Our Mission

Ben’s Friends is a community of chefs, bartenders, line cooks, servers, sommeliers, host and hostesses, GMs and owners who have found or are seeking sobriety. Our mission is to offer community, hope and a path forward for those struggling with substance abuse and addiction. At our core, we are hospitality workers who have found connection, and the tools to seek and maintain sobriety while managing our careers and lives in a sane and purposeful way.

A Note from Ben’s Friends Founders

Restaurants and hospitality are in our blood. While these industries have given us more than we could have ever imagined, they are also where our addictions began and grew. While we found sobriety before it was too late, many of our talented peers are not so fortunate.

We have seen far too many good people lose themselves, their careers, and sometimes even their lives to alcohol and drug abuse. We were compelled to act when Ben Murray, a friend and colleague, took his life in 2016 because of his addiction. We could no longer stand by and watch tragedies strike around us – we needed to try to help. Through the pain of this loss, Ben’s Friends was created.

Our mission is a simple one: to help those who are struggling find freedom from the bondage of their addictions. We do this every day by creating a community of sober chefs, line cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts, managers, and more who are committed to helping others find the support that they need.

With nearly 60 years of combined sobriety between us, we are proof that you can live a full, rich, rewarding, and sober life while working in restaurants and hospitality. We hope you will join us.

Steve Palmer + Mickey Bakst