Hospitality is unlike any other industry.
It gives people purpose, creativity, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging you rarely find anywhere else. Lifelong friendships are formed in kitchens and behind bars. For many, it’s a home.
But it can also take more than it gives.
In this powerful episode of Breaking Bread Birmingham, we sit down with Matt Loughrey, a former career hotelier, now Partnerships Manager at The Burnt Chef Project, to have an open, necessary conversation about mental health in hospitality, and how we can protect the people who make this industry so special.
⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles in hospitality.
Matt shares why hospitality attracts such passionate, creative, and diverse people and why that same intensity can sometimes lead to burnout, silence, and crisis. Long hours, pressure-packed services, and a culture of “pushing through” have become normalised, even though they shouldn’t be.
What makes this episode powerful is its hope.
You’ll hear:
Why hospitality is still one of the most rewarding industries to work in
The hidden mental health challenges many workers quietly carry
How The Burnt Chef Project is changing kitchen culture for the better
What The Burnt Chef Project actually does to support chefs, front-of-house teams, and hospitality leaders
How workplaces can change without losing the magic that makes hospitality what it is
What leaders, colleagues, and individuals can do to look after each other
The Burnt Chef Project exists because hospitality matters. Because the people in it matter. And because this industry can be better without losing its soul.
This episode isn’t about walking away from hospitality; it’s about making it sustainable, kinder, and safer for everyone who pours themselves into it.
If you work in hospitality, love the industry, or simply want to understand the people behind the plate, this is an episode you need to hear.
Because great hospitality starts with healthy people.
And nobody should suffer in silence.
🎧 Listen now. Talk more. Support each other.
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Opening Drone Footage From Rob At Alto Drones- https://www.instagram.com/alto.drones/
Music From Tom Ford- https://www.instagram.com/thetennischampion/