Abuse in top Irish restaurants: ‘I remember having a silver salver thrown at me - to hit me’

A recent survey in Ireland has revealed concerning levels of mistreatment within the hospitality sector, with a significant portion of workers experiencing or witnessing bullying and harassment. The 2025 snapshot, titled "The Lived Experience of Hospitality Workers in Ireland," surveyed 736 individuals, including those in four- and five-star hotels and various kitchen roles.

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I remember having a silver salver thrown at me - to hit me. It wasn’t kind of like ‘I’m mad and I’m throwing it against the wall’ – ‘I’m mad and I’m throwing it at you’, you know. A big difference.

The findings indicate that 53% of respondents witnessed bullying or harassment in the past two years. Of these, 40% reported witnessing verbal abuse, and 17% witnessed psychological abuse. Furthermore, 38% of respondents stated they had personally experienced bullying or harassment, with verbal abuse being the most common form (41%), followed by psychological abuse (22%) and racial abuse (9%).

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A large proportion of respondents report ill-treatment, bullying and harassment – witnessed or experienced: 53 per cent of respondents stated that they had witnessed bullying or harassment in the previous two years.

Despite these stark figures, the survey also noted a slight improvement since a similar project in 2021, with 72% of workers agreeing or strongly agreeing that they were treated with dignity and respect. However, the report highlights "unacceptable levels" of bad behavior, particularly in the high-pressure environment of restaurant kitchens. Alan Fitzmaurice, head chef at The Glasshouse hotel, acknowledged challenging times in his early career, recalling instances of being "roared at" and even having a "silver salver thrown at me - to hit me."

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That’s actually an improvement because I did a similar project in 2021 and it was worse.