How many times have you been planning an impromptu dinner party, office bash or rooftop BBQ and wished you could quickly and easily get a bartender or chef on site for the event?
"We like to say—be a guest at your own event.”
The reality is, there are plenty of bartenders, chefs and servers eager to take on side gigs to make some extra cash, but there has yet to be an easy way for them to do so in a non-committal way. That is, until LocalTable launched last September.
The startup, which is based out of WeWork’s Fort Point office, started as a B2B software that helped catering and events companies with staff management, providing centralized communication and scheduling. But in the coming weeks, it’s introducing an iPhone/Android app with on-demand functionality, which will allow any consumer to conveniently find qualified hospitality professionals for a last-minute get-together.
LocalTable may only have existed for less than a year, but it’s been gaining steady traction. Thus far, the startup has more than 1,000 paid users, and has scheduled over 4,000 work shifts for staffers. This past January through April, the team participated in the Springfield, Mass., Valley Venture Mentors accelerator, and brought home a $12,500 check. Some of LocalTable’s first customers include Max Catering, Rita’s Catering, and The Fireplace in Brookline.
To understand where the concept came from, it’s important to take a step back and look at the individual careers of all three cofounders, who grew up in the Boston area.
Specifically, the idea was born based on the experiences of Johnny Burke, an executive chef of 11 years, who opened two Boston restaurants, and worked for the Barbara Lynch Group. Again and again, locals throwing a party would ask if he did private dinners. As time went on, it became clear that there was a need for more easily finding hospitality staff for one-off events. Luckily, friends Zach Chaitman, an IT Consultant for Raytheon and Chrysler, and Matt Virzi, Senior Account Executive for Localytics (both Bentley University alumni) had the tech, sales and marketing chops to bring a product that addressed this problem to fruition.
The fact is, chefs and other restaurant workers don’t tend to know their schedules until the last minute. And therein lies the beauty of LocalTable: It enables them to earn some money on the fly, whenever they’re able to pick up a few hours here and there. And LocalTable has an edge over many of today's temp staffing solutions—which usually require the host to set it up a week ahead of time, and the worker to commit to a five hour shift minimum.
“It can be very intimidating to call a temp agency,” Burke told BostInno in a phone interview. “We like to say—be a guest at your own event.”
As independent hospitality contractors, professionals get to work on their own schedule, earning an average of $20 an hour—and very often, more.
In fact, the team claims that even with LocalTable taking a cut of the transaction, the pay rate is often up to twice as high as what's offered by restaurants. Currently, LocalTable sets the rates based on the position, but in the future, they’re considering variability based on skill level. As an added bonus, LocalTable also just offers a fun way to mix things up outside of the kitchens or bars they're working in every day.
Perks for all parties
LocalTable isn't just for chefs and mixologists, either. During the sign-up process, professionals can indicate other kinds of help they can offer, like clearing tables, dishwashing or lighting set-up. By entering certain information about themselves, the LocalTable team is able to run a quick background check as well. Burke, naturally, has been doing much of the vetting—looking at resumes, and then conducting a phone call to learn more about the candidates’ backgrounds. Customers can also offer feedback, and their reviews on staff performance help to ensure LocalTable maintains consistently high quality service.
The team sees immense potential value for startups especially. For example, Localytics needed a bartender to come in on short notice for a Women in Wireless meetup at its office, and using LocalTable allowed staff to simply enjoy the event without having to pour drinks. LocalTable has also helped WeWork to find bartending and clean-up help for events.
But the team says the on-demand aspect, which was inspired by user feedback over the past year, is going to change the game. Just recently, for example, LocalTable staffed a 4th of July party within a minute of receiving the request.
“The biggest problem with a two-sided marketplace is you need to have a supply of qualified workers as well as a demand on the consumer side,” Virzi told BostInno. “We know the demand is there. And now, we have the supply because we’ve formed relationships with all of these great staff and catering companies.”
For now, LocalTable is laser focused on the hospitality space—but that doesn’t mean they aren’t planning to expand.
“There are other industries that have tons of temp and on-call staff that we’ll be able to utilize in a system like this—once we perfect it,” said Chaitman.
All photos courtesy of LocalTable.
