A GIG economy app launched in Belfast has come to the rescue of restaurants in the north by helping them stay open during the Covid-19 lockdown - and also allows people to earn extra income in their spare time by doing shifts as delivery drivers.
'Gigable' connects restaurants with freelance delivery drivers and has allowed many restaurants which didn’t previously have a delivery service to quickly and easily launch deliveries and keep their businesses afloat.
Founded by tech entrepreneur John Ryan, the online platform’s initial plan was to meet the needs of businesses in the hospitality and events sector for short-term shift work as required.
But as businesses adapt to the new Covid-19 reality, the platform now seeks to recruit local drivers to meet the appetite for restaurant deliveries.
He said: "We’re certainly hoping that more and more restaurants in Belfast decide to go with Gigable. The lockdown has been very hard for people, especially for people worried about the future of their business and having to let staff go. It's great to be able to help people through this.’’
He added: "The app has been performing well, and it’s all down to how easy it is to use and how fair and transparent it is for both the restaurant and the delivery driver.
"One of the key advantages of Gigable is that restaurants keep total control of their delivery system, from their brand identity to ensuring that drivers are wearing branded clothing. You don’t get this with other platforms.’’
Gigable, which successfully raised a seed round of funding from Delta Partners, Enterprise Ireland and private investors, recently also signed a partnership with Revolut which facilitates and streamlines a direct system of payments between freelancers and businesses.
