The Burnt Chef Project spurs pubs to boost morale over Xmas

17-Dec-2023 - Last updated on 17-Dec-2023 at 21:46 GMT

Festive joy: The Burnt Chef Project will spread positive messages with a new scheme

The Burnt Chef Project has joined forces with social media platform Morale to encourage hospitality businesses and operators to praise their colleagues this Christmas.

The new initiative allows individuals to anonymously send message of gratitude directly to their colleague’s mobiles phones from a dedicated online website or app.

Dubbed Morale Boost, the scheme is designed to boost the wellbeing of staff in what can be a stressful time for the hospitality sector.

The Burnt Chef Project chief executive Kris Hall said: “The Christmas and New Year period can be one of the most stressful times of year for those working in hospitality. That’s why, we’ve partnered with the team from Morale, the networking platform, to deliver a little bit of cheer and positivity at Christmas."

Foodservice managers and operators can send messages directly to their colleague's phone for free to voice their appreciation.

Spreading positivity

The messages are regularly changed or updated, meaning multiple messages of gratitude can be sent across the period.

Morale founder Aldwyn Boscawen said he was "thrilled" to partner with The Burnt Chef Project to support the morale of those working In hospitality this Christmas time.

He added: "We know just how gruelling this time of year, in particular, can be for the sector and so by spreading positivity, we know we can help the morale of the teams and individuals working so hard to serve their customers.”

This comes after research from Greene King revealed one in seven (14%) people across the UK will go through Christmas Day without a face-to-face conversation in 2023.

Combatting loneliness

Of those spending Christmas Day alone, 16% will do so because their relatives or friends they would like to see live too far away, or are unable to travel, and 13% have yet to be invited to see anyone, the survey revealed.

Pubs across the country are serving up free meals on Christmas Day to tackle loneliness and give back to their communities.

Greene King will be committing £250,000 worth of free Christmas meals, the equivalent of around 5,500 dinners, to people that might be on their own this festive season as part of its Christmas Community Tables initiative.

Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie said: “I’m pleased that we can play our part by bringing festive joy to as many as 5,500 people, who may otherwise be spending Christmas alone,” he says.”