The Gig Workforce Doesn’t Just Deliver Your Food; It Now Cooks and Serves It Too!

I don’t know about you, but the nerd in me occasionally likes to play the “how far can it go” game with the gig economy. In other words, I oftentimes find myself thinking, “can the gig workforce fit in that industry or that kind of job?” And when I ask that question, I frequently find myself saying, “nah, surely not there.” 

I must say I had that reaction when I first read about Jobletics, Inc., a company that provides gig-like workers to the high turnover foodservice industry. According to its website, the business connects “foodservice businesses to our W2, qualified professionals for ongoing or in-a-pinch help.”   

Okay, so you might be reading that description, seeing the reference to “W2,” and thinking that I am improperly writing about this in the gig blog space. But hold on. Here’s what Jobletics founder and president Rahul Sharma says about his company and the gig movement: “We heard the drawbacks of the gig economy … We’re the gig economy 2.0.”

So what does Sharma’s gig economy 2.0 business look like? Well, the type of workers (cutely called “jobelets”) the company makes available currently include line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, servers, bussers, and hosts. And why would anyone want to become a jobelet?  Here are the catchphrases Jobletics uses to entice job seekers on its website:

• “power your career”
• “control your schedule”
• “work you’ll love”

The company also says that jobelets get to rank the business where they work, and it promises a payday every Friday.

In terms of how it promotes itself to potential clients in the foodservice industry, Jobletics unsurprisingly reminds those businesses of the high turnover that is part and parcel to many in that industry. It also promises that it will source the jobelets through a “rigorous and multi-tiered interview process” and that its vetting process is “powered by our proprietary advanced recruiting technology.” And with a nod to the more typical gig players, it boasts of the ability for clients to manage the process through its app and to rate and rank the jobelets with whom they work. 

While the website does not indicate that the company is limited to any particular city or geographical area, it appears as though Jobletics is presently active in Boston, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.  It will be interesting to see whether Jobletics continues to pick up steam. 

If you missed prior posts discussing the entrance of the gig economy in other industries, you will want to check out the following: beauty/grooming, healthcare, hospitality, and science.