Whether you are a retail worker, line cook, stock room worker, server or manager, you share a lot of common stressors that can leave anyone feeling anxious at the end of the day.

The long hours, challenging customers and other potential stressors can leave you struggling to find the perfect balance between your needs and those of your customers. Because of this struggle, this retail & restaurant toolkit provides information, tools and resources to help you be your best for yourself and the customers you serve. 

Regardless of what brought you here today, this toolkit is filled with valuable information and resources to support all levels of retail and dining. To utilize the resources within this toolkit, scroll down and look around. As always, the services within your employee or member assistance program are available 24/7/365. To contact the EAP or MAP, use the phone number on the program’s promotional materials or the program’s web portal, which can be accessed at the bottom of this page. 

Orientation video

Watch this short video to learn more about how your employee assistance program (EAP) or member assistance program (MAP) supports retail and restaurant workers.

Financial stress

Financial difficulties can lead to increased stress and anxiety. Learn how to manage your money and help keep your financial goals on track with these strategies.

• Getting out of debt

• Managing finances

• Settling credit card debt

Shiftwork

Working shifts can often result in poor health choices, such as improper sleep or high-calorie, high-sugar snacks and foods. Here are some great tips to help improve your overall health while doing shiftwork.

• Stay healthy while working the night shift

• Getting better sleep

• Sugar and mental health

Customer service

Providing the best experience possible for your customers and patrons should be a top priority. However, it is also essential to build upon relationships at work. Learn ways to improve your relationships with these great tips.

• Fostering positive work relationships

• Conflict resolution

• Dealing with difficult people

Stress management

Managing your stress is essential to ensuring you are at your best. Learn ways to help manage your daily stressors with some excellent tips.

• Dealing with uncertainty

• Coping with worry and tension

• Managing stress

Physical wellbeing

Keeping a proper daily routine to help maintain your physical health can be difficult. Discover insights and other information that can help you improve your wellbeing.

• Drugs and alcohol in the workplace

• Managing your physical wellbeing at work

• Coping with musculoskeletal pain

Some of the best resources to help you continue to develop your craft.

Professional organizations

These professional organizations are a vital resource for those working in the retail or restaurant industries and interested in learning more about their fields. 

• National Retail Federation (NRF) – The NRF represents the nation’s largest private-sector employer, retail. They stand up for the people, policies and ideas that help retailers thrive.

• Retail Industry Leaders Association – The Retail Industry Leaders Association is the U.S. trade association for leading retailers. They aim to convene decision-makers, advocate for the industry and promote operational excellence and innovation. 

• National Restaurant Association – The National Restaurant Association is the largest foodservice trade association in the world and advocates on behalf of more than 500,000 restaurant businesses.

• Chef2Chef – Chef2Chef brings together an interactive community of culinary professionals and foodies alike, connecting them through in-depth news stories, student blogs, recipe sharing and job opportunity listings.

• Green Restaurant Association (GRA) – The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is a national non-profit organization founded in 1990 to shift the restaurant industry toward ecological sustainability. Using a transparent and turnkey Certification system, the GRA has made it easy for thousands of restaurants to profit and become more environmentally sustainable.

• Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) – Since its inception, WCR has grown to a membership base of over 2000 members in increasingly diverse fields of work, including culinary educators, chefs and restaurateurs, caterers, artisan farmers, butchers, charcutiérs, cheese makers, marketers, authors, publishers, bloggers and more. Their primary mission is to advance women’s voices in food and beverage through education, promotion, connection and inspiration.

Open access journals

Professional journals are peer-reviewed periodicals. The journals listed in this section are available online at no charge. They are an excellent source for the most current research and reviews in the retail and restaurant fields. 

• Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services – This journal is an international and interdisciplinary forum for research and debate in the rapidly developing - and converging - fields of retailing and services studies. It focuses mainly on consumer behavior and policy and managerial decisions.

• Journal of Foodservice Business Research – The Journal of Foodservice Business Research features articles from international experts in various disciplines, including management, marketing, finance, law, food technology, nutrition, psychology, information systems, anthropology, human resources and more.

• Restaurant Business – Restaurant Business understands the new state of media like no other, recognizing the importance and nuances of each and helping you retrieve the information you need, wherever, whenever.

Retail & restaurant related blogs

Blogs offer a conversational approach to the latest healthcare-related news. Industry professionals often write blogs that contain the thoughts and concerns in common among professionals in the healthcare industry.

• National Retail Federation (NRF) Blog – Put out by the NRF, this blog offers various insights into consumer trends, retail technology, governmental affairs affecting the retail industry, safety and security and more.

• The Retail Doctor – Launched in 1994 and going strong for the last 25+ years, Bob Phibbs is an internationally recognized business strategist, customer service expert, sales coach, marketing mentor, author of three books and motivational business speaker.

• Retail Dive – This blog provides in-depth journalism and insight into the most impactful news and trends shaping retail. The newsletters and website cover topics such as brick-and-mortar, retail technology, e-commerce, marketing, payment technology, store operations, omnichannel and more.

• Shopify Blog – Run by the e-commerce giant, this blog features articles, podcasts and videos ranging from productivity, inspiration and marketing strategies to videos such as “How to Make Money on YouTube (without a million subscribers).”

• Modern Restaurant Management – The go-to resource for on-the-go restaurant-industry professionals. Focused on all aspects of restaurant management news — the business of eating — the online magazine posts news items daily and incorporates profiles, trends and expert advice to offer valuable content to this niche.

• Restaurant Manifesto – Branded as “not your typical food blog,” their main goal is to help improve a diner’s experience by giving them the tools needed to engage with waitstaff more productively. While focused more on the experience as a customer, this blog can be beneficial for managers and waitstaff who hope to improve their diners’ experiences.

• TouchBistro Blog – Founded in 2010, TouchBistro made its name as an integrated payments solution that helps restaurateurs put more money in their pockets and more time back in their day. Powering over 25,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries worldwide, TouchBistro is changing how restaurateurs do business. Their blog is an excellent resource for finding inspiration for things such as menu management, technology, customer experience, marketing and more.

• Restaurant Systems Pro – This online restaurant management software was developed from the ground up for independent restaurants, and their blog can offer great insights into ways to operate more efficiently, thus saving you money and helping you manage a work-life balance.

Additional toolkits

• Mental Health Toolkit – Empowers retail workers to develop skills to help identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses in co-workers through tip sheets, flash courses, helpful apps and more.

• Meditation Toolkit – Boost your self-confidence, empathy, compassion and patience by practicing mindful meditation at the start of each day.

• Mindfulness Toolkit – Audio lessons, tip sheets and other resources to help retail workers and restaurant employees navigate through common workplace distractions and redirect their focus on their patients.  

• Resilience Toolkit– Overcome various challenges with resources to apply energy and passion into caring for yourself.

• Sleep Fitness Toolkit – Designed to help you learn good sleep habits and achieve healthy sleep. 

• Wellbeing Place blog – Fresh content to help support healthcare workers’ emotional and physical health and overall wellbeing.

Access your EAP or MAP for additional support

To contact your EAP or MAP, type your employer, association or group name (all lower case, with no spaces) into the field below and click “SUBMIT” and you will be taken to the EAP or MAP web portal.