Online Therapy Service, TalkSpace, Now Available to All Employees & Their Families

Farmers Restaurant Group has become the very first full-service restaurant group in the country to offer no-cost access to online therapy through TalkSpace for all our employees AND their immediate household members, ages 13 and older. 

Talkspace is an innovative online, mobile therapy service that allows users to: (1) choose their own dedicated, licensed mental health provider; then (2) connect via text, voice, or video messaging at their convenience; and (3) set up live video appointments. All of the therapy is provided through a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform.  

At Farmers Restaurant Group, we have always worked to support our employees. The pandemic has put an added stress on our industry and all of our workers. During this time of heightened anxiety and hardship, we are proud to be offering this benefit to our employees and their families to support their mental health and overall well-being. 

“For us, everything is personal, and there’s no such thing as leaving your problems at the door,” said Co-Owner Dan Simons. “In our restaurants, we believe mental health is health. We celebrate and support the whole person.” 

We currently have 1,070 employees across all seven of our locations – in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania. Everyone who works for us – full and part time workers and their family members (13+) – are now eligible for the Talkspace benefit that began August 25, 2021.  

“We are thrilled to announce the partnership with Talkspace, which will offer tangible mental health resources to an underserved population of workers,” said Jillian Heltzel, Director of Human Resources. “Not only is this type of benefit rare in our industry, it can be difficult for our employees to access care due to non-traditional work hours. Talkspace gives our team access with the flexibility they need to initiate therapy on their own terms and schedule.”