How was service?
Get it off your chest.
Head chefs, cooks, apprentices, kitchen hands, pastry and catering kitchens. Put down what you're carrying before you go home.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your manager or anyone else. Unladen Kitchen is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any restaurant, employer or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Step out the back if you can, even for two minutes. Tell someone you need a breather. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If someone hurt or threatened you
It isn't part of the job and it isn't your fault. Tell your manager or the owner, and make sure it's written down. Get checked if you were hurt.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add a workmate, your union or someone who can get you home in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling the head chef or owner, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes after you clean down. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can in the kitchen.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About being yelled at or belittled
Write it down while it's fresh. If it keeps happening, it's bullying, and you can get confidential advice from your union or the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your manager or supervisor, and report it through your incident system. Burns, cuts, heat and broken equipment are all safety issues.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you're driving, a 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave can help, or get a lift. Text someone when you're home.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Kitchens take a lot out of you
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Being yelled at, belittled or hazed
Shouting, put-downs and hazing are sometimes treated as part of kitchen life. They aren't, and they affect people.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If the person is the head chef or owner, talk to someone outside the kitchen, like your union.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- It's not a test you have to pass.
Burns, cuts and injuries
- Burns: cool under cool running water for 20 minutes, and get help for anything bigger than a small patch.
- Report every injury, and make sure it is written down.
- If you need time off or treatment, you can make a workers compensation claim, including as a casual or apprentice.
- If equipment keeps hurting people, report it. SafeWork NSW is on 13 10 50.
Heat and exhaustion
- Drink water through service, not just after.
- Dizziness, headache, confusion or stopping sweating are warning signs. Stop and cool down.
- Breaks are your right, even on a busy night.
Pay, rosters and unpaid hours
- Keep your own record of the hours you work, including prep and clean-down.
- Check your pay with the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94. Apprentices have their own pay rates.
- Deliberately underpaying workers has been a crime in Australia since January 2025.
- Your union can help, confidentially.
Sexual harassment
- It's not your fault, and you don't have to laugh it off.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- Employers have a legal duty to prevent sexual harassment.
- 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
After a mistake
- A missed allergen or food safety slip: tell the chef or manager straight away. Someone could be hurt.
- Own it, fix what you can, and let the rest go.
- Everyone has had a service go wrong.
Drinking or drugs to cope
After service it's hard to switch off, and a knock-off drink can turn into most nights.
- Notice if you need something to get through service or to come down after.
- The Alcohol and Drug Information Service is free and confidential on 1800 250 015, 24/7.
- The Burnt Chef Project offers free counselling for hospitality workers on 1800 730 931, 24/7.
- No judgement. Lots of chefs have been here.
Late finishes and getting home
- If you're too tired to drive, don't. Nap first or get a lift.
- Text someone when you're home.
- Build a wind-down routine that isn't a drink.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading the next service
- Feeling numb, or snapping at people
- Needing a drink or something else to switch off
- Sleep all over the place
- Pulling back from friends outside work
This is burnout, and it's very common in kitchens. It comes from the pressure of the job, not from you being weak.
Apprentices
If you're an apprentice, it can feel like you have to put up with anything. You don't. You have the same rights to safety, correct pay and respect as everyone else.
Getting home safely
After a long or late shift, tiredness can affect your driving as much as alcohol.
- If you're struggling to keep your eyes open, don't drive. A 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave helps.
- After a hard shift, text someone when you get home.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist. The Burnt Chef Project also offers free, confidential counselling for hospitality workers on 1800 730 931, 24/7.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through the head chef
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your restaurant group or employer can add its own EAP and wellbeing numbers here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- The Burnt Chef Project support line. Free counselling just for hospitality workers, 1800 730 931, 24/7.
- Your union. United Workers Union (including Hospo Voice) covers chefs, cooks and kitchen hands.
- The Fair Work Ombudsman. Free advice on pay and rights, 13 13 94.
- A chef you trust from another kitchen. Someone who knows the industry.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
You have rights at work whether you're full-time, casual, an apprentice or on a visa.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard service. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"The way I'm spoken to in the kitchen is getting to me."
"I'm drinking more than I want to after service."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- The Fair Work Ombudsman can give advice without contacting your employer.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in the change room or on the bus home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Kitchen
Unladen™ Kitchen is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any restaurant, employer or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Kitchen that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026