Business Guide
Shifts & Billing
Post shifts, manage applicants, and understand your costs.
Posting a Shift
How to post
From your business dashboard, click Post a Shift. Select the role you need (bartender, server, line cook, etc.), the date, start and end time, and your pay rate. Add a clear description with practical details like dress code, parking, and what to expect on arrival.
Required fields
Every shift needs a role, date, start time, end time, and pay rate. A description is optional but strongly recommended -- shifts with detailed descriptions fill significantly faster. You will also need a payment method on file before your first shift can go live.
Recurring shifts
Need the same role every Friday night? Post a recurring shift series instead of creating individual posts. Workers love predictability, and recurring shifts from the same venue get snapped up fast.
Draft and preview
Before publishing, preview how your shift will appear in the worker marketplace. Double-check the pay rate, times, and description. Once published, your shift is immediately visible to matched workers.
Editing a posted shift
You can edit shift details (description, times, pay rate) before any worker has been accepted. Once a worker is confirmed, only the description can be updated -- time and pay changes require cancelling and reposting.
Managing Applicants
Reviewing applications
When workers apply, you see their profile photo, name, headline, skills, experience, reliability score, and ratings. Applications are sorted by match quality. A high reliability score means the worker consistently shows up and performs well.
Accepting a worker
Tap Accept on the applicant you want. This triggers a wage hold on your payment method and notifies the worker. The worker then needs to acknowledge the assignment. Respond quickly to strong applicants -- good workers get multiple offers.
Rejecting applicants
You can reject applicants you do not want for a specific shift. Rejected workers are not notified with a reason, but they can see the status change. Be mindful that rejecting the same worker repeatedly may discourage them from applying to your future shifts.
Favorites
Found a great worker? Add them to your favorites list. Favorited workers get priority notifications when you post new shifts and appear highlighted in your applicant list. Building a reliable bench of go-to workers saves you time on every future shift.
The Shift Lifecycle
Overview
Every shift follows a structured lifecycle: Posted > Filled > Acknowledged > Checked In > Arrival Confirmed > Completed. You have specific actions at several steps, and the platform guides you through each one.
Step 1: Worker acknowledges
After you accept a worker, they must acknowledge the assignment. This confirms they have seen the acceptance and plan to show up. If a worker does not acknowledge within a reasonable time, consider reaching out via shift messaging or selecting another applicant.
Step 2: Worker checks in
When the worker arrives at your venue, they check in through the app or website. You receive a notification that they are on-site. This timestamps their arrival for your records.
Step 3: Confirm arrival
Verify the worker is physically present and ready to work by confirming their arrival. This is your sign-off that the shift is officially underway. Do this promptly so the worker's check-in time is accurately recorded.
Step 4: Complete the shift
When the shift ends, mark it as complete from your dashboard. At this point you can add tips and additional wages (up to 2x the base wage amount combined). Once completed, the worker's payout is automatically initiated.
Shift extensions
If the shift runs longer than planned, you can extend it in real time from the active shift view. This adjusts the total pay proportionally and notifies the worker. Extensions are billed at the same hourly rate as the original shift.
Cancellations
Cancelling before a worker is assigned
If no worker has been accepted yet, you can cancel the shift freely with no fees or penalties. The shift is simply removed from the marketplace.
Cancelling after a worker is assigned
If you cancel after accepting a worker, the wage hold on your card is voided and you are not charged. However, frequent cancellations after accepting workers can negatively impact your venue rating and make workers less likely to apply to your future shifts.
Worker cancellations and no-shows
If an accepted worker cancels or does not show up, you are not charged. The shift returns to the marketplace so other workers can apply. You can report no-shows, which impacts the worker's reliability score.
Dispute resolution
Workers can file a dispute within 48 hours of shift completion if something went wrong (pay, conditions, or a no-show claim). While a dispute is under review, any pending payout for that shift is paused. Our team reviews all shift activity (check-ins, messages, timestamps) and resolves disputes typically within 1-2 business days. You'll be notified if a shift you posted is disputed.
Promotions & Bounties
Promoting a shift
Boost your shift's visibility in the worker marketplace with an optional promotion. Promoted shifts appear higher in search results and the recommendation feed. This is most effective for same-day or next-day coverage when you need the shift filled fast.
Bounty shifts
For hard-to-fill or urgent shifts, add a bounty multiplier that increases the pay above your base rate. Bounty shifts are marked with a special indicator in the marketplace and attract workers who are specifically looking for premium-pay opportunities.
When to use each
Use promotions when you want more applicants to see your shift. Use bounties when you need to incentivize workers with higher pay. For truly urgent last-minute coverage, combining both gives you the best chance of filling the shift quickly.
Billing & Payments
How charges work
OpenToServe uses a pay-per-shift model. When you accept a worker, a hold is placed on your payment method for the estimated wages. The charge is only captured when you mark the shift as complete. If the shift is cancelled before completion, the hold is voided.
What you pay
You pay the worker's base wage plus any tips or additional wages you add at completion. OpenToServe adds a platform fee on top of the base wage. The total cost is clearly shown before you confirm a worker, so there are no surprises.
Platform fee
The platform fee covers payment processing, matching, support, and insurance. The exact fee percentage is shown on your pricing page and in the shift confirmation screen. Volume discounts may be available for high-frequency posters.
Payment methods
Manage your payment cards through Settings > Billing > Manage Payment Methods. You can add multiple cards and set a default. All card data is handled by Stripe and never touches our servers.
Failed payments
If a charge fails (expired card, insufficient funds), you receive an email notification with instructions to update your payment method. Shifts with failed payments are paused until the payment issue is resolved.
Statements & Records
Shift history
Your dashboard shows a complete history of all shifts: posted, filled, completed, and cancelled. Each entry includes the worker, role, hours, base pay, tips, additional wages, platform fee, and total cost.
Monthly statements
Download PDF statements from Settings > Billing. Monthly statements break down every shift charge for that period, including base wages, tips, additional wages, and platform fees. Useful for bookkeeping and expense tracking.
Annual summaries
At year-end, download an annual summary showing total spend, shifts posted, shifts completed, average cost per shift, and payment history. These are helpful for tax preparation and budgeting.
Stripe billing portal
Access the full Stripe billing portal from Settings > Billing for detailed payment history, receipts, and invoice downloads. This is the same portal where you manage payment methods.