Have you ever jumped in to do dishes at your restaurant because your dishwasher decided not to show up that day? Despite doing everything possible to interview and hire the most reliable people, the term “no call, no show” is bound to enter a manager’s vocabulary, and turnover will inevitably haunt their dreams.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates an annualized employee turnover rate of 73.8% in hospitality, making it the second highest industry rate next to technology. Your time is valuable, so why should you be spending it looking for cooks and bartenders every week?

Staffing your restaurant through uncertain times can be challenging. You don’t want to add employees to your roster that you don’t need or can’t afford to pay if things slow down. But there are tools available that offer flexible staffing to help you take your schedule day by day based on your current needs.

What is Flexible Staffing?

On-demand hospitality staffing is a solution that provides managers access to workers when they need them, whether that’s in a few days or a few hours. The same way that we can order food through an app that is delivered to our door, an executive chef can get a prep cook to show up and work for the day. The process is exceedingly simple.

Flexible staffing options give restaurants access to temporary workers to fulfill staffing needs on a shift by shift basis. Flexible staffing platforms match contract workers who have experience in a specific industry with companies who need additional support.

flexible restaurant scheduling

When to Use On-Demand Staffing

There’s a variety of ways to utilize flexible staffing in the restaurant industry, whether it’s part of your everyday operations or only utilized in a pinch, you have access to thousands of professionals at your fingertips.

  • Last-Minute Call Outs: Gone are the days of managers having to step in! Technology allows you to connect with talented professionals with only a few clicks.
  • Surge in Business: Many businesses face fluctuations in demand based on seasons, holidays, and special events, leaving them with more staff on the payroll than needed. Avoid that problem but only getting extra staff when you need them.
  • Recruiting: Whether you’re between hires or actively recruiting, utilizing flexible staffing allows you to fill the gaps without missing a beat. Plus, the person that fills the shift might just be the person you’re looking to hire.

No matter the staffing need, staying flexible enables you to address it with ease.

Flexible Scheduling Designed for the Hospitality Industry

Qwick offers flexible, on-demand staffing that’s especially helpful when there’s little budget to hire new staff, or current staff could easily get sick or call out. Our digital on-demand staffing platform matches restaurants with experienced, vetted food and beverage professionals in minutes.

The software allows restaurants to have access to flexible scheduling and budgeting by setting their own shift rates, while still being able to ensure they’re never caught short-handed.

If you’re feeling the pain of high staff turnover or lengthy interview, hiring, and training processes without time to waste, try Qwick! You can easily hire professionals—with no fee.