Industry veterans and champions of Ben's Friends, Mickey Bakst and Ben Ellsworth discuss sobriety and support in the restaurant industry. Ben's Friends is a resource for hospitality professionals struggling with addiction and substance abuse. These two share personal stories about their experiences with sobriety, converse about the impact of the...

For Dry January, All in the Industry welcomes Ben’s Friends, a national support group for members of the hospitality industry.

Charleston Grill is an institution, but the man behind this restaurant’s iconic status is none other than General Manager, Mickey Bakst. In addition to being a stalwart advocate for the art of fine dining, Bakst is the co-founder of Ben’s Friends. Ben’s Friends is the food and beverage industry support...

Steve Palmer formed the Charleston-based hospitality and consulting group The Indigo Road in 2009 when he began working with the celebrated restaurant Oak Steakhouse on historic Broad Street. He went on to open O-Ku, Cocktail Club, The Macintosh, among several other concepts across the Southeast. Palmer maintains the philosophy that...