Burger bar operators Lachlan Stevens and Daniel Chin might be in the hospitality industry, but they know they are inadvertently on the front line of identifying mental health problems.
With the well-established links between alcohol and mental health, it comes with the territory both behind and in front of the bar.
Now, a men's mental health support group they started called The Barstool Brothers is set to expand into what they hope will become a national mental health training program for people working in their industry.
"We feel there's a big gap in the market in mental health and hospitality," Mr Chin said.
"Hospitality can be underrated in how hard it can be. It's often full of young people coming out of school or university.
"There are hours worked late at night and on weekends, which means you miss out on social events with family and friends and it can be stressful and fast paced."
And that is before the employers address the mental health of the customers who come to the bar for company or to escape their own troubles.
"We've designed a package called The Barstool Project to deliver to hospitality venues in training staff in awareness of mental health.
"It will include information on how to spot signs and symptoms of poor mental health and how to communicate with people at the bar, as well as staff and management," Mr Chin said.
"It's important to start that conversation, as opposed to serving another beer and walking away."
From flipping burgers to changing minds
For bar owner and Afghanistan veteran Lachlan Stevens, mental health is always at the forefront of his mind.
As well as his association with veterans, he said he often hears men talking about their mental health issues when they come in for a burger and a beer.
He said bar owners have a duty to their community to help out by spotting early warning signs and steering people towards professional help.
"We have a venue to bring the community together and we'll always do that, but we're now in at a stage where The Barstool Brothers and the Project is becoming bigger than [the bar] His Boy Elroy itself.
"That fills me with pride because we went into something with a commercial perspective but have come out on the end where we can have great social impact.
"That's what fills my cup and we're motivated to keep driving this forward."
The program will take less than two hours to deliver to hospitality staff and will start in Wollongong in a month's time with about 300 people at various venues across the city.
From there, it will be launched statewide, then nationally.
Project draws federal interest
Mr Stevens and Mr Chin met with Emma McBride, the federal assistant minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention this week.
"I was so pleased to be able to be introduced to The Barstool Brothers because I had heard of the work they did through COVID and was really impressed by the benefits local people have seen so far and their advocacy," she said.
"Some of the most effective mental health and suicide prevention programs are local, and local people have seen a need in this case for hospitality workers and have put forward a local solution to a widespread problem."
Lachlan Stevens said that kind of support will be essential when the group wants to expand the program across the country.
"We're not in the position of seeking funding at the moment, but we certainly will be and we want the minster to bear witness to our journey and how it's progressing.
"Anything that can alleviate pressure off hospitals and emergency rooms is something all governments are concerned with."
