JOHN WEST
Brett Ables knows a thing or two about restaurants in Auburn.
He began working at both Hamilton’s on Magnolia and Jimmy John’s while taking classes at Southern Union State Community College, and he says he fell in love with what he calls the “stressful chaos” of the restaurant industry.
“Auburn was just a really unique place to work,” he said. “There are so many people coming to the city, there is just this amazing atmosphere in the city. I really fell in love with working in the restaurant field.”
Now he’s built an app called Croux to help Auburn restaurant workers juggle multiple jobs.
Ables lived in Auburn for 10 years before moving to Birmingham in 2016 where he runs a catering business called Feast.
Last October, he and his business partners launched Croux (pronounced crew) in the Birmingham area. Croux is an app that gives restaurant workers the flexibility to work where they want, when they need to. The concept is similar to rideshare apps like Uber.
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Within a month of launching in Birmingham, Croux already had 300 employees ready to work through the app and another 300 waiting to be vetted.
“They signed up in waves,” Ables said. “A lot of people want to use this platform and work. They just needed the flexibility it offers. And on the business side, we have been very fortunate to be successful up here with many restaurant partners.”
Now Ables is bringing Croux to Auburn.
“I love the area and am very excited that we will have the opportunity to come back and get involved again soon,” said Ables. “What’s really special about this area is that the restaurant people in Auburn really are like family.”
According to Ables, the Croux app is beneficial for both employees and employers. He calls it a “double-sided” app that allows companies to easily connect with talented people who need flexibility.
“That helps the talent because they have access to jobs they wouldn’t normally have access to, and it helps companies because they’re able to tap into talent they wouldn’t normally have access to,” Ables said.
If a restaurant knows they need someone on a Friday night from 5pm to 10am, that business can post their schedule and required skills on Coux’s app. On the employee side of the app, someone can apply who knows they will be available at that time. The restaurant still has the opportunity to verify the applicant. When the person is hired, they get paid for the shift they work.
“What’s really unique about it is that people get paid right away,” Ables said. “So you don’t have to wait two weeks for a paycheck. It’s a bit like Uber, this gig economy. As soon as you work, the money can go straight to your account.”
Both workers and companies can also rate each other at the end of a shift. Ables says the rating system keeps everything sane.
“People are already used to working in multiple restaurants and bars if they’re flexible and available,” Ables said. “We’re just providing technology to make that transition much easier.”
It’s a concept that Ables believes will translate well to Auburn, especially during soccer season.
“In Auburn, we ran our normal sales all week, but on a game day weekend, LSU or Georgia come in and our restaurants did five times the sales of a normal two-day stretch in just a two-day stretch,” Ables said. “It’s a very unique scenario that only places like Auburn really experience.”
Ables founded Croux with business partners Jennifer Ryan, Stewart Price, Lindsey Noto and Kenny Kung. He said the idea arose from discussions with others in the service industry about staffing issues.
Once started, Croux got a boost from two tech start-up competitions in Alabama. They submitted a winning pitch to Techstars from Mobile and then won $25,000 in a second startup contest through Launchpad Alabama.
Even more fortunes came their way when the World Games came to Birmingham in July. The games went to Croux to find staff help.
“We took over 40 shifts during the World Games,” said Ables. “You know, a start-up company that was able to staff the World Games in Birmingham, that really cemented us in the eyes of a lot of people and showed that it could work.”
Ables say they will help cast other big events in the Birmingham area, including next year’s March Madness. However, her main interest remains providing talent for restaurants.
“We want people to know that our primary focus is on restaurants, but this app can also be used by others, particularly in the events space,” said Ables.
While no exact date has been set for Auburn’s launch, Ables is already promoting the app on local community boards. He will also start reaching out to local restaurants in the coming weeks.
“We want restaurants to know, hey, we’re coming, and if you’re interested in working with us, we’d love for you to download the app and get started,” said Ables. “Anyone and everyone in Auburn willing to use this, go ahead and download the app and we’ll get started.”
The app can be found in both the Apple App Store and Google Play. Visit https://www.croux.co/ for more information.
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