Restaurant owner David Turin knew that he and many of his employees had put on too much weight -- so he launched an optional challenge that's encouraging his staff to get into top shape.
A lot of us have trouble turning down tempting foods—but if you’re a restaurant chef, the challenge is pretty near impossible.
At David’s Restaurant in Portland, Maine, cooks have been piling on the pounds, especially since the introduction of a new artisan pizza recipe in September. “The quality of our pizza dough and the quality of our bread just went up 300 percent,” the restaurant’s owner, David Turin, told the Portland Press-Herald. “Guess who wore it?” Just about everyone at the restaurant—and Turin realized that he needed to come up with a plan to help his staff get healthy.
Turin has launched a “Biggest Loser” style challenge for the restaurant’s staff focused on helping the whole team get into top shape. He decided he wanted to drop 21 pounds, but many of his cooks had far more ambitious weight loss goals. The night chef, Rob Spencer, hopes to lose 60 of his 290 pounds within a three-month period. He’s not sure whether he’ll be able to meet that goal, but the entire staff is helping him on the way there.
The challenge lasts 90 days, and features weekly weigh-ins and prizes for the individual who loses the largest percentage of body fat in a certain week. Seven employees have joined. Staff members who are aiming to lose 25 pounds or more will each receive $500 for reaching their goal weights, and another $500 for maintaining the loss for a full month.
All of that money will be coming out of Turin’s pocket, but the challenge is already paying off: participating employees have cut out the junk food and started exercising, and are already feeling better physically. The challenge has also brought the participants closer together.
“As a business owner, I kind of feel like (the contest) is a selfish move too, because I know that if I can have healthier people I’m going to end up enjoying more energy and better attitudes and better work ethic and all that,” said Turin. “We’ve been at it for four weeks now, and I can’t even tell you how much change there’s been in the spirit of people who are getting a little lighter.”
The restaurant has also added healthier, diet-friendly menu items to accommodate health-conscious staff and customers alike. And while David’s hasn’t ditched its gourmet pizza, each night’s leftovers now go to a homeless shelter instead of the chefs’ stomachs.