The hospitality industry, particularly the restaurant sector, is no stranger to staffing challenges. From an overwhelming number of unqualified applicants to the unpredictability of demand, restaurant owners and managers often find themselves struggling to maintain a profitable, well-staffed operation. These challenges, if not addressed, can lead to increased costs, poor customer service, and even lost revenue.

Staffing Challenges in the Restaurant Industry

1. Too Many Unqualified Applicants: One of the most pressing issues is the sheer volume of applicants who lack the necessary skills or experience. Sifting through these applications takes time away from the business and can be stressful, often without yielding the desired results.

2. Variable Demand with Short Notice: The nature of the restaurant industry means that demand can fluctuate dramatically, often with little to no notice. Whether it’s a sudden surge in reservations or an unexpected event, having the right number of staff on hand is critical, yet difficult to achieve. Let’s face it, every manager has at some point checked the daily covers list and noticed a 100-cover party booked months ago that everyone forgot.

3. No-Shows: Even when the right staff are hired, the problem of no-shows persists. Many illnesses require 48-hour blocks from food and drink service roles. This can leave a restaurant short-staffed at the worst possible times, directly impacting service and customer satisfaction.

4. Wage Percentages Creeping Up: As labour costs continue to rise, managing wage percentages becomes increasingly challenging. Finding a balance between offering competitive wages, enough hours on the roster for staff, and maintaining profitability is a constant struggle.

When Short-Term Gigs Make Sense

Given these challenges, more and more hospitality businesses are turning to short-term gigs as a viable staffing solution. Here are some scenarios where this approach can be particularly effective:

• Events: Hosting a special event? Short-term gigs allow you to scale your staff up or down depending on the size and nature of the event, ensuring you have the right coverage without overstaffing.

• Large Deliveries: When a significant delivery is expected, having additional hands-on-deck can make all the difference. Short-term gigs provide the flexibility to bring in extra help when you need it most.

• Deep Cleans: Following a refurbishment, maintenance, or even a flood, as a business you want to get back open as soon as possible. Hiring gig professionals for deep-cleaning tasks ensures your business can open quickly, without the need for a permanent cleaning crew. Giggers can also top up your staff’s weekly cleaning schedule to keep everything looking pristine, especially your Yelp reviews!

Benefits of Using a Hiring App

To streamline the process of finding and managing short-term staff, many operators are turning to hiring apps. These platforms offer several key advantages:

• Short-Term Hiring (Gigs): You can hire a Pro (professional) for a shift as short as two hours or a contract of several weeks. Most part-time staff want to see at least 10-15 hours per week, but giggers have flexibility with multiple jobs and income streams, so are happy to pick up shorter shifts.

• Reduce Payroll Expenses: Most gigs are performed by independent contractors. These staff are self-employed and build in their own payroll and benefit costs into the hourly wage rate. This means no EI contributions, holiday pay or other statutory deductions are required by the employer, reducing financial and administrative costs.

• Roster Management: Grow a list of tried and tested professionals for frequently occurring jobs. Favourite the best ones and hire them for a shift, at the tap of a button, when you need them. Over time, you’ll build an A-team list of giggers who can help you out of any situation.

• On-Demand Hiring: Need staff within a few hours? Hiring apps allow you to quickly match-to and hire qualified hospitality professionals, helping you meet demand with minimal disruption.

• Skills & Rating Tracking: Ensure you’re hiring the best by reviewing the skills and ratings of potential professionals. Apps like AmbiMi record cumulative skill hours so when you see “Serving: 320 hours”, those hours are genuine. This feature helps you match the professional with the right skills to the right job, every time.

• Scheduling & Reminders: Keep your operations running smoothly with built-in scheduling tools and reminders, ensuring everyone knows when and where they’re needed. You’ll be notified a few hours before a scheduled shift to ensure everything is ready to go.

Plan Ahead

Getting ahead of what’s coming down the line for your business is one of the best ways of staying ahead of potential staffing issues. While hiring apps are a great tool you can use to schedule and build a pool of staff for the future; it’s also worth taking a holistic look at your wage percentage, staffing levels and other factors in unison. Companies like Benchmark Sixty* offer specific staffing consultancy projects for the hospitality industry, helping to optimize your operations and manage labour costs more effectively.

*We are not affiliated with, or earn commission from this link.

In conclusion, short-term gigs and the use of hiring apps (like AmbiMi) are powerful tools for a hospitality business to maximise revenue . By leveraging these resources, you can maintain a flexible, efficient workforce that meets the demands of your business—without compromising on quality or profitability.