How Brigad helped Thomas Franks reduce temp staff costs by up to 40% without compromising on quality
For contract caterers, it is not an option to underdeliver compared to their clients’ expectations. In Thomas Franks’ case, their contract catering work in the Education and B&I sectors means that, despite rising costs and the current staffing crisis, they must still deliver nutritious, high quality meals on-time and for a very specific number of students and staff members. Since using Brigad to connect with qualified hospitality professionals, Thomas Franks has been able to fully staff their kitchens, enabling them to give their clients a great experience, whilst also reducing costs and staying under budget.
Key Figures
Like much of the hospitality industry, attracting and retaining talent is an issue that Thomas Franks faces. However, as a contract caterer, their segment is lesser known than restaurants, hotels and pubs, meaning that hospitality professionals often don’t even know that working in contract catering is a possibility. Compounded with the effects of Brexit and COVID-19, finding qualified workers with the required skills to join their team had become a significant challenge.
As such, Thomas Franks has on occasion been reliant on temp agencies to meet their staffing needs - an expensive solution due to exorbitantly high finder’s fees. So, when Brigad was introduced to the Thomas Franks team, it was a revolution.
Our tech and matching algorithm cuts out the middleman and the need to manually source staff, with the result that costs are dramatically cut.
“Some agencies out there are £40 an hour for a chef. The most I'm paying is £23,24 an hour with Brigad. That's made a massive difference.”
– Iain Ball, Senior Operations Manager at Thomas Franks
Yet, a thorough vetting process means that the talents who connect with Thomas Franks through Brigad are highly qualified and extremely competent, which consequently means that the quality of Thomas Franks’ service to their clients is in no way compromised.
Today, Thomas Franks posts 200 missions a month on Brigad across their Education and B&I sites. From Head Chefs to Baristas and Kitchen Porters, they have used Brigad to connect with over 404 talents and fill shifts for over 15 roles. The team often takes advantage of the favourites feature on Brigad and have already saved the profiles of 173 talents, so that they can easily work with them again for future missions.
Hear more from the Thomas Franks team
About Thomas Franks
Thomas Franks is an unique, contract caterer with a passion for fresh food, professionally presented through excellent service by using quality, locally-sourced ingredients in each and every meal they serve. They specialise in catering for businesses and independent schools, as well as special event and fine dining services.
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