Part-Timers, Gig Workers, and the Future of Restaurant Ops

From the Desk of Jonathan Lim, Founder & CEO, Oddle

Labour is a hot topic among restaurant owners right now.

Almost every conversation I’ve had recently—whether it’s with a heritage brand, a fast-growing café, or a multi-outlet chain—circles back to one thing:

“We’re struggling to hire.”

To go deeper, I sat down with Julian Tan, Founder and CEO of FastCo which operates FastJobs and FastGig, to unpack what’s really going on. What started as a quick catch-up turned into a full-blown strategy discussion—on part-timers, gig workers, labour systems, and the future of restaurant operations.

This article distills that conversation.

🧠 Back to First Principles: Why Casual Labour Exists

At its core, a restaurant is a fluctuating demand engine:

• Monday lunch is quiet. Friday night is chaos.
• Weekends are packed. Weekdays vary.
• Rainy days slow things down. School holidays and events ramp things up.

But your full-time headcount is fixed.

Hire too many full-timers and you bleed during off-peak.

Hire too few and you can’t cope with peak demand.

That’s why casual labour exists.

It gives you operational elasticity—the ability to match manpower to real-time demand.

🔄 The Casual Labour Conundrum

Most restaurant owners face the same cycle:

1. You hire a few part-timers.
2. You can’t give them consistent hours.
3. They go inactive or leave.
4. When you need them again, they’re gone.
5. So you scramble to hire again—and repeat the cycle.

Why?

Because your goals and theirs don’t align.

You want flexibility.

They want consistency.

You want them available on demand.

They want reliable hours and income.

Unless you solve that, you’ll always be stuck reacting.

🔥 Why It’s Getting Worse, Not Better

This mismatch isn’t new. But it’s gotten harder in recent years.

That’s because today’s casual workers have more options:

• Delivery riders
• E-commerce packers
• TikTok shop staff
• Event crew
• Office temp jobs with aircon

These jobs often offer:

• Flexible hours
• Same (or better) pay
• Less physical and emotional labour

The result? Casual labour hasn’t disappeared—it’s just shifted.

⚙️ What the Best Restaurants Are Doing Differently

Despite the crunch, some restaurants are still managing their part-time labour well.

Here’s what they do differently:

1. They Build a Reliable Pool Over Time

Even a group of 3–5 trained part-timers can go a long way. These are the people who know your SOPs and don’t need hand-holding.

2. They Offer Predictability

A fixed shift every Sunday dinner is better than 3 random slots a month. Predictable schedules = stronger retention.

3. They Stay in Touch

WhatsApp groups help keep part-timers engaged. A sense of belonging increases their likelihood to return.

4. They Cross-Train

A part-timer who can run food, clear tables, and cover host duties is way more valuable. Versatility means they get more hours—and you get more flexibility.

5. They Know It Still Won’t Be Enough

No matter how well you plan, things happen:

• Last-minute no-shows
• Sick calls
• Surge in walk-ins
• Pop-up events

At some point, you need extra hands.

👷‍♀️ The Rise of On-Demand Labour

This is where our conversation shifted.

Julian shared that FastJobs began noticing a growing segment of the workforce who weren’t looking for full-time jobs at all—not because they didn’t want stability, but because their lifestyle simply didn’t allow for it.

Think:

• Stay-at-home mothers who can only work when the kids are in school
• Students with limited windows around classes
• Retirees looking for flexible, occasional work

These workers aren’t rejecting commitment. They just need jobs that fit into life, not the other way around.

That insight led to the creation of FastGig, a platform for on-demand casual labour.

Instead of posting jobs and managing applications, restaurants post a shift. The platform matches them with a worker who’s ready to show up—no contracts, no back-and-forth, no long-term obligation.

It’s not meant to replace your part-time pool.

It’s meant to fill the gaps—to be the safety net when things don’t go as planned.

🐘 The Elephant in the Room: What About Worker Quality?

Let’s address the big fear:

“How do I know the worker will be any good?”

It’s a fair concern—and one that every platform has to solve.

But here’s what most people don’t realize:

This is a two-sided game.

Just like restaurants rate workers, workers also rate restaurants.

• Were they treated respectfully?
• Did the job match the description?
• Was payment fast and accurate?

Over time, platforms like FastGig build reputation loops on both ends:

• High-rated workers get priority gigs
• High-rated restaurants get better workers
• Poor experiences get filtered out

It’s meritocracy through data.

And platforms are incentivised to maintain that quality—because repeat usage depends on trust.

So while quality is a valid concern, it’s also a solvable one.

👀 What the Worker Wants: A Shift in Power

One thing Julian shared really reframed how I think about the gig economy:

The gig model empowers workers—not just restaurants.

Many casual workers today don’t want to be tied to a single outlet.

They want the freedom to pick and choose jobs.

And just like restaurants want a pool of workers to call on,

workers want a pool of bosses to choose from.

• They’ll favour restaurants with better treatment and faster payouts
• They’ll avoid places with poor ratings or unclear expectations
• They’re building their own “preferred client list” the same way restaurants build their part-timer pool

In that way, platforms shift the power balance.

They create a more transparent, two-way marketplace—where both sides earn their place through reliability and reputation.

🧭 The New Casual Labour Playbook

If you’re running a restaurant today, here’s what your manpower strategy might look like:

It’s not about choosing one or the other.

It’s about having the right tool for the right job.

🚀 Final Thought: You Can’t Grow Without People

Every restaurant wants to grow. More covers, more bookings, more orders.

But growth doesn’t come from luck. It comes from capacity.

And capacity starts with people.

If you can’t staff your restaurant, you can’t serve.

If you can’t serve, you can’t scale.

If you can’t scale, your brand hits a ceiling—no matter how good the food is.

So don’t treat manpower like a background problem.

Build a system. Mix long-term with on-demand. Respect the workers. And give yourself options.

Because in today’s market, the restaurants that win aren’t the ones that just cook well.

They’re the ones who staff smart.

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