How Dickey’s Barbecue Cut Payroll Costs in Half
Restaurant industry veteran Albert Barreno opened his first Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Merced, California, in December 2015.
When the payroll and workers’ comp needs of the franchise shifted, Barreno searched for a new service provider. He was eying retirement and taking on a lighter workload — he no longer needed many of the features offered by his payroll provider.
Today it’s a small but mighty crew of four employees.
“I used to operate a ton of restaurants at once and I needed all the expensive bells and whistles from a big payroll company,” Barreno said. “But my needs have changed. I now only operate one store and I was looking to simplify things. Hourly meets those needs and has met them from day one.”
Albert turned to Hourly to simplify things by syncing the restaurant’s payroll with its workers’ comp policy. Bareno’s premiums adjust automatically as his business needs shrink, saving him money along the way.
Before switching to Hourly, Barreno’s payroll cost was about $300 each month per restaurant.
“There was a time when I was operating ten different restaurants and had a ton of staff on hand,” Bareno said, explaining this ballooned the price of his payroll service to $3,000 a month.
His new cost since switching to Hourly? Just $82 per pay period—just $164 a month.
Hourly’s pay-as-you-go workers' comp calculates premiums with unparalleled accuracy using real-time data—and charges businesses precisely for the coverage they need even when their needs change like Barreno’s.
Another benefit Barreno since moving to Hourly? The customer service.
“I wanted to have more one-on-one interactions with my payroll provider’s customer service. I didn’t have that luxury before and that’s something I get with Hourly. If I have a problem, I’m one phone call away—and my customer success manager is always there.”
As Barreno looks to the future, he leans on Hourly to save time running payroll.
“Hourly is convenient. I have confidence that my payroll needs are going to be taken care of and if something goes wrong, it’s easy to get someone on the phone to help me out. I’ve been in the restaurant business for a long time and payroll is one of the good things—the easiest things—about it. I highly recommend Hourly to others in the restaurant industry if they are looking for confidence and great service.”