to address drug abuse in the food industry and
prioritize harm reduction strategies to ensure the safety of these workers.
It is urgent that the food service industry implement harm reduction assistance for
workers. This industry is one of the most stressful industries to be in. Most of the servers and
cooks in this industry are largely in their 20s and are dealing with low minimum wages and
limited resources. Young workers are easy targets and are likely to get influenced to abuse
substances and alcohol to get away from depression, stress, and anxiety. Based on a survey from
the Washington City Paper, many addicts are from the hospitality industry but there are nearly no
direct potential resources in the field that they can seek internally. The survey pointed out that
only a few restaurants provide Employee Assistant Programs (EAPs) to their employees. It is
important for managers to offer access to resources in the workplace, and motivation, for
workers to seek treatments. In recent years, many service workers have faced two battles: serving
the public in a fast and dangerous environment and drug addiction.
The issue has escalated since the recent COVID-19 pandemic, causing huge impacts on
business, and forcing many restaurants to cut off the hours of their workers, adjusting and coping
with new regulations, as well as new kinds of stress. According to an article from Pulitzer
Center, one of the restaurant workers in Leesburg confessed his go-to source for “job-related
stress relief has been marijuana and alcohol… it became a numbing thing. If I get stressed again,
I drink… It is just constant back and forth” (The Tipping Point—COVID-19 Stressors Intensify
Substance Use and Addiction in the American Food Service Industry). Many workers admitted
they keep coming back to use substances because it is easy to keep and obtain for them.
It is crucial that employers address the issue, the rate of drug and alcohol abuse in the
restaurant industry will not decrease if they don’t. Now is the right time for harm reduction to be
a priority in the food service industry.
Stakeholder Analysis
Market Stakeholders: Owners/Stockholders, Employees, Customers, Suppliers, and Creditors.
Nonmarket Stakeholders: Community and Government
Interests of each stakeholder
Owners/Stockholders – They have an ownership interest. Harm reduction is of interest to the
owners/stockholders because abusing alcohol and substance can negatively affect the economic
health of the business and its reputation.
Employees – Their interest is to have a fair exchange for their time and effort. Harm reduction
would directly affect them and how they operate the business. Harm reduction will benefit
employees by increasing the opportunity to develop their job skills. Without harm reduction,
employees are putting their health and reputation in danger.
Customers – Their interest is in fair value and quality in service and products. Harm reduction is
of interest to the customers because they look forward to a service with respect and quality.
Customers will not return if they are not satisfied.
Suppliers –They have an interest in obtaining profitable orders, and notes are paid on time.
Unpaid notes can affect the good relationship they may have had with the client; suppliers wish
to build stable relationships with their business customers.
Creditors – They have a financial interest. Harm reduction is of interest to creditors because
they will be affected by any unpaid loan owners/stockholders may have. Creditors want
businesses to grow so they can pay off loans and apply for more money to invest in the business.
Government and Community – These two stakeholders have an interest in protecting the well-
being of the employees and the local community around it. Harm reduction is of interest to the
government and community because a profitable business contributes taxes and work to the local
economy.
Power of Stakeholders
Owners/Stockholders – voting power, economic power, informational power // Employees –
economic power, informational power // Customers – economic power, informational power //
Suppliers – economic power // Creditors – economic power // Community – political power,
informational power // Government – political power, economic power.
Stakeholder Coalitions
Stakeholders are likely to form by partnering and creating a program to introduce a harm
reduction plan to the food service industry in their area. A plan to increase harm reduction in the
food service industry will help stakeholders benefit from the change the results may bring.
Stakeholder Map
Ethical Theory
Virtue ethics proposes that people and businesses engage in a way that shows empathy and care
for persons who are battling addiction in the context of substance addiction and harm reduction.
It will entail offering services and assistance to people in need, fighting for laws that put a
priority on treatment and harm reduction, and refraining from stigmatizing or criticizing drug
users (Bauer, 2020). The businesses will work to help such kinds of people despite these people
impacting their business.
Utilitarianism implies that harm reduction tactics are ethically correct in drug addiction since
they lessen the harmful effects of drug usage on both people and society (Häyry, 2021). For
instance, providing clean needles and syringes helps lessen the spread of contagious illnesses like
HIV and hepatitis C, benefiting not just drug users but also their sexual partners and other local
residents. Under utilitarianism theory, businesses will work in a larger context and consider the
happiness of drug addicts as well as their policy by aiding them in treatment facilities. In this
way, these businesses will not only work for their customers, employees, and local residents but
work for drug addicts and homeless people.
Rights ethics analyze that people who use drugs have the right to seek medical care, treatment,
and social assistance without worrying about prejudice or penalty in the setting of drug addiction
and harm reduction (Milano et al., 2020). It also suggests that businesses and other organizations
have a duty to uphold the rights and dignity of drug users, even though their behavior harms
others by, for example, preventing customers from visiting neighboring shops and restaurants.
Project Timeline
Group Roles
Christina/Su Yi: Keep dates of what needs to be done and send reminders.
Angela/Claudia: Checking in with groups and helping coordinate different processes.
Jacob/Trinh: Assist make executive decisions, so the group stays in pace.
Annie/Draco: Confirm that references are qualified for the research.
Date – 2023 Team Member Action
3/1 – 3/5 Whole Group ● Rational Memo: Collect topic Ideas, pic topic, and research
3/5 -3/8
by 9 pm
Angela ● Describe and Explain Issue
Annie ● Providing the Argument
Jacob ● Appealing the Values
Draco ● Explain why change is needed
Trinh ● Why is the issue important
Claudia ● Stakeholder Analysis
Su Yi ● Ethical Theory
Christina ● Timeline
3/9 Christina Format everything checks for completion
3/10
by 5 pm
Whole Group ● By 5 pm: Do adjustments needed and proofread everything.
● Angela: Submit Paper by deadline time
3/13 – 3/17 Whole Group ● Find potential interview partners, reach out to these people, list potential interview partners
on google doc including with update of potential interview appointments/ or if they fall
through, and make a set of interview questions
4/4 Whole Group ● Last day of Interviews
4/6
by 5 pm
Claudia, Christina ● Summary and Description of Stakeholders
Si Yu, Jacob ● Power and Position Interest Map
Angela, Annie ● Coalitions that are likely to form For and Against the Social Issue
Trinh, Draco ● Organize Appendices, follow up with members if needed for complete data
4/7 Whole Group ● By 5 pm: Prove read everything notify in case of improvements need be made.
● By 10 pm: Submitting Analysis check that all changes necessary are made.
4/8 – 4/22 Claudia, Christina ● Cover Page final Report, who? Rules and responsibilities of business or broader industry,
work cited check and organization, formatting, and appendices
Si Yu, Jacob ● What? The impact that this business has on society. How? Does change happen
Angela, Annie ● Why? What ethical lenses can be applied? Why does the business do what it does?
How? Does Change happen
Trinh, Draco ● Where are the specific opportunities and challenges for change. Support other teams in
their research and writing
4/23 – 4/26 Whole Group ● Read final group report, make adds where needed, and give feedback to other groups
4/27 – 5/1 Whole Group ● Adjust your part with feedback from the group and add to your section if needed.
5/2 – 5/7 Whole Group ● Reread whole report, make adds where needed, give feedback to other groups
5/8 – 5/11 Whole Group ● Correct your part with feedback from others
5/12 – 5/13 Claudia, Christina ● Formatting the whole paper to make it look professional
5/14 – 5/16 Whole Group ● Read Paper in its final stage, assure that grammatical errors are corrected.
5/17 Claudia, Christina ● Final formatting, share final PDF to all group members
5/19 Annie ● Submit final report
References
Addiction in the restaurant industry – statistics & treatment. American Addiction Centers. (2022, August
29). Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/workforce/blue-collar-
workers/restaurant-hospitality
Bauer, W. A. (2020). Virtuous vs. utilitarian artificial moral agents. AI & SOCIETY, 35(1), 263-271.
Bush, D. M., & Lipari, R. N. (2015, April 16). Substance use and substance use disorder by
industry. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_1959/ShortReport-1959.html
Danovich, Tove. (2018, January 18). In An Industry Rife with Substance Abuse, Restaurant Workers Help
Their Own. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/01/16/577462426/restaurant-industry-workers-help-
each-other-rise-above-substance-abuse
Harm reduction. SAMHSA. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/harm-
reduction
Häyry, M. (2021). Just better utilitarianism. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 30(2), 343-367.
Johnson, S. (2022, July 5). New Group aims to help San Francisco's Restaurant Workers Get Sober. San
Francisco Examiner. Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/new-group-
aims-to-help-san-francisco-s-restaurant-workers-get-sober/article_89cbaad9-f1c9-507b-b8a9-e8c77d378ff1.html
Lawrence, A. T., & Weber, J. (2017). The Corporation and its Stakeholders. In Business and society:
Stakeholders, ethics, public policy (pp. 2–21). essay, McGraw-Hill education.
Milano, S., Taddeo, M., & Floridi, L. (2020). Recommender systems and their ethical challenges. Ai &
Society, 35, 957-967.
Substance Abuse Among Food Service Workers. American Addiction Centers. (2022, September 14).
Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/food-service-substance-use
