Isolation of Michelin-starred kitchens can create culture of bullying, study finds

The isolation of working in Michelin-starred kitchens can lead to bullying and aggressive behaviour among chefs, a study has found.

Spending long hours cooking in closed, hidden environments can create a “different moral universe”, according to research from Cardiff University Business School.

The team interviewed 47 chefs employed in Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants around the world. They found feelings of isolation were common among interviewees, who described kitchens as “detached and alienating” places to work.

Chefs also said this created a sense of being freed from external scrutiny and provided an opportunity to “act in a different way”.

The study follows the release of Boiling Point, a film showing one brutal night in a restaurant kitchen. However, several chefs told The Caterer that the portrayal of the industry was outdated and in general there had been a positive generational shift in the way kitchens are run.

Lead author of the research Dr Robin Burrow said it showed how the geography of a workplace environment could influence behaviour. He said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how isolation can leave people feeling desperately alone, depressed and anxious.

“But our research also uncovers other, less well-known effects. We found that isolation can be experienced as a kind of freedom from scrutiny, and trigger a sense that things can be done that would not normally be possible.

“In the context of the hospitality sector our findings create a compelling case for bringing secretive, hidden-away workspaces – kitchens in particular – out into the open. In the open, violence and bullying can be seen and the perpetrators more easily held to account.”

Despite the findings, researchers also said there was a strong sense of camaraderie expressed by the chefs interviewed, who were employed at various levels of seniority across the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.

Co-author Dr Rebecca Scott, a senior lecturer in marketing at Cardiff Business School, said: “Modern workplaces are often open, accessible and flexible spaces, but the chefs we spoke to gained a sense of belonging from their collective experience of physical, stressful, fast-paced work.

“It was this feeling of community that enables our chefs to remain highly productive and committed despite the often brutal working conditions they experience.”

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