Restaurant-software company Delaget announced Tuesday that it partnered with Taco Bell to offer a platform that helps franchisees fill difficult-to-cover shifts.
The tech platform, called Delaget Differential Pay, allows businesses to manage and apply a pay differential for employees to pick up shifts that are often difficult to cover, such as the overnight shifts and holidays, the St. Louis Park, Minnesota-based company says.
The new service is intended alleviate the impact of the labor shortage for restaurants, Delaget CEO Jason Tober told the Business Journal.
"Staffing stores, staffing restaurants is a challenge, and then, staffing them during what many would consider later hours or more difficult times to staff, is an even greater issue on top of not having enough people to work," Tober said.
In the U.S., there are about two openings for every person currently looking for a job, as of August, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"We heard in many instances that prior to this solution, restaurants were having to close early just because they couldn't get somebody to work after a certain period of time," Tober added. With the new service, it allows a business to stay open, generating revenue and income, he said.
Building upon what the company was hearing from its clients, it worked with an existing brand partner, Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell, to develop and configure the new platform, Tober said. Now launched, the platform’s first customer was Taco Bell and the service is now available for its other clients as well, he said.
Delaget currently works with more than 40 brands, representing over 11,000 restaurants in more than 50 countries around the world, Tober added. Clients include franchisees with brands like KFC and Pizza Hut, which are owned and franchised by Louisville-based Yum Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM). Yum also owns and franchises the Taco Bell brand.
Delaget formed in 1999 by New Hope-based Border Foods, which operates Taco Bell franchisees across the U.S. It provides data analytics for franchisees in the restaurant industry and was named one of the Business Journal’s Best Places to Work honorees in 2021.
“We are honored to continue our partnership with the Taco Bell system", Tober said in a statement. "Knowing we're meeting a need to help businesses attract new talent, fill shifts, and increase profitability is a full-circle win."
Delaget currently has more than 60 employees, a majority of which are based in the Twin Cities, Tober said. He declined to disclose revenue figures.
