Stakeholder Interviews and Analysis
Summary Description of Stakeholders and their Interests.
a) Who are the stakeholders interviewed?The stakeholders that took part in the interviews work, have worked, or have family, in the foodservice industry. The interviewees consist of customers, low-level employees, managers, chefs,restaurant owners, culinary educators, and family members of the stakeholders. Thesestakeholders have been directly affected by the over-consumption of drugs and alcohol in thefood service industry.b) Which stakeholder groups are covered?The stakeholder groups that are covered are those who are the employees, customers, generalpublic, shareholders, community, and business support; all are in the food service industry.c) Which stakeholder groups are excluded?The stakeholder groups that are excluded are the community, suppliers, creditors, retailers andwholesalers, nongovernmental organizations, the government, and competitors.d) A summary of the interests of each stakeholder group, with references to the interviews.Stakeholder Group and Interests
Shareholders want a continuous satisfying return on investment, and they are willing to haveemployees work long hours. “There were days where it would be a whole 12 hours, it’s called‘clope’, where you close and you open so you're there working from 6:30 pm to 2:30 am, andhave to be back there at 10 am to work till 4 pm” – Olimpia
Employees in the food industry want to maintain stable employment, some hold more thanone job because what they earn is not enough to live. The long work hours bring a lot of stressand pressure to their lives. This includes management as well. “Alcohol and drug use aredefinitely at play when it comes to finding a way to de-stress within the industry…it’s easy topartake after work or even during your shift when you are surrounded by it.” – San Gabriel
Customers are usually not aware of the substance abuse experienced by food service workers.That does not mean however they are inherently apathetic to the subject. “if my waiter or cookwas drunk or on drugs. Bartenders maybe are the only ones that have a free pass but I think it'sstill illegal. Overall I look down upon it.” – McAlpine
The General Public is affected by the use of drugs and alcohol in the food service industry..The general public is interested in having healthy and safe family members that work in thefood service industry. “Our family has been suffering immensely due to my brother’snegligence; he preferred to indulge in alcohol and substance rather than fulfilling hisresponsibilities” – Ryan
Business Support Group consult in the food service industry. Its interest is to educate andconsult those in this industry and provide information to help them perform in a changing
environment. “Many employees will be recognized for their qualities as a worker (readiness,excellence, and accountability) but won’t be noticed for their alcoholic addiction”. – Sorgule
Page 2. Summary Description of Stakeholder Power and Position on Power-Interest Map.
a) Table 2: A table that indicates the power of each stakeholder group along each dimension:voting, economic, political, and legal. (I expect to reason for each metric, drawn from theinterviews. This reasoning must be referenced from specific interviews and can be attached asan appendix).
Stakeholder and their Power (Voting, Economic, Political, and/or Legal) – Reasoning
Stakeholder Power and Reason
Shareholders High VotingPower
Shareholders like Managers and owners can set rules inplace for their employees on how to behave on the job, likestrict no drug policies. Gordon Ramsay for example startedtesting his staff and customer bathrooms for drugs.
Employees HighEconomicpower
Employees who have problems with drug and/or alcoholabuse can reach a point where they are no longer able towork; this affects the business’ return on investment andthose around them. For example, Ryan talks about theincreased number of absentees; his brother started going outmore and avoided work which made his family financiallystressed. Also, Respondent #3 shares that the more he consumedsubstances the more depressed he got, and the more mistakes hemade at work.
Customer HighEconomicPower
Customers can refuse service if they realize that the serversare intoxicated or high. They can refuse to come back ifservice was not to the desired standards. CustomerMontgomery McAlpine stated that he would look down on theservice personnel if they would be intoxicated, additionally, hewould be fearful that the drugs would reduce attentivenessand that some things like allergies could be forgotten by aserver or the cook and end up deadly for the customer.
GeneralPublic
MediumInformationalPower
The general public has seen firsthand how drugs and alcohol areused in the food service industry. “Then there was one personthat worked for this restaurant, my boyfriend's restaurant,there was a cigar box that they kept on top of one of the winefridges that had cocaine in, it was known by a few of thepeople in the restaurant that were using it”. – Ciji
Stakeholder Power and Reason
BusinessSupport
HighInformationalpower
Educator and consultant Paul Sorgule has the option tospread awareness to employees and employers about theproblems of addiction in the workplace.
Types of Stakeholder Salienceb) Chart 1: chart the interest and power of each stakeholder on the interest — power map. Thisagain should be empirically justified by your interviews and not mere guesses.
Description of Coalitions that are Likely to Form For and Against the Social Issue.a) Based on the chart, explain at least 3 coalitions, with reasoning on how and why they shouldform.
1. Employees and managers (working against drug abuse)Employees and managers all are working long hours in the food industry to try to make a living.All of them don’t want to rely on drug abuse to get through their shifts, but sometimes it leavesthem no choice. Creating a safe work environment is crucial for all workers but when substanceabuse on the clock is at play, that could have dire consequences, including workplace incidents,so servers and cooks would want to decrease the chances of that. Employees and managers canwork against drug abuse by coming together and creating a safe, healthy environment to work inwithout the use of drugs. Coming up with a strategy that includes working fewer hours,spreading the hours evenly, and implementing more and longer breaks can limit or take out drugabuse in the food industry. Improving education on worker safety, rights, and drug use isimportant for maintaining a stable workplace.
2. Employees and customers (working against drug abuse)One-way customers can help employees stop drug abuse is for the customers to have a basicunderstanding of what type of environment servers/cooks have to go through in a work shift.Customers have the outside perspective of the food industry but have no idea what is going oninside. Some customers tend to be rude to their servers/cooks while dining in/taking out at arestaurant without understanding what the employees are going through. For customers to gain abasic understanding of employees’ experiences while working, and remove a load of stress forthem.
3. Employees (working for drugs to be allowed)Working in the kitchen can be very stressful due to long hours, hot conditions, noise, and beingresponsible for making sure the food comes out correctly and in a timely manner. Using drugsand alcohol allows employees to decompress and relax. Without it, they may not be able toremain calm and continue to work at the standard that is expected of them. This can lead to lowerquality and more rushed products because employees have no way to deal with the stress. It mayeven lead to their termination for not being able to produce at the standard expected of them.
b) Based on your stakeholder power-interest map, and coalition summary, explain whatchallenges emerge in attempting to address the issue. What possible solutions do youanticipate?
1. Employees and managers
As an employee or manager, there’s not much you can do to avoid working long stressful hours.A work shift is around eight hours, but working in a stressful environment may feel a lot longeras some of the interviews have mentioned. Almost every employee is working to afford a living.It’s challenging to choose between being able to make enough money for living and expensesand working long hours, versus working fewer hours and not having enough money to pay billsor rent. Employees have no choice but to sacrifice, work long hours, and continue to use drugs asa way to relieve their stress. The www.dir.ca.gov article “In California Restaurant Workers haveRights”, states employees have the right to have overtime pay if they work more than eight hoursa day or forty hours a week. This leads to employees choosing to stay a few extra hours aftertheir regular shift to earn the extra pay and being able to mentally and physically stay a few extrahours, they rely on drugs to help. Lelia Nurse (interview) adds managers don’t really care abouttheir servers/cooks using drugs because the business just wants to fit in as many workers andmake the most profit from what they can get on a daily basis.
2. Employees and customersIt may be a challenge for the food industry to gain any customers' attention on drug abuse beingused in the food industry because customers feel like that’s not something they should beconcerned about. Customers feel like they are always in the right. In Khushbu Shah’s article“The Customer Is Not Always Right”, she tells us about her experience as a waitress. She states,“customer entitlement is at an all-time high” as employees are not able to respond back tocustomer abuse. Customers feel like they are entitled because of American hospitality of “Thecustomer is always right.” It’s a challenge for servers/cooks to address the drug abuse issue in thefood industry to customers because customers aren’t willing to participate and listen to whatemployees have to say.
< Start of Appendice >
This chart below will help us see who are our stakeholders, it can be a tool to answer thequestions
Name Type of Stakeholder Stakeholdergroup/s
Interviewed by
June San Gabriel Manager of the restaurant SeñorSisig
Employee Jacob
Montgomery McAlpine Valued customer of Señor Sisig Customer Jacob
Ciji Girlfriend of chef/restaurant owner General Public,communities
Claudia
Olimipa Waitress and restaurant host Employee Claudia
Leila Former Baker, currently Nurseworking with addicts
Employee Christina
Steve Palmer Restaurant Owner/ Former addict Shareholder Christina
Gordon Ramsay Celebrity Chef, Restaurant Owner Shareholder Annie
Paul Sorgule Chef, culinary educator, author,and industry consultant
Business Support,Employee,
Annie
Sebastian Former employee at a famousrestaurant
Employee Si Yu
Ryan Brother worked in the restaurantindustry.
General Public Si Yu
Emma Chapman Has experience in the front & backof the house, as a cashier, barista,and line cook.
Employee Angie
Lindsey Works in a bakery Employee Angie
Respondent 1 Waiter Employee Trinh
Respondent 2 Works Restaurant Employee Trinh
Respondent 3 Head pastry chef Employee Angie
Gabriel Rucker Restaurant owner Shareholder Draco
Razmon Poisson Started as a dishwasher and slowlymade my way up to a chef
Employee Draco
Appendices:
Interviews Conducted by Claudia Guzmán-Rodríguez
Interview #1Interviewee: Ciji (Sonoma, Ca)Stakeholder Group: General
Public Stakeholder Type: Girlfriend of chef/restaurant owner
Q. What is your connection with the food service industry?A. My main direction is that I was in a relationship with somebody who owned a Michelin Starrestaurant, I believe this restaurant was open for nine years and I was with him for the last threeyears of his restaurant until he had to close due to our last recession. I saw him go bankrupt andlose the restaurant.
Q. In your experience in or with the food industry, what role did alcohol and drugs play?A. Alcohol was a daily activity that was like oh like drinking by noon before your shift it was notuncommon for people working on the line to drink before their shift. I wouldn't say I would seethem drinking during the shift but before the shift and after the shift, they were functioning itwasn’t like they showed up drunk. Then there was one person that worked for this restaurant, myboyfriend's restaurant, there was a cigar box that they kept on top of one of the wine fridges thathad cocaine in it that was known by a few of the people in the restaurant that were using it. Hewas a very good-looking man, and he was very popular with the patrons he often dipped into thecigar box. I often hung out at the restaurant after my work, I would get off and go have a glass ofwine and a bite to eat, so I saw the workings of this behind the scenes.
Q. Did you see if there was pressure that took place to use alcohol and drugs in the restaurant?A. I don't think I saw people pressuring each other to use anything, I think it was just alreadythese people had been working in the restaurant industry and that and the pressure of working inthe food industry service industry like it just kind of came along with that job because you'reunder stress for a certain number of hours and under pressure, and when you're working forcertain chefs who are trying to put out a certain standard of a meal, these people are all under ahigh level of stress because of the chefs.
Q. Why do you believe there's high use of drugs and alcohol by those working in the foodservice industry?A. The fact that they're working late at night, some people are showing up at you know 3:00 pmor 4:00 PM and they're working till late. Chefs usually get off the line before anyone elsedepending on how busy they are, so they're the first ones off the line. Then I think it's probablydue to the fact that the hours are so late and just staying up and it's just that late at night. It's kindof like a party scene, all these people are just working at the same job. I often found in thisrestaurant is like everyone would get off and some people would like all go to like a bar, and alot of different people who work in the service industry that we're getting off from otherrestaurants would all be at the same bar. It creates a party, it’s definitely culture. I've seen this notjust with this one restaurant and this person individually, I've seen this with other chefs I’vedated, I've seen this more than once, and not everyone uses cocaine although that is heavilyprevalent, I see it all over the place. It keeps going because a lot of times people want to drinkbefore work because it’s the evening so they have to have a cocktail, but then they think I don't
get too drunk so I'm going to even it out, and like have some of this [cocaine] before the crashcomes because it sobers you up.
Q. Being in that relationship, and seeing the people and knowing those people for three years inthe restaurant before your ex had to close the business, how did you see that use of drugs andalcohol in the food service industry affect the business?A. I see it ever really affected the food, or the quality, or level of like service because they justlike through and through always got really good reviews and people love them. I did see it affectone person individually, that was a line cook it really took him down, he drank so much that he'slegally blind now. I think the stress of it, the vicious cycle of drinking and going to work it's likea culture of some sort, and if you don't have a healthy coping mechanism people just like getcaught and this perpetual cycle, and if they're not aware of what they're doing it’ll take themdown. Also, I think females in the food service industry have a better head on their shouldersthan men, I didn't see as much substance abuse with females at all as I did with the men.
Q. Being a girlfriend of a chef for those years, how did it affect you as a part of the community?A. I would say it really affected us because I was not used to that level of how late you're up andthe winding down that they do, and how when they get home, they have to decompress from it. Iknow that this person definitely used alcohol to decompress with everything, other stuff too. Ithink the stress of the restaurant industry, food was his art like he loved cooking, he was like sogood at it, and large having a restaurant, but you know just the rising costs of food, this was likewhat 2009 when I came in I think it closed in 2012, so like the trickle-down of the recession thelast recession which was what 2009 or 2008 had like this trickle-down effect to where again, likewhat we're experiencing now where people aren't going out as much right now, pressure like thatwhere he had to inevitably close.
He had a great manager, she's like OK we only have enough money right now to pay our staffand pay our local purveyors and that was all he was left with and so the pressure of all thenumbers and running a restaurant I think for some people is so much that they just use all thisamazing wine. The bottles of wine that we were drinking were $30 or $40 bottles. How I wasaffected was that my drinking increased, I was like Oh yeah it's totally normal to have wine uhlike 12:00 o'clock on a Tuesday that wasn't my norm as an aesthetician. It was Wine TimeAnytime.
Q. When you were dating the chef, did you notice any kind of harm reduction? Were theremanagers who when they saw someone that has been drinking or under the influence of alcoholor drugs do they do anything about it? Were there any tools or resources that were shared withthem for harm reduction?A. No, in terms of like oh maybe you need to go get the help I didn’t see that. In the end, he hada bad-ass manager, this chick was amazing, she's cool, and she likes her wine but she definitely
like came with her a game… she would send somebody home if she didn't feel like they werecompetent enough to be on the line or in serving. I also have other friends that have owned otherrestaurants, I mean I know one guy who is a partial owner and he showed up on acid to his shiftthinking it was OK because he owned the restaurant, and this is like a nice restaurant part of thecommunity.
Extra information from the Interviewee:
I know also of this guy firsthand that owns a string of restaurants in Sebastopol that came out inthe news on sexual harassment in the food industry, that's prevalent which I think it’s probablytoxic masculinity … I also know of other restaurateurs that were known for that [sexualharassment], maybe that can also tend to lead to substance abuse.
Interview #2Interviewee: Olimpia (Napa/Sacramento, Ca)
Stakeholder Group: EmployeePublic Stakeholder Type: Restaurant Server, Host, Back of the House.
Q. What is your connection with the food service industry?A. I have been a server, and all the around, all over the back of the house, for the last 25 years inthe service industry and restaurant work from fine dining to high volume restaurants.
Q. In your experience in the food service industry, what role does the use of alcohol and drugsplay?A. A high percentage.
Q. Who do you see consuming?A. I think all around as uh serving staff to the cooking staff, to back staff; all around I see theabuse of alcohol and drugs.
Q. Is there pressure that takes part in the use of alcohol and drugs in the food service industry?A. There is peer pressure where you want to fit in and you want to be a part of it what everyone'stalking about in the back or what everyone's doing after work.
Q. Why do you believe there is a high use of drugs and alcohol by those working in the foodservice industry?A. By just myself being part of this industry I see that the reason I have abused these substancesis because of the stress and that you consume that you are with the job the hours that you'reworking you're trying to keep up, you may not just have that job as your only job that you may
have this as another job too just make ends meat. There's just a lot of pressure sometimes behindme that I felt they used that I needed to abuse these substances.
Q. How many hours do you work when you work at a restaurant?A. There were days I was working 16 hours a day, and there were days where it would be awhole 12 hours, it’s called “clope”, where you close and you open so you're there working on the6:30 pm shift till 2:30 am, and then you have to be back there at 10 am to work till 4 pm. Youjust keep going because you just need to make ends meet, or you just need to make that money.
Q. The use of alcohol or drugs, do you feel like that helps to carry those hours on.A. Absolutely. I think drinking alcohol you're always like hey let's go grab a shift drink beforewe start work, or hey let's grab some drinks after work and we end up losing the hours of yournight and the tips that you earned to keep up to your part of that group to use on narcotics.Cocaine is a large substance that is passed around, it's something to keep up with.
Q. How does the high use of drugs and alcohol in the food service industry affect the business?The production, the quality of service.A. I don’t think necessarily affects or deflects [the business]. I think it's just part of it it's just apart of the family where your owner will offer you drugs to keep up with your job sometimes,where your boss or your managers are doing drugs, I think it's just part of the family.
Q. How does the high use of drugs and alcohol in the food service industry affect you and/orthose around you, or those around you?A. I have had a lot of fatalities, close friends overdosing, or substance abuse. I have seen a lot ofpeople not get out of it that they are repetitive, like a bartender that's been there for the last 30years. I think it may take a big part of your life just not getting out of this whole muddy stickyhole.
Q. You see your coworkers in these positions with the use of drugs and alcohol and these holes,have you seen harm reduction take place in these places?A. I’ve seen suicide and addiction. A lot of suicide and I think those are the biggest harms.
Note: The interviewee seemed not to understand the question or hear the term harm reductionclearly, so I tried to rephrase the question.
Q. Are there things that restaurant owners or management do to reduce the use of alcohol anddrugs?A. There is a group out here in Sacramento, I don't know the name of our association I can getback to you about that, but I know that they're out here to provide more sobriety for the industrygroup. I believe that that is a default in the industry that there's no help to get you out, I wish
there were more awareness, and more like “hey you have an issue we can provide you withrehabilitation of some sort”. I wish there were more outreach for it.
Q. How do you feel that it could be implemented? Because you've worked in the industry forthese many years how do you wish or how would you like for that help to be implemented in thefood service industry?A. I would say workshops, outreach, just more just saying “hey we're here for you” just youknow not just saying hey here's this if you want you can come it's more like just more outreachtowards the industry, bartenders, servers, or whatever like “hey we have these classes, thisworkshop, if you like to join it's gonna be fun” or whatever it's just a little more awareness in thatarea.
Q. We use the term stakeholders, you're a stakeholder in the business because you've been a host,you've been a waitress, you've worked in different parts of the restaurants; Where do you feel orthink this help can come from most? Where do you think it would be the most helpful?A. The break room, like maybe a sign, the owners can do so much. But I think more like peersupport, peers would be a good one because there's peer pressure and you'd want that peersupport to help you get out of it too.
Interviews Conducted by Si Yu Wang
Interview #3Interviewee: Sebastian
Stakeholder Group: EmployeeStakeholder Type: Restaurant Manager
● Sebastian is a former employee at a famous restaurant which he prefers not to name, andhe is sharing his experience of working in the food service industry and the way there is agrowing issue of substance abuse highly prevalent in the industry.
● He has witnessed that; indeed, substance abuse is a growing problem in the food industry,leading to negative health, economic and personal issues not only for the employees butalso for their families.
● Sebastian believes that addiction and overdose increase the risk of several diseases,including financial stress it causes to the families. It has become highly costly foremployees to tackle these situations.
● Food services workers are often found binge drinking, making addiction rates higheramong restaurant workers.
● Workers here mostly cope with their work-related stress by consuming high amounts ofalcohol and drugs, especially the chefs, to unwind from a grueling workday, and in somecases, they use it as a coping mechanism for harsh working conditions.
● There is also a lack of education, and the workload is high most of the time, makingworking conditions tough for the workers and pushing them into drugs and alcohol.
● There is also a high possibility because the restaurant industry revolves aroundentertainment which is dining and drinking, which makes alcohol and drugs an integralpart of the business, and most of the items it is hard to resist.
● Sebastian has encountered workers with high addictions living life from paycheck topaycheck, which also make them hopeless and depressed.
● There is also a lack of support from the management for such employees; if somebody issuffering from addiction and is evident in their behavior, they would rather lose theemployee than provide them with the required help, which is not only sad but also unjustat some levels.
Interview #4Interviewee: Ryan
Stakeholder Group: General PublicStakeholder Type: Brother of person that worked in the restaurant industry
● Ryan’s brother worked in the restaurant industry for ten years and critically suffered fromaddiction to substances such as; alcohol and cannabis.
● Ryan believes that they have suffered most of their lives because of his brother’saddiction habits.
● Ryan says that his brother got his job when he was in his twenties, and in his initial years,they had a great time with him earning and sharing finances with his mother.
● Later, he started working too hard, as his shifts increased, and he started workingovertime.
● He was earning a fair amount, but as the months passed, his health started worsening, andhe would sleep a lot.
● Ryan talks about the increased number of absentees; his brother started going out moreand avoided work which made us financially stressed at some level.
● He was also getting detached from the family and wouldn’t share or talk about anythingthat bothered him.
● My mother started asking questions to which he became violent, and at some, we had toask him to move out.
● My brother came back in the worst condition; he was homeless, jobless, and in badhealth.
● I have seen him suffer anxiety attacks, panic attacks, and depression until we managed toget him help.
● Our family has been suffering immensely due to my brother’s negligence; he preferred toindulge in alcohol and substance rather than fulfilling his responsibilities.
● Now that he is clean and getting in better health, he says he will never go back into thefood service industry because he will not be able to cope with the pressure and stress theworking environment puts on the individual.
● Ryan is now planning to work to help his family financially and emotionally and to bethere for them.
Interviews Conducted by Angela Pham
Interview Questions1) Who are you? (exclude if they want to be confidential)
a) Age, where they reside, gender identity2) What is your experience in the food service industry?
a) Brief summary of workb) If currently working in food service, what is your job?
3) Have you experienced substance abuse issues while working in food service?a) If so, how did that affect you on the job and off the clock?
4) Have you witnessed substance abuse at your food service job(s)?a) What factors played into that issue permeating in the workplace?
5) What solutions do you have to reduce substance abuse in this labor sector?
Interview #5Interviewee: Emma ChapmanStakeholder Group: Employee
Stakeholder Type: Has experience in the front& back of the house, as a cashier, barista, and line cook.
1. Emma – Female – Alameda
2. a) I have worked at both the front & back of the house at multiple restaurants, cafes, andbakeries. I have worked as a cashier, barista, and as line cook at my most recent job
3. Yes (marijuana) – a) coming into work and feeling fatigued and general fogginess as well asreduced ability to perform tasks effectively
4. Yes – a) In this situation I was working as a line cook at a restaurant with a very long andnarrow kitchen which required you to pass by multiple people with very little space in order tomove in and out of your station. This created an even more dangerous environment than isalready present in high-paced kitchens where lots of hot food is being made. There are lots ofthings that can burn you or stab you with lots of knives hanging around behind you for examplehot fryers and broken ovens that caused the outside temperature of the door to reach 500° ormore so even leaning back the wrong way will give you a serious injury. In this case, mycoworker was intoxicated and was stumbling, bumping into people, and dropping hot stuff so itwas dangerous both for the intoxicated coworker and for those around him. I overheard the chefs
making jokes and comments about the coworker who was intoxicated but did not send themhome that day.
5. I think in order to actually reduce instances like this these issues should be approached withconcern and offering resources rather than a full punishment. Punishment for these things shouldbe a last resort and only if the behavior continues after the warning. It’s a dangerous issue in foodservice because you put your other coworkers at risk but the problem should be addressed at theroot by retrieving help for the individual struggling with substance abuse.
Interview #6Interviewee: Lindsey MeyerStakeholder Group: Employ
Stakeholder Type:Works in Bakery
1. Lindsey, Age-41, Resident of Alameda, CA, Female
2. I’ve been in the food service industry for almost 12 years. Mostly worked at bakeries doingthe early 3 am bake off shift or mixed swing shifts. The last few years due to my childcare needsI’ve been lucky to score 9-5 shifts while still working in the industry. Had a short-lived stintdoing fine dining, but it wasn’t for me. Currently, I’m working at a well-known bakery in theEast Bay Area doing lamination and production work.
3. At one of my past jobs several years ago, it was just out of habit I suppose that after hourswhen closed, everyone would start to drink while still working. No one was ever hurt and wewould still manage to get everything done but I for one really only started to look forward togoing to work to get drunk every night. On my days off I would be very anxious & agitatedbecause I wasn’t drinking.
4. I’ve seen lots of drinking in the food service industry. I know most people just shrug offalcohol but I believe it’s the most over-abused substance all around. Honestly, when I look backat that time I can say it may have been fun most nights, but we were all just stressed out from thelong work days that we were doing.
5. For me personally It’s only been having a better work/life balance that has made me cut backon my drinking, but I know that not everyone is as fortunate as myself. I'm happy to see thatmore business owners are flexible with their employees' needs. I think just listening to others'needs and prioritizing mental health would be a start.
Interview #7Interviewee: Respondent 3
Stakeholder Group: EmployeeStakeholder Type:Works in a Restaurant
1. Confidential, age 35, Resident of San Francisco, Male.
2. a) I’ve spent the past 18 years in food service. Started in my family’s restaurant in NewOrleans and I’ve worked almost every job from dishwasher at Denny's to sauce station in aMichelin-star restaurant.b) my current role is head pastry chef
3. I have experienced it firsthand.a) It helped with stress to have a drink or two on the clock with coworkers but the more I did it
the more depressed I got, the more mistakes I made at work, and the angrier I got at home
4. a) I’ve seen people drink so heavily and do so many drugs that they ended up getting fired andlosing their family. Cooks passing out at their station, crashing their cars while intoxicated andlosing having their family leaving them.
5. Not worth it, seek professional help before it’s too late.
Estimated Interviews Conducted by Trinh Kha
Interview #8Interviewee: Respondent 1
Stakeholder Group: EmployeeStakeholder Type:Waiter in a restaurant
Male, Resident of Leesburg, Virginia.
What is your experience in the food service industry?Brief summary of work: He is a waiter at a local Leesburg restaurant, and has been in theindustry for six years. He has a lot of experience with many different types of customers duringhis time as a waiter.
Have you experienced substance abuse issues while working in food service?He has past history experiences drug abuse, he smokes cannabis before his shift to force himselfto work. He said his main source of job-related stress relief has been marijuana and alcohol. Hehas been through a cycle of unhealthy work ethic “I smoke, I get stressed out. I drink, I getstressed out because I’m drinking too much, which causes me to smoke, and then I start stressingabout work. Then the opiate thoughts come into my head, so then I stress again, and I drink …It’s just constant back and forth.”
Have you witnessed substance abuse at your food service job(s)?He has seen coworkers use a myriad of substances on and off the floor, even hard drugs likeheroin and crack cocaine.
What solutions do you have to reduce substance abuse in this labor sector?
Since the pandemic is still around, he claimed it is hard to be normal during this time and did nothave any solution in the meantime.
Interview #9Interviewee: Respondent 2
Stakeholder Group: EmployeeStakeholder Type: Restaurant worker
Female, Resident of Leesburg, Virginia.Leesburg Restaurant – Employee – Respondent 2
What is your experience in the food service industry?She is a former restaurant worker and has been in the food service industry since the early 2000s.She is also a co-worker of Respondent 1.
Have you experienced substance abuse issues while working in food service?She also experienced substance abuse while working in the restaurant and she is in recoveryfrom drug addiction. She has been in a toxic cycle of using drugs before and after each shift toget her through a day and drinking alcohol because she feels bad after the addiction.
Have you witnessed substance abuse at your food service job(s)?She has witnessed substance use within the industry ever since she began her restaurant job, andhas seen “many others struggle with the harmful consequences of addiction, like when coworkershave to go to their car to use in the middle of work because they can’t get through a shift withoutsubstances.”
What solutions do you have to reduce substance abuse in this labor sector?She is in recovery from drug abuse and wants to set a good example of recovery to others.Outside of her restaurant job, She uses her background to guide others through recovery as atrauma-focused yoga teacher. She said, “There are certain people who are on a trajectory that ifthey continue going, they’re gonna end up in a place where it’s probably gonna become moresevere because that’s the nature of addiction—it’s progressive.”
Reference:https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/tipping-point-covid-19-stressors-intensify-substance-use-and-addiction-american-food
Estimated Interviews Conducted by Annie Wu
Interview #10Interviewee: Paul Sorgule
Stakeholder Group: Business Support and EmployeeStakeholder Type: Chef
● Paul is a chef, culinary educator, author, and industry consultant.● He has experience with cooks, chefs, and the environment of the kitchen.● Paul states that part of the restaurant industry is having the front row of wonderful food
and wine.● He also adds part of the industry where every night employees leave work and drink into
unconsciousness and overdose.● He speaks about a chef named Joe who is young and educated, a talented cook, a reliable
worker, but a closet alcoholic.● Joe would always be at work and picking up extra shifts when needed but Joe’s alcohol
addiction after work hours affected the way he is.● Many employees will be recognized for their qualities as a worker (readiness, excellence,
and accountability) but won’t be noticed for their alcoholic addiction.● Statistics show substance abuse in the food industry: #3 in heavy alcohol and #1 in illicit
drugs, nearly 13% of heavy alcohol users in the U.S. work in the food industry● Speaking from experience, people think one or two drinks to have after a long day of
work is considered normal, but as time goes by it becomes an addiction, something theyrely on and they can’t go back to their normal work lives without it.
● As a chef, he experienced with his own eyes how food industry employees are challengedwhen managers, cooks, chefs, or servers are uncertain and the environment of therestaurant gets a rush so that employees find it easy to let alcohol and drugs take over tocope with their stress.
Reference:https://harvestamericacues.com/2020/12/04/chasing-the-devil-substance-abuse-in-the-restaurant-business/
Interview #11Interviewee: Gordon Ramsay
Stakeholder Group: ShareholderStakeholder Type: Chef and Restaurant Owner
● Ramsay said all but one of the toilets in his 31 restaurants tested positive for coke.● He states the reason for drug addiction is long hours and stressful working conditions that
come with the career of working in the kitchen affect the chef’s well-being, mental andphysical.
● His survey showed 27% of chefs rely on alcohol and 41% rely on stimulants to getthrough a work shift.
● A big reason why restaurant workers rely on substance use is because of the long hoursthey are expected to work, 50 to 60 hours a week which is physically and mentallydraining to employees’ health.
● Employees are suffering and relying on substance use because of the unbalanced lifebetween work and personal lives.
Reference:https://www.vice.com/en/article/evpwyk/gordon-ramsay-says-the-restaurant-industry-has-a-cocaine-problem-duh
Interviews Conducted by Jacob Garcia
Interview #12Interviewee:Montgomery McAlpine
Stakeholder Group: CustomerStakeholder Type: Consumer at Señor Sisig
What's your name?“Montgomery McAlpine”
Can I use your name in this report?“yes”
What is your connection to the foodservice industry?“I am a current stakeholder in senior sisig. I am a valued and prized consumer which in turnmeans I hold a stake in the company.”
In your experience with/in the food service industry, what role does the use of alcohol anddrugs play?“ In my experience, the use of alcohol and drugs in the food industry is there to boost sales interms of having a liquor license and having certain drugs in healthy foods… that definitelywould be frowned upon if my waiter or cook was drunk or on drugs. Bartenders maybe are theonly ones that have a free pass but I think it's still illegal. Overall I look down upon it.”
Is there pressure to take part in the use of alcohol and drugs in the food service industry?“Yes, that definitely is the stigma of it being a traditional pastime in the industry because it's abig thing with I think line cooks, they pick up smoking to get extra break time, also with theanxiety of the industry many people use the vices they have in the store to relieve stress.”
How can the high use of drugs and alcohol in the food service industry affect the business?
“Generally speaking people with drug and alcohol dependencies won't make the best employeesbut that's a general thought. The use of alcohol is much more detrimental to the food serviceindustry than cannabis consumption.”
How can the high use of drugs and alcohol in the food service industry affect you or thosearound you?An easy way the use of alcohol and drug use can affect me or my family is if someone is underthe influence and forget about an allergy of a customer that can easily lead to hospitalization oreven death. The use of alcohol and drugs can make someone not as attentive to what they'redoing and with food service, it can be dangerous.
Have you seen harm reduction take place in the food service industry?“No, I haven't because I'm a customer but I would like to know that if the employees arestruggling that there is something in place to help.”
How would you like harm reduction to be implemented in the food service industry?“I would like for it to Always be an option like a fire extinguisher. Mandatory. However, itshouldn't be put in a bad light. I don't think people should think that just because there are harmreduction kits or outlets in place one of the employees is currently suffering from drug abuse.”
Notes from Jason Garica:
● Monty is a consumer of senor sisig on a weekly basis.● Monty is also a user of drugs and alcohol● Monty does not work and has not worked in the food service industry● Monty has never encountered bad service because someone was under the influence
Interview #13Interviewee: June San GabrielStakeholder Group: Employee
Stakeholder Type:Manager at Señor Sisg
What's your name?“June San Gabriel”
Can I use your name in this report?“Yes”
What is your connection to the food service industry?“I have been a manager in the food industry for almost 4 years now.”
In your experience with/in the food service industry, what role does the use of alcohol anddrugs play?“Alcohol and drug use are definitely at play when it comes to finding a way to de-stress withinthe industry. Most times (with alcohol) you serve it in your workplace. it’s easy to partake afterwork or even during your shift when you are surrounded by it.”
Is there pressure to take part in the use of alcohol and drugs in the food service industry?“In my experience, there hasn’t been any pressure, however, I am most certain that others havebeen pressured. inviting someone along for drinks is common, especially after a hard shift. I cansee how collective camaraderie can be seen and felt as pressure.”
How can the high use of drugs and alcohol in the food service industry affect the business?“I can see how it can affect businesses internally and at times can be seen from a consumerperspective, usually in the way of poor service. It also enables a lot of substance abuse whichleads to others being reliant on them.”
How can the high use of drugs and alcohol in the food service industry affect you or thosearound you?“It doesn’t affect me much, there are occasions when I will go out with coworkers to drink thatwould be my only experience. I have however had coworkers who would drink a little bit whileworking and this would be a daily occurrence, usually hiding their liquor in another drink.”
Have you seen harm reduction take place in the food service industry?
“I have not seen any harm reduction within the food industry at least in my experience.”
How would you like harm reduction to be implemented in the food service industry?
“I would like it to be an option for one, I'm sure there have been circumstances where thebusiness will actually help someone seek help. However, the most common case is that whensomeone’s work starts to deteriorate because of high alcohol and drug use the first action is to letthem go and not necessarily help them.”
Notes from Jason Garica:
● June is a 26-year-old manager in the food service industry● June works at a palace that serves alcohol● June does not suffer from drug abuse● June hasn't had any employees that are in need of harm reduction
Estimated Interviews Conducted by Draco Zhao
Interview #14Interviewee: Gabriel Rucker
Stakeholder Group: ShareholderStakeholder Type: Owner of three restaurants
Question 1: Please introduce yourself.I am Gabriel Rucker, I grew up in Santa Cruz, California. I am a two-time James Beard Awardwinner and the owner of three restaurants in Portland, Oregon.
Question 2: What is your experience in the food service industry?I became interested in cooking because when I was younger, I enjoyed staying up late, smokingcigarettes, and drinking and I noticed that chefs did those activities which made me want tobecome one.
Question 3: Have you used drugs while working in the food service industry?When I was a young chef in Santa Cruz, California, I was stressed out after ruining a batch ofcreme brûlée. I spotted a bottle of raspberry vodka and poured myself a shot. It helped take theedge off and soon the shots became a daily occurrence. Before, I even realized it, I had emptiedthe bottle and this was the start of my drinking problems.
Question 4: Have you witnessed substance abuse by others in the food service industry?After I decided to become a chef, my mom handed me a copy of Anthony Bourdain’s “KitchenConfidential,” which wrote about being a former line cook with brutally late nights, drinking onthe job, and drug use. This was what I considered my blueprint for culinary success.
Question 5: What solutions do you have to reduce substance abuse in the food service industry?The way I dealt with it is first recognizing that I had a problem. Then I went to my father, David,who has been sober for 27 years, to take me to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
Reference:https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/11/celebrity-chefs-get-honest-addiction-seek-change-industry/2275670001/
Interview #15Interviewee: Razmon PoissonStakeholder Group: Employee
Stakeholder Type: Started as a dishwasher and slowlymade my way up to a chef
Question 1: Please introduce yourself.
I am Razmon Poisson, I am a chef in Ottawa, Canada.
Question 2: What is your experience in the food service industry?I started at 16 years old and worked in city restaurants as a dishwasher and slowly made my wayup to a chef.
Question 3: Have you used drugs while working in the food service industry?The start of my drinking problems begins not long after COVID-19. The restaurant I ran wasforced to close in 2020 and later was able to reopen but with limited capacities. This was when Istarted to drink more heavily and by August 2020, I would drink a 60-ounce bottle of JamesonIrish Whiskey every day.
Question 4: Have you witnessed other substance abuse by others in the food service industry?Yes, it was something everyone did.
Question 5: What got you to stop drinking?On September 22, 2020, I was hospitalized for a week. I felt sharp pains and my eyes werejaundiced. The doctor told me my liver was in danger of failing and my kidneys were beingaffected by it. I was told that if I didn’t change my habits, I would probably die.
Reference:https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/change-or-youll-probably-die-substance-abuse-remains-a-critical-problem-in-ottawas-restaurant-industry
Interview and Estimated Interview Conducted by Christina Hermann
Interview #16Interviewee: Leila
Stakeholder Group: EmployeeStakeholder Type: Former baker,
currently a nurse working with addicts
Can you talk about yourself and your relationship with attention in the food service?
Sure well, I've worked in a medical practice specializing in addiction, and I also worked in thefood industry as a Baker for ten-plus years, and I'm also an ex-addict myself, so I have a lot ofexperience with all of it.
Would you say the addiction started because you were in the food service, or was thatsomething that started before?
It started before. I mean, it's, you know, there's an environment of getting drunk and partying,hanging out together and things like that. Still, I think that was instilled in me a little youngerthan starting in the foot industry.
Would you say the food industry helped to develop the addiction?
I not necessarily helped it, but you know, like my coworkers like the party, so I know I wasyelling at my twenties, so a lot of people in that world are younger, so kind of goes hand in handto be young and then partying. You're in this job that doesn't really care about that much, not awhole lot of responsibility; you know you can get away with it.
Would you say working in the food industry and working now in a doctor's office that'sspecialized in addiction that there is a pattern you can see in your life and in your patientsthat they're more related or than that are more common coming from this industry or is itwidespread?
It's really widespread, and we actually, I mean, we do have a lot of people that we're with opiatedaddiction and some alcohol and pencils. We see it all, but those things are more dangerous andoften deadly to come off from those to doing cocaine or things like that. We do have some peoplein the food industry, many ex-chefs, and things like that, but we see a lot more white-collarpeople. To be honest, nurses, doctors, and lawyers are the majority of our patients, which wouldbe surprising for probably a lot of people and very high-functioning addicts. Most of the peoplethat come in are functional, but we have also had many people that weren't. We participated in agovernment Grant for many years, so we saw more of that other side, people from a lowersocio-economic status. There's a lot more of that at that point, but we don't see much of it.
Would you say you don't see the like low socio-economic people because they don't have themoney or the support to get help?
Yeah, I think that's a large part of it. It's very expensive to live here and see a doctor andinsurance doesn't cover many of these things. Since insurance doesn't cover it, people have topay out of pocket. So we were really excited when we got to get put on at this grand becausewe're going to be able to help people who really needed help. The people who couldn't affordthese services help them get their visits to get their kind of therapy with the doctor and try to getthem back up on their feet. I'm actually able to help a lot of people through those years. Theysadly ripped the rug out from under us because that's what the government does, so they took thegrant away from everybody. We held on to some patients who really needed us and just did it forfree. I think a lot of it's because people don't have the means or the access to get help; that's ahuge part of it.
Do you think the government failed these people in a way because they took those fundsaway, or is there help available somewhere?
I think the government fails people using drugs in every way imaginable in providing them helpif they are having problems with addiction. I think they fail them by giving them safe places andsafe avenues to do it, safe places to test their drugs to see if they are safe. If they want to dodrugs, they are going to do it. You won't stop an adult from doing drugs; they'll do it if they wantto. I think the government fails in every aspect of it. In every step of the way, you know. I thinkthey should have safe testing sites; they should put sites for people to do drugs because they'regoing to do it anyway, and if things are safer, then that means there's less likely people havingoverdoses and dying and having problems, there would be a support system out there. They don'thelp people who need help to stop doing it, people who are struggling and unable to meet theirdaily duties, and who have troubles with their life. The government doesn't help them with thateither. They just push these people in need under the rug. They're just a problem, and they justcall them a statistic and say that this is caused by some sort of overdose or something, and it's anepidemic and a problem. But really, the problem is there's no social support network at all.
How would you say the government could make it better to give the support system, or howcould there be a system that's put in place that those people have access to help if they wantit?
I think it's really hard because there's so much funding from places like NIDA where they'retrying to make all the anti-drug stuff anti-drug this, even though they're funding research forpro-drug solutions. I firmly believe in legalizing things and making it safer for people to do whatthey're already doing so that the support system is in place. If that happened, as you see in someother countries where it is decriminalized, like in Portugal, but certain things aren't legal. Theystill have that support they can access. They can get their drug tested; if they need help, they caneasily go and say I need help and they're not worried about getting in trouble. There's money andmeans for them to get that help, and some other European countries do that too, which I think isamazing. I know my stance is probably a little more far left of letting an adult be an adult andmake adult decisions within the parameters of keeping it together in your life, but it can be done.If it is done properly, fewer people will die, and there's less violent crime associated with drugswhen more safety is involved. It's also safer for the surrounding community. If you make thissafer for these drug users, the surrounding community will have fewer problems. Many peoplefear that because of the stigma of all the drugs and then worry about it. Still, they don't thinkabout the whole big picture. If you make things more accessible to available and try to help thepeople that do that, it will benefit them too.
You would say we have to take something that Portugal has, like a testing center, and saveplaces where you can shoot up, and there are no criminal charges for it, and people whocan provide support if needed?
Yes, it shows they have fewer users and more people asking for help. There are fewer problemsor fewer overdoses there's less crime. They can buy their drugs, they can take their heroin whenthey get on the street, and they can go and have it easily tested to make sure it doesn't havefentanyl in it or ecstasy or whatever that drug is that they're using. They're not going to have toworry about that. They're not going to be dying on the street. All these people and teenagersknow of these places. You won't stop teenagers from doing something they want to do or try.Egocentrism is not going away.
When I may ask, how did you get out of the addiction?
I took everything, heroin in particular. Obviously, I've dabbled in everything, but that was mybiggest problem. I went up and down. I was exceptionally highly functioning, with multiplebusinesses and everything. But I just went in and out. You know I'd come off of it and then goback, and I'll come off again and go back. A lot of it was stressors, and the lack of support, nothaving coping mechanisms, things like that, there's a lot of other factors. I think a lot of it has todo with American society not being supportive of each other, and that's why there is so muchviolence and so many shootings and all these other things. Because American society is all aboutme, me, me; it's not about how I can help my fellow man. If it was more like that, I think fewerbad things and problems would happen, and fewer people wanting to do drugs do escape things.When committing crimes associated with overdosing or drugs in general, it's a societal problem.
Do you think bosses and managers are doing enough to help their employees improve or getoff of drugs and addiction?
I'm sure some do, but I think just the way the American workforce is set up, it's capitalist. It'show much money I can make, how much I can squeeze out of you as a person, to squeeze youdry, bleed you dry, make you work as hard as possible so that I can profit. It is that people don'tlook out for each other enough. And I think that's a huge, huge problem. I'm sure my stance isprobably very different from many others.
Interview #17Interviewee: Steve Palmer
Stakeholder Group: ShareholderPublic Stakeholder Type: Partner and founder of
the Indigo Road Hospitality Group
Tell me a bit about you.I am a partner and founder of the Indigo Road Hospitality Group. This group operates a dozenrestaurant concepts in six cities. The drug addiction started before I even became a teenager. Theaddiction controlled and took over decades of his life. Working in restaurants fed my need foralcohol and drugs.
How long are you sober now?I am now 18 years sober. We are killing ourselves with alcohol and drugs in that industry. Myfriend and employee, Ben Murray who was really close, died from his struggle with alcohol. Thisdeath motivated me to find Ben’s Friends organization. It is a support group for food andbeverage industry workers who struggle with substance abuse. I think it is important that we startto speak out about the struggles of this industry. The industry normalizes drinking and usingdrugs as a way to deal with the stress that occurs in that industry. Addiction has always been abig tabu to talk about in the industry but I am happy that this slowly starts to change.
How was it for you coming out of rehab?A big fear of mine was that I would not be able to work in the restaurant industry anymorewithout drinking. I slowly realized that giving up alcohol didn’t mean giving up my community.I can go out and not drink. Alcohol and camaraderie are two different things you can havewithout the other.
What has changed over the years?In the beginning not drinking alcohol was not as accepted as it is today. Bars start to adjust to theincreasing demand for non-alcoholic beverages and start to do alcohol-free concoctions. Theworst thing you can do is ask if it bothers you that they drink. Just be yourself, be normal, andwelcome us to the table without making a big deal about my drinking choice.
Reference:https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/dining/restaurateur-steve-palmer-shares-struggle-with-sobriety-new-memoir/3AaXLS8iNMkUIqHHMFgx2I/
