Scheduling, Shift Trading and Smoothies

Why we invested in 7shifts

Scheduling 100 million shifts and solving labor management issues for nearly 20,000 restaurants and 500,000 employees across the globe is no easy feat. Luckily, one Saskatoon-based company has risen up to the challenge.

Founded by Jordan Boesch in 2014, 7shifts is a digital scheduling platform made just for restaurants. Whether you own multiple franchises, a single location, or even a food truck, 7shifts’ affordable subscription models make it easy for business owners of any size to schedule staff, integrate payroll, create to-do lists, and instant message with their team.

After visiting Jordan in downtown Saskatoon at his 2nd Avenue office in 2016, we invested with the idea that his company’s unique mobile-first solution would be widely adopted by millennials — who make up the majority of service industry workers. With 300% year-over-year user growth, it’s safe to say that 7shifts provides incredible value to its digitally native clients.

So how does it all work? Jordan’s software integrates with POS systems like Toast and TouchBistro to help forecast sales and labour requirements. 7shifts then uses this data to coordinate staff accordingly, allowing restaurant owners to cut costs and better optimize their labour force.

After implementing 7shifts, Georgia based Smoothie King was able to reduce their labor costs by 10% across three locations. “From day one I have seen the benefits. [7shifts] allows my managers to free up more time when scheduling because they don’t have to always look at a calendar to see if someone requested time off,” says Smoothie King Supervisor Mackenzie Rautanen.

7shifts’ ongoing success has garnered attention from investors like Enlightened Hospitality Investments, the venture arm of Union Square Hospitality Group, who recently led their $21.5MM Series B funding round with participation from Relay and other existing investors. This funding will fuel 7shift’s growth through continued product enhancements around predictive scheduling, forecasting, and employee engagement tools. Impressively, the company has increased their valuation 25x since our initial investment — making it clear that 7shifts is not just a scheduling app, but rather, an integral tool for end-to-end hospitality labour management.

The Saskatoon startup’s philosophy of continuous improvement has enabled it to adapt to an industry that has been ravaged by COVID-19. With its new Health Check feature, 7shifts provides restaurant owners with customizable screening forms to track symptom risks. Whether it’s keeping employees and customers safe or ensuring staffing schedules properly coordinated, 7shifts doesn’t just want its clients to like its service, it wants them to love it.

The company feels the same way about its employees, too. Voted as one of the top three for Canada’s best places to work several years in a row, Jordan’s exceptional teamwork-driven leadership keeps employees keen on delivering best-in-class solutions that leave us hungry for more.

We can’t wait to see what 7shifts will serve up next!