Small Plates: Gigpro app helping Louisville-area restaurants deal with staffing shortages

Editor's Note: Small Plates is a column of restaurant news and tips. If you have an item that might interest readers, please send it to Michael L. Jones at mjones@bizjournals.com.

When Mike Wadja, the director of culinary development and operations for the Common Bond Hotel Collection, needs to fill a shift on short notice, he has an app for that.

Common Bond operates the Bardstown Motor Lodge and the restaurant Toogie's Table in Bardstown, Kentucky. If one of Wadja's 40 employees happens to can't make it to work or he has an open position, he turns to Gigpro, an app that connects hospitality businesses — restaurants, caters and hotels — with professionals looking for one-time work with quick pay.

"Labor shortages are a problem in the entire U.S. or the world, but when you get a little bit further outside of the metropolitan area, we found some challenges," Wadja explained. "So, I was able to leverage Gigpro to help. Even an hour south of the city, I'll still be able to bring in some talent."

Food and beverage establishments were among the industries hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many workers decide to leave the industry due to the uncertainty surrounding shutdowns and capacity restrictions. Although the hospitality industry has made gains in recent months,  employment was still down 3.9% in November 2022 compared with February 2020 when adjusted for seasonality, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Charleston, South Carolina-based Gigpro launched in 2019. The company's CEO Sam Mylrea said staffing shortages have always been an issue for the hospitality industry, but the pandemic exacerbated the problem.

"Our original founder Ben Ellsworth was a chef and the company was really born out of the problem a lot of food and beverage establishments face today, which is not having enough people to service the demand," Mylrea said. "Four million people left the hospitality industry during the pandemic, and there is still about a million and a half people who have not returned.

"We created an on-demand marketplace where hospitality businesses can list out open shifts, what role is needed and how much they are willing to pay. That goes out to our network of professionals, who are largely current and former food and beverage professionals."

If a professional is interested in taking the gig that is posted, then they apply and the business can choose who would best fit its needs. Once the professional confirms, they work the shift and are paid soon afterwards. The professionals also receive a rating from the business. However, the businesses themselves are not rated.

Gigpro is active in more than 25 markets. Mylrea said there are 300 Louisville businesses that use the app, and about 6,000 local professionals. Gigpro collects a percentage of the posted gig rate from the business to cover things like payroll tax, tax documents issuing and occupational accident insurance. The professionals don't pay a user fee, but GigPro collects 38 cents an hour from the gigs worked to pay for occupational accident insurance to cover on-the-job incidents.

Nick Garing, general manager of the Exchange in New Albany, Indiana, said working with Gigpro gives him some flexibility when he is scheduling his employees.

"When it was pitched to us, it sounded like a good concept, even though we were pretty well staffed at the time," Garing said. "At first we just used it when we had hole here and there on the schedule, but we quickly realized it gave us a lot of flexibility as far as staffing goes. We primarily use it for the dishwashing position, which is typically the hardest position to fill. We've been able to free up some team members who wanted more experience cooking."

Wadja said about 20% of the staff at Toogie's Table are professionals he hired permanently after connecting with them through Gigpro.

"Gigpro, they're trying to sustain the workforce," Wadja said. "So, there's no fee to buy them out to make [the pro] an employee. What that really does is helps us sustain the ecosystem that's extremely fragile right now for employees."

Local legends at the Frazier History Museum

The Frazier Museum is teaming up with three 1978 NCAA Basketball Champions to host the release party for a limited-edition bourbon.

78 Legends is a limited-edition blend of Kentucky 5-year and 50-year bourbon whiskeys, honoring the players and the coaches of the 1978 Championship team. Each bottle was dipped in Kentucky blue wax and signed exclusively by three players from the title-winning team: Jack “Goose” Givens, Rick Robey and Kyle Macy.

The museum will hold a release party from 7:30 to 8:30 on Feb. 2. At the event, those iconic players will appear at the Frazier to discuss the 1977–78 season with the program’s host, Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer, Dan Issel.

“This is a very limited-edition Bourbon,” Frazier president and CEO Andy Treinen said in a news release. “Some of it was already aging in the barrel when they won the title. This program is a chance to learn about the project and hear these legends reminisce about the championship.”

Only 1978 bottles were produced, and each bottle is marked, 1 through 1978. For more information visit the Frazier History Museum website.

The first drive-thru Heine Brothers location in Fern Creek

Heine Brothers Coffee has opened its first drive-thru-only store at 7701 Bardstown Road in Fern Creek.

The 600-square-foot shop was designed by Luckett & Farley and developed by McCormick Construction and Development. It was built on a location that formerly housed a Brakeway auto repair center.

“We’re thrilled to be brewing in Fern Creek,” said Mike Mays, Heine Brothers co-founder and president, in a news release.  “It has been a highly requested neighborhood.  It’s great being positioned close to Fern Creek High School and Bates Elementary because it’s going to be a convenient spot for teachers and students to grab their to-go coffee.”

Mays previously told Business First that prior to the pandemic, drive-thru and cafe sales were split fairly evenly. While drive-thru sales didn't totally make up for the loss of indoor traffic last year, he noticed new and existing customers converting to the on-the-go offering.

Customers of the new Fern Creek location can enjoy the same menu offerings of other Heine stores and also take advantage of the loyalty app.