By Emily Williams Knight Ed.D.
For over three years, the 1.4 million Texans in the foodservice industry have faced unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety, triumphs, exhaustion as well as innovation and awe-inspiring grit.
To survive and provide, many in our industry had to adapt and continue to operate in a new normal of high inflation, supply chain disruptions and worker shortages. Through every hoop we had to jump through to get to the other side, we always found a way to make it work while prioritizing the guests we serve.
It’s hard to pause and reflect in this environment, but we owe it to ourselves to consider how these pivots have affected our physical and mental wellbeing.
Accessing healthcare has always been a challenge for our industry, which largely consists of small business owners trying to find a scalable solution in a market built for large companies with a host of resources. As a result, our workforce is often left out by unaffordable premiums or ineligibility due to part-time status.
With over 70% of restaurant workers reporting high levels of stress and burnout, and nearly one-third showing symptoms of depression, our industry cannot wait for the healthcare market to change. We need to develop our own solutions.
The Texas Restaurant Association is committed to leading this work by creating scalable, stackable health and wellbeing tools that will work for our entire industry. And we are proud to kick off this work by offering a revolutionary solution called HealthiestYou by Teladoc. With this program, for only $12 a month per employee with no copays, deductibles, or coinsurance every foodservice business in Texas can provide access to unlimited virtual physical and mental healthcare visits to their team members and their entire household. TRA members qualify at an additional discounted rate of only $9 a month per employee. With other telehealth plans starting at $49 a month plus visit fees and copays, our industry-specific solution delivers incredible value to business operators and their team members.
This is just the start of the TRA’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of the Texas foodservice industry. We encourage every foodservice business to join us. It’s time to take a bold stand so that we can protect and grow our industry’s most valuable asset–our people.
Emily Williams Knight is president & CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association.
