How restauranteurs are encouraging downtime for employees to let off steam

Some Mumbai restaurants are giving staff two days off per week to prioritize mental health and work-life balance, fostering camaraderie and job satisfaction.

MUMBAI: Alex Sanchez had not planned to keep Americano closed for two days every week. The Kala Ghoda restaurant is known for its vibrant bar and wood-fire pizzas; it’s also one of the few hospitality ventures to operate only five nights a week. After the pandemic the restaurant resumed services four days a week “to test waters and eventually went to five”. The restaurant never opened for a sixth day, because both Sanchez and partner Mallyeka Watsa realized the virtue of downtime.

How restauranteurs are encouraging downtime for employees to let off steam

This is a startling move in an industry where chefs are known to average 14-16 hours in the kitchen every day. Today, the entire staff at Americano and Otra, the newest eatery from the restaurant group, has two days (Monday and Tuesday) off. Sanchez notes, “We hired enough people so that we could have two clear shifts, so people never really work more than nine hours.”

Likewise, Maska, a bakery in Mahim known for serving babka and madeleines with a twist, keeps its shutters down on Monday, and the staff gets a rotating second day off between Tuesday and Thursday. When Heena Punwani, its founder opened the space in February, she did so to ensure a happy workspace. “Hospitality is a hard business to be in, and we spend so much of our time in the kitchen. If we bring so much of ourselves to this job, and the workspace is not a happy one, why are we doing it,” says Punwani, underlining the staff works extra hours to manage volume during season. Punwani has observed that the relaxed hours have infused a sense of camaraderie among members of the staff.

“It’s hard to expect people to join your organization when you are not giving them a break to recover,” says Vidhi Merchant, counseling psychologist and founder of The Mood Space. “Long working hours disrupts work-life harmony, which leads to burn out. There’s constant chronic fatigue and stress.”

She says when professionals are stretched at the workspace, they slip into a self-preservation mode. “You want to leave as early as possible, because you’re exhausted and you want to come in as late as possible, because you’re exhausted,” she says. And that’s what these business owners are hoping to avoid. Sanchez notes that the two days off has given the team a chance to bond with each other and consistency that allows them to plan their days off, while also encouraging work friendships to blossom. This camaraderie is precious especially in the F&B business where setting up a single meal involves multiple people -- from the server to chef, working in harmony to deliver an unique guest experience.

Merchant notes, “The stigma around mental health became a conversation starter post-Covid.”

Divesh Aswani, a chef-turned-entrepreneur started Commis Station in Mahim in the midst of the pandemic. Having worked in kitchens in both Sydney (Hilton) and Mumbai, he was used to the long hours. It’s not what he wanted to repeat. His company makes kitchen essentials like pre-made pizza bases, hummus and ice creams. Although the team has 11-hour days, apart from a day off every week, each worker is encouraged to work two half-days. While he is happy, he says it has given his sous chef Sachin “a chance to see his child grow over the last three years”. Aswani also notes that while most chefs are gearing up for night of service at 7pm on a Saturday, he’s on his way home and can plan a night out.

As the awareness around mental health evolves, it remains to be seen if it will change how the city’s hospitality industry operates. For Sanchez, the idea is to put his staff in a position where they realize their time and work is valued. He ends by saying, “At the same time, I would argue that it is actually better for business.”