At this time, we welcome Shift Drink to the dance floor. The brainchild of Winston Gitonga , Sven Sujica and John Newman, Shift Drink is billed as the home of NY restaurant employees on the web. Say the founders, "We’ve created a website that is not about hating your job, but about having the guts to say, “Hey, it is what it is. I pay my bills, take an occasional vacation, have flexibility to pursue other interests, and meet like minded people.”
Far from being insular, however, the months old site has plenty for the non-employee as well. At present, our favorite feature is the Inside Scoop in which staffers dish about their work conditions, interview style. A choice Q & A from the Scoop on Crafbar:
DO YOU GET A SHIFT DRINK AT THE END OF THE NIGHT?A great motivator indeed, to keep Colicchio's confit profit margins in your own pocket.Always, but only beer and wine. However, sometimes they'll make it into a game like, "Sell five duck confit's and get a cocktail!"...always a great motivator.
Shift Drink is, of course, a reference to the gratis cocktail staff get, according to an implied contract, per working shift. We do wish the site well for fear that they might spit in our food if we don't.
· Shift Drink [shiftdrink.com]
