The Owner’s Survival Guide: Protecting Your Energy in a Business That Never Stops

The energy of a restaurant can be electric, but without boundaries, that same intensity leads straight to burnout. Learning how to protect your energy isn’t just personal self-care; it’s one of the most important leadership skills in hospitality. These insights come from more than one hundred conversations we’ve had with chefs, owners, and operators who have built lasting, sustainable careers in hospitality.

Even as the industry finds its rhythm again, many people inside it are still struggling. According to The Burnt Chef Project, four out of five hospitality workers have experienced a mental health challenge at some point in their career. Broader data from the American Psychological Association shows that about 45 percent of adults under 45 reported a mental health diagnosis in 2023, up from roughly one third before the pandemic (Source: APA, Stress in America 2023). Those numbers confirm what every operator already knows: this work takes a toll.

The good news is that more leaders are talking about it and building workplaces that make well-being a business priority. Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman’s teaches that time management only gets you so far. What really matters, he says, is energy management: deciding where and how you spend your emotional fuel as a leader.

Here’s how to start protecting yours.

1. Treat Rest As A Business Strategy

Rest isn’t indulgent. It’s maintenance. When leaders are clear-headed, they make better calls, build stronger teams, and handle pressure with perspective.

Chef Duff Goldman has shared that when he protects time to think and create, his business runs better. It is proof that rest truly feeds the work. Operators across the industry are putting that idea into practice. Companies like First Watch now offer every employee and their families access to the Calm app, and Chipotle recently partnered with SupportLinc to provide free counseling sessions and mental health coaching (Source: Nation’s Restaurant News, 2024). The results speak for themselves: lower turnover and stronger retention.

For independent owners, the lesson is the same. Treat rest like payroll. Schedule it, protect it, and build systems that make it possible.

2. Build Small Rituals That Keep You Grounded

The Burnt Chef Project encourages hospitality workers to include small daily resets that make recovery part of the routine, such as writing down worries, taking twenty minutes outside, and disconnecting from technology at the end of the night. 

Chef Manu Buffara practices gratitude before every service. “We talk about what we’re thankful for before we start. It brings meaning back to the work.” These small acts help keep the team centered, especially when the pace gets chaotic.

Weinzweig often reminds leaders that awareness comes before change. You can’t manage what you don’t notice. Whether that awareness comes through journaling, mindfulness, or quick team check-ins, it helps prevent stress from hardening into burnout.

3. Lead From Steadiness, Not Speed

How you show up matters. When leadership expert Taylor Scott was interviewed on Serving Success, he When you lead from steadiness instead of urgency, everything under you runs smoother. Chef Sarah Grueneberg says, “If I’m off, my whole team feels it. My job is to bring focus, not chaos.” Leadership energy sets the tone for the entire restaurant.

The Burnt Chef Project’s training programs go beyond awareness, teaching managers how to recognize burnout, start courageous conversations, and support recovery through empathy and structure. The organization’s Resilience Workshop and Mental Health First Aid course are designed to build those exact skills.

Independent operators can start with weekly check-ins, realistic scheduling, and clearly defined boundaries that allow everyone, especially leadership, to recharge.

4. Stay Connected To The Work You Love

Burnout doesn’t always look like exhaustion. Sometimes it’s losing touch with the joy and purpose that brought you here in the first place.

Chef Hugh Acheson says, “The work changes, you have to evolve with it. When I stop learning, that’s when I know something’s off.” Reconnecting with the creative side of the business—mentoring, teaching, or simply experimenting again—keeps that passion alive.

Weinzweig reminds leaders that perfectionism is the enemy of joy. Learning to live with imperfection, he says, is what leadership really requires. Staying curious and humble helps keep the fire burning without burning out.

5. Protect Your People By Protecting Yourself

Mental health in hospitality isn’t just a personal issue, it’s an operational one. Burnout increases turnover, absenteeism, and accidents. But when leaders model rest, openness, and balance, they create teams that are steadier, stronger, and more loyal.

MAJC co-founder and chef Matt Jennings says, “Hospitality starts with how we treat ourselves.” Protecting your own energy gives everyone around you permission to do the same. When you make care a priority, it doesn’t just change how your restaurant runs, it changes how it feels.

If You Or Someone On Your Team Needs Support

• The Burnt Chef Project – Free mental health training, resources, and peer support for hospitality professionals. theburntchefproject.com
• Southern Smoke Foundation – Free mental health care and emergency grants for food and beverage workers. southernsmoke.org
• Ben’s Friends – Peer support for hospitality professionals in recovery. bensfriendshope.com
• CHOW – Free meetings and wellness resources for hospitality workers. chowco.org
• Healthy Pour – Mental health training and coaching. healthypour.org
• Restaurant After Hours – Community advocacy and mental-health access. A new website is coming soon.
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988 anytime for confidential help.

Want to go deeper? Join Wednesday’s Expert Session with The Burnt Chef Project inside the MAJC Community for a live conversation on building mental health into your restaurant’s culture.

At MAJC, AI helps us organize thoughts and speed up workflows, but every article is shaped, refined, and approved by real people who live and breathe this industry. We think honesty (like hospitality) works best when it’s real.