Maya Sanchez (left), chats with fellow members of the Food Runners as they pass through Trinity Bellwoods Park during one of their weekly Wednesday morning runs.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
When Maya Sanchez began working in the food industry six years ago, she assumed late-night drinking after a shift was the only way to blow off steam with colleagues and find camaraderie. Though she started running as a way to meet people, Ms. Sanchez didn’t figure she’d find folks in the industry who shared her interest in fitness.
But then, almost two years ago, a friend helped her do just that. “There’s this amazing running club that you would love that is dedicated to people like you,” the friend told her.
Ms. Sanchez, now 24, has been exercising with The Food Runners, a club for those who work in Toronto’s hospitality industry, ever since.
“I had this very narrow view that being in the industry meant late nights and partying, having no work-life balance, working late and staying out late and sleeping in,” says Ms. Sanchez, a bartender who also runs a catering company.
“This group really showed me there are ways you can meet other people that isn’t through the night life.”
After completing a five kilometre run, the Food Runners regroup outside Hamer’s Coffee. The small group of people working in the hospitality industry participate in regular runs, beginning and ending at different local coffee shops and restaurants.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
When The Food Runners launched a decade ago, drug and alcohol use was rife in the service industry. A 2013 Statistics Canada report found 28.1 per cent of restaurant workers reported using illicit drugs, compared to an average of 17.6 per cent for all other industries.
Troubling rates of poor mental health are also rampant: 87 per cent of people who work in food and beverage report burnout; 77 per cent report depression; and 84 per cent report high levels of anxiety, according to research conducted by Not 9 to 5, a Toronto-based non-profit. Despite those figures, 62 per cent of employees don’t seek professional help.
Chuck Ortiz, a food industry writer and content creator, started The Food Runners as a way to help change the culture of the industry.
Every Wednesday morning at 8:15, a group of chefs, bartenders, front-of-house staff, food bloggers and others meet at a different restaurant or café across the city. There’s a few minutes of chatting, mingling and stretching before the group heads out for a five-kilometre run. When they’re back, there’s a smiling round of high-fives and a free meal to be enjoyed and conversation to be had.
“I wanted to create an outlet for people to find community and find people that are going through the same things,” says Mr. Ortiz, founder of Back of House, a creative studio that does work for the food and hospitality industry.
Chef Jordan Mooken welcomes the Food Runners to Kenny’s pop-up in Hamer’s Coffee on Dundas Street West in Toronto.
Jerome Skn (left) and fellow members of The Food Runners sample the breakfast spread at Kenny’s.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Originally, he thought of putting together a regular basketball game for chefs. But despite his love of the game, he knew different skill levels would pose a barrier for entry.
“But one thing that actually everyone can do is either run or walk,” Mr. Ortiz says. “We’ve had people start off with doing 5k’s and now they’re doing full marathons. But people come for the community.”
After celebrating its 10th anniversary this past summer, The Food Runners’ mission is as important as ever, especially considering the industry is still recovering from the height of the pandemic, Mr. Ortiz says.
“It’s a really tough time right now. Some restaurants are still really struggling,” he says. “We’re not just running for community; we’re running for mental health.”
John Koplimae left the food industry because of the disruptions caused by the pandemic and now works as a data analyst.
The Food Runners member Sam Bartlett grabs a breakfast sandwich after taking part in the weekly run.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Continuing to run with the group is his way of staying in touch with friends and still being connected to the industry he loves.
“I can go for a run, talk industry, talk business with people, and also hear what other people are doing,” he says. “These people have become my friends, and it’s really exciting to hear what they’ve done or how they’re growing, or what they’re doing at their restaurants.”
Adam Lafleur, chef de cuisine at Constantine, a restaurant downtown, joined the group in recent years.
“Instead of going for after-work drinks, it’s about going for a prework run. Running is great physical health, but it’s also huge for mental health,” he says.
Joining the group has been an eye-opener, says Mr. Lafleur, 31.
“It’s inspiring people and showing them, hey, I know this guy runs a really successful restaurant, or I know this person runs a really successful operation but they’re still making time at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday. They still have the energy and the time to get out and do that.”
Thanks to the group, Mr. Lafleur ran his first half-marathon and even completed a triathlon.
Created to help change the culture of drug and alcohol use in the food service industry, The Food Runners is going strong, having celebrated its 10th anniversary this past summer.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
For Ms. Sanchez, the group helps her to find the work-life balance she’d been seeking, a chance to try new restaurants she might not otherwise experience and, perhaps more than anything, the community she’d always been looking for.
“They welcome you with open doors at Food Runners,” she says. “Everyone’s so lovely, and they all are just your biggest cheerleaders, which I feel is so rare. They’re such like-minded people, which I didn’t think was out there.”