Drugs rife among restaurant workers
09 October 2004
The next time you bite into a little smoked salmon with vodka and dill fettuccine, maybe you should consider the state of mind of the restaurant staff who prepared your meal.
Behind the counter, employees could be participating in a drug culture the Restaurant Association (RA) is suggesting is all too pervasive in restaurants and bars.
At one busy Auckland bar, says one of the bartenders, the majority of employees take drugs recreationally.
"There's not any of us that I know of that take it to get by from shift to shift. (But) every now and again, you'll take half a pill or something like that just for a bit of a laugh," said the 23-year-old, who asked not to be named.
He smoked "P" – methamphetamine – when he started bartending 3 ½ years ago, but kicked the habit two years later, he said.
"You can't function. You can stay up, but you can't do your job."
The drug use that sometimes accompanies the late-night social atmosphere at restaurants and bars has the RA pushing for drug testing for employees, a move that has sparked debate.
"People work under stress, long hours. It's easy at the end of a shift, at 1 o'clock in the morning, to take illicit drugs," said association chief executive Neville Waldron.
A 29-year-old bartender at a popular Auckland bar said: "I wouldn't say anyone particularly takes these drugs to go to work. I think every now and again someone will be given a tablet or speed (at work) and they may take it, but I think it's more for a recreational use after work."
It's not a new problem, just different drugs, said Tony Adcock, co-owner of Harbourside Seafood Bar & Grill in Auckland.
A Rotorua cafe worker claimed many of the city's front-of-house hospitality staff are regular drug users. The man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he regularly used cocaine and Ecstasy.
While he never went to work under the influence of drugs, he knew of many others who regularly turned up to the job "off their faces".
"It's just that type of environment really. People are happy and having a good time and just want to be on a good buzz," he said.
In the book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, author and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain describes illicit drug use in New York.
He wrote: "We were high all the time, sneaking off to the walk-in at every possible opportunity. (Our goal was) to work through the drugs, the fatigue, the lack of sleep, the pain, to show no visible effects."
Judith Tabron, owner of Soul Bar and Bistro in Auckland, said she watches for drug use when she hires new workers. While drug abuse was a problem in the hospitality business, said Ms Tabron: "I don't believe we have any more of a problem (than other industries) except that we've identified it because we deal with cash and we deal with that late-night crowd."
Drug testing would be an unnecessary invasion of privacy, said David Williamson, a lecturer in hospitality at the Auckland University of Technology and a former restaurant owner.
"If you're a good manager, you know what's going on with your staff. You can pick up those things and deal with them on a one-to-one basis."
Others said drug testing could be useful in all industries.
"(Drug use) is not just a restaurant industry thing. It's a New Zealand-wide problem," said Chris Rupe, owner of SPQR Cafe and Bar in Auckland who supports the Restaurant Association's initiative.
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09 October 2004
The next time you bite into a little smoked salmon with vodka and dill fettuccine, maybe you should consider the state of mind of the restaurant staff who prepared your meal.
Behind the counter, employees could be participating in a drug culture the Restaurant Association (RA) is suggesting is all too pervasive in restaurants and bars.
At one busy Auckland bar, says one of the bartenders, the majority of employees take drugs recreationally.
"There's not any of us that I know of that take it to get by from shift to shift. (But) every now and again, you'll take half a pill or something like that just for a bit of a laugh," said the 23-year-old, who asked not to be named.
He smoked "P" – methamphetamine – when he started bartending 3 ½ years ago, but kicked the habit two years later, he said.
"You can't function. You can stay up, but you can't do your job."
The drug use that sometimes accompanies the late-night social atmosphere at restaurants and bars has the RA pushing for drug testing for employees, a move that has sparked debate.
"People work under stress, long hours. It's easy at the end of a shift, at 1 o'clock in the morning, to take illicit drugs," said association chief executive Neville Waldron.
A 29-year-old bartender at a popular Auckland bar said: "I wouldn't say anyone particularly takes these drugs to go to work. I think every now and again someone will be given a tablet or speed (at work) and they may take it, but I think it's more for a recreational use after work."
It's not a new problem, just different drugs, said Tony Adcock, co-owner of Harbourside Seafood Bar & Grill in Auckland.
A Rotorua cafe worker claimed many of the city's front-of-house hospitality staff are regular drug users. The man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he regularly used cocaine and Ecstasy.
While he never went to work under the influence of drugs, he knew of many others who regularly turned up to the job "off their faces".
"It's just that type of environment really. People are happy and having a good time and just want to be on a good buzz," he said.
In the book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, author and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain describes illicit drug use in New York.
He wrote: "We were high all the time, sneaking off to the walk-in at every possible opportunity. (Our goal was) to work through the drugs, the fatigue, the lack of sleep, the pain, to show no visible effects."
Judith Tabron, owner of Soul Bar and Bistro in Auckland, said she watches for drug use when she hires new workers. While drug abuse was a problem in the hospitality business, said Ms Tabron: "I don't believe we have any more of a problem (than other industries) except that we've identified it because we deal with cash and we deal with that late-night crowd."
Drug testing would be an unnecessary invasion of privacy, said David Williamson, a lecturer in hospitality at the Auckland University of Technology and a former restaurant owner.
"If you're a good manager, you know what's going on with your staff. You can pick up those things and deal with them on a one-to-one basis."
Others said drug testing could be useful in all industries.
"(Drug use) is not just a restaurant industry thing. It's a New Zealand-wide problem," said Chris Rupe, owner of SPQR Cafe and Bar in Auckland who supports the Restaurant Association's initiative.
Link
