PROVIDENCE – A new Snapchef center on Weybosset Street will serve as the company’s primary New England training hub, as the company experiences record demand growth within the city.
The food service staffing solutions company, which offers worker training and technical and staffing assistance for employers, provides culinary services to a variety of clients, ranging from college dining halls and stadiums to hospitals and nursing homes.
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In addition to the new location at 259 Weybosset St., which has its soft opening in July, Snapchef has another Providence location at 930 Narragansett Blvd. The company also runs centers in Boston, Worcester and Springfield, Mass.
The company’s leaders saw a need for a second Providence location as demands for its services within the city surged, said Snapchef CEO and co-founder Todd Snopkowski, with employers requesting an average of more than 700 shifts per week.
“We knew we had to open up a second location to support that growth,” Snopkowski said in a statement. “Weybosset Street is key for recruiting due to its high visibility location, heavy foot traffic and proximity to culinary students at Johnson & Wales University.
Since opening the Weybosset Street location, Snapchef Providence has received around 3,000 shift requests on a monthly basis, according to the company, and hired more than 100 employees per month.
In addition to on-site training, Snapchef hosts a virtual platform, SnapWare, that matches job seekers in the hospitality industry with businesses looking to hire. The app gives workers flexibility in how many shifts they can fill, and whether they’re looking for temporary or long-term employment.
More than half of the Weybosset Street location’s staff members are currently university or high school students, which Snapchef Director of Operations Arwen Robitaille said has helped to foster a mutually beneficial, flexible schedule for workers and clients.
“[Students] usually have more open availability, but being able to work with the students is also about working with our clients,” Robitaille said. “Most of our clients are happy to be flexible to accommodate a student’s schedule to make sure a shift is filled.”
Community leaders, including Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, joined the Snapchef team at the new location Nov. 10 for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Janet Richmond, senior vice president of economic development for Providence, said in a statement that Snapchef’s expansion will help to address industry-specific and widespread staffing issues.
“In these times when businesses, particularly those in the hospitality industry, are searching for qualified talent to staff their operations, Snapchef plays an invaluable role in connecting hospitality and food service job seekers to local job opportunities,” Richmond said.
The expansion “highlights Snapchef’s dedication to the continued revitalization efforts for downtown Providence and the future of our capital city,” she added.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at voghel@pbn.com.
