Ben’s Friends: A National Sober Community for Hospitality Workers

Ben’s Friends is a nonprofit peer support organization built specifically for people working in food and beverage, restaurants, hotels, and hospitality who are struggling with substance abuse and addiction. Unlike general-purpose recovery meetings, Ben’s Friends meetings are made up of chefs, line cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts, managers, and other industry professionals who understand the unique pressures of working in an industry where alcohol and late nights are part of the job culture.

The organization was founded by hospitality veterans Steve Palmer and Mickey Bakst after the loss of their friend and colleague, Ben Murray, to addiction in 2016. What began as a single meeting has since grown into a nationwide network with in-person groups in dozens of cities plus daily virtual meetings, making it one of the most accessible peer-support options for hospitality professionals seeking sobriety.

Ben’s Friends Founders Steve and Mickey

Quick Facts

  • Organization: Ben’s Friends
  • Founded: 2016, in memory of Ben Murray
  • Founders: Steve Palmer and Mickey Bakst
  • Who it serves: Food and beverage / hospitality industry workers and their families
  • Format: Free peer support meetings, in-person and virtual
  • Locations: In-person meetings in 17 states across 23 cities, plus daily national Zoom meetings
  • Contact: 843-990-8001
  • Website: bensfriendshope.com

What Ben’s Friends Offers

  • Daily virtual meetings: Online Zoom meetings held every day at 1:00 PM ET, open to hospitality workers anywhere in the country.
  • Late-night virtual meetings: Additional Zoom meetings at 11:00 PM ET on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, timed around industry work schedules.
  • Family support meetings: A weekly Friday meeting for spouses, partners, family members, and friends of someone in hospitality who struggles with alcohol or drugs.
  • In-person local meetings: Live, face-to-face meetings in 23 locations across the country, run by and for hospitality professionals.
  • Press and speaking engagements: The organization’s leadership regularly speaks at industry conferences and in media coverage about addiction in hospitality.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ben’s Friends?
Ben’s Friends is a nonprofit sober support community created for and by people working in the restaurant and hospitality industry. It provides free peer support meetings for anyone in food and beverage who is struggling with substance abuse or addiction.

Who founded Ben’s Friends?
Ben’s Friends was founded by Steve Palmer and Mickey Bakst, two hospitality industry veterans with decades of combined sobriety. The organization was created after the loss of their friend and colleague Ben Murray, who took his life in 2016 because of his addiction.

Is Ben’s Friends only for restaurant workers?
Ben’s Friends is built around the food and beverage and broader hospitality industry, welcoming chefs, line cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts, managers, and other hospitality professionals. Family members of hospitality workers can also attend a dedicated family support meeting.

Does Ben’s Friends offer online meetings?
Yes. Ben’s Friends holds daily Zoom meetings at 1:00 PM ET, along with late-night Zoom meetings several nights a week and a weekly virtual family support meeting, so people can attend no matter where they live or what hours they work.

Are Ben’s Friends meetings free?
Yes, all Ben’s Friends meetings, both in-person and virtual, are free to attend.

Is Ben’s Friends a 12-step program?
Ben’s Friends is a peer support community rather than a clinical treatment program. It is guided by six core pillars: We, honesty, acceptance, gratitude, service, and hope, and works alongside other recovery pathways rather than replacing clinical treatment.

How do I find a local Ben’s Friends meeting?
Ben’s Friends currently has in-person meetings in 23 cities across 17 states. See the full list of locations below to find a meeting near you.

How do I contact Ben’s Friends?
You can reach a member of the Ben’s Friends team by phone at 843-990-8001, or through the contact page on their website.

Ben’s Friends Meeting Locations by State

Ben’s Friends holds in-person meetings in the following states and cities. Click any city to view that location’s meeting details and printable flyer.

Meeting locations sourced directly from bensfriendshope.com as of the page’s last update. Check the Ben’s Friends website directly for the most current meeting times and any newly added locations.