Portland restaurant and hospitality startup Poached launched its newest service out of beta this month as it aims to help users fill more shifts.
The new tool is called Poached Shifts. It allows bars, restaurants and other hospitality customers to post open shifts and find workers to fill them as needed. The service started beta testing over the summer in Portland and Austin.
The company worked with a handful of customers and was able to fill about 400 shifts, said CEO Kirk Thornby. Within the company’s online user base more than 50,000 people nationwide have opted in to be considered for the on-demand service.
“We got into this business because hiring in the hospitality industry has always been challenging,” said Thornby, in a written statement. “With Poached Shifts, we see an opportunity to offer employers a flexible, low-cost solution to restaurant staffing while providing more job opportunities with competitive and fair wages for workers.”
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Workers can apply for shifts through the company’s website and main jobs marketplace, or they can be matched they system based on skill and be invited to apply. Shifts are booked, hours recorded and invoices are submitted through the Poached app. Workers through Shifts are 1099 contractors.
Employers can view and book applicants through their Poached account.
“We’re invested in the nation’s hospitality workers, and we want to make sure Poached Shifts is a good experience for everyone,” Thornby said.
In the spring the company surveyed its users and found that the industry was still facing heavy hesitancy from workers to return to workplaces. It also found that a significant part of the industry labor pool left the industry as employers across the board amp up hiring in a tight labor market.
Poached was founded in 2011. It has nearly 1 million job seekers registered and has 500,000 monthly visitors. Like the industry it serves, the company had a rough 2020. However, business has rebounded.
This year will be profitable and business is up 50% compared to 2019.
