Is Gigpro the Best App for Finding Last-Minute Bartender and Cook Shifts With Instant Pay?
Gigpro is an application that connects hospitality businesses, like restaurants and hotels, with people seeking temporary, single-shift work. Think of it as a digital tool for filling an empty spot on a schedule. If a restaurant is suddenly short a dishwasher for a Friday night, they can use Gigpro to find a qualified person to cover that shift. For workers, it offers a way to pick up extra hours, earn money on a flexible schedule, and work in different environments without a long-term commitment.
The platform operates across 40 U.S. cities, serving a network of over 4,000 businesses and 21,000 workers. Its mobile app has been downloaded more than 100,000 times from the Google Play store alone, showing its growing adoption in the hospitality sector.
How Gigpro Works for Businesses
For a restaurant or hotel owner, the process is designed to be quick and straightforward. The platform helps solve the immediate problem of a staff shortage.
Post a Gig
A business manager realizes they need an extra bartender for a special event. They open the Gigpro app and create a post. This post includes essential details like the date, start and end times, the specific role (bartender), and the hourly pay rate.
Receive Applications
Vetted workers on the Gigpro platform see this new gig pop up in their app. If they are available and interested, they can apply with a simple tap. Their profile, which includes their experience, skills, and ratings from previous gigs, is sent to the business.
Select a Professional
The business reviews the profiles of the applicants. They can see a person’s work history and what other businesses have said about them. This helps them choose the most suitable candidate for the job. Once they select someone, that worker is instantly notified.
How Gigpro Works for Hospitality Professionals
For individuals, Gigpro offers a way to control their work schedule completely. It provides freedom and variety.
- Create a Profile: A cook looking for extra income first downloads the Gigpro app. They build a profile highlighting their skills, years of experience, and the types of roles they are qualified for, such as prep cook or line cook.
- Find Gigs: The worker can then browse all available shifts in their area. They can filter by role, date, or pay rate. They might see a prep cook shift for a morning opening or a line cook gig for a busy dinner service.
- Apply and Get Hired: When they find a gig that fits their schedule and skills, they apply. If the business selects them, they receive a confirmation. All the details they need, like the address and start time, are in the app.
- Work and Get Paid: The worker shows up for the shift, performs their duties, and gets their hours confirmed by the manager through the app. Payment is then processed directly through Gigpro.
The Financials: Payments, Fees, and Taxes
Understanding the financial side is crucial for both businesses and workers, as it touches on important “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) topics. Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines emphasize the need for clear, reliable information in these areas.
Payment Processing
Gigpro acts as the middleman for all transactions. The business pays Gigpro for the completed shift. Gigpro then pays the worker, simplifying the payroll process for the business.
Service Fees
The company charges businesses a small service fee for each job filled through the platform. This fee covers the operational costs of running the app, including payment processing and customer support.
Tax Implications
Workers on Gigpro are considered independent contractors, not employees. This means they are responsible for managing their own taxes. Gigpro tracks their earnings and provides them with a 1099 form at the end of the year, which is necessary for tax filing. This distinction is vital for workers to understand, as they do not receive traditional employee benefits like health insurance or paid time off.
The Driving Force: A Major Shift in the Labor Market
Gigpro’s rise is part of a larger trend involving short-term staffing startups. For the past 15 years, the job market has been tightening. The number of job vacancies has grown significantly faster than the number of unemployed people looking for work. Today, for every 100 open jobs, there are only about 85 available workers.
This labor shortage hits the hospitality industry particularly hard. The demanding nature of restaurant and hotel work, combined with fluctuating daily needs, creates a constant challenge for managers trying to keep their schedules full. A single call-out can disrupt an entire service.
Platforms like Gigpro offer a modern solution to this age-old problem. They remove the friction from the hiring process. Instead of spending time and money on job boards and interviews for a temporary need, businesses can access a pool of on-demand talent. This model has proven successful in other sectors as well. For example, Clipboard Health uses a similar platform to fill shifts for nurses and other healthcare professionals, a field also facing significant labor shortages.
Benefits of Using a Platform Like Gigpro
The model offers distinct advantages for both sides of the marketplace.
For Businesses
- Flexibility: Businesses can scale their workforce up or down based on real-time demand, whether it’s an unexpectedly busy Tuesday or a fully booked weekend event.
- Speed: Open shifts can be filled in hours, or even minutes, rather than days or weeks. This agility is a significant advantage in a fast-paced industry.
- Access to Talent: The platform provides access to a large, pre-vetted pool of workers with varied experience.
- Reduced Administrative Burden: Gigpro handles the logistics of payment and provides basic oversight, freeing up managers’ time.
For Workers
- Total Schedule Control: Workers choose when and where they want to work, offering a level of freedom that traditional employment often cannot.
- Variety: Professionals can experience different kitchens, bars, and hotels, which can help them learn new skills and expand their professional network.
- Quick Payments: Many gigs offer fast payment, providing a quick way to earn money without waiting for a bi-weekly paycheck.
- Build a Reputation: Positive ratings from businesses can help top-performing workers get selected for more, and potentially higher-paying, gigs.
The Future of On-Demand Staffing
With a $16 million Series A funding round secured last year, Gigpro is positioned for further growth. The company is a key player in the larger movement toward flexible, on-demand work. As businesses continue to struggle with staffing shortages and workers increasingly seek greater control over their schedules, the demand for platforms that connect them is likely to grow. This trend represents a fundamental change in how the hospitality industry, and others, manage their most valuable resource: people. Leveraging digital marketing strategies like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for these platforms to reach a broader audience and generate leads. By creating helpful, people-first content, they can establish themselves as authoritative and trustworthy resources in the industry.