Founded in 2018 by Yavonne and Wade Sarber, Agave & Rye is an independent Tequila and Bourbon Hall that combines bold street art with refined décor to create a dynamic, unforgettable dining experience. 

Known for its made-from-scratch menu of unique street tacos and craft cocktails, the restaurant focuses on high-quality ingredients and a playful, adventurous approach to food and service.

With a focus on community and a commitment to exceptional service, Agave & Rye has garnered widespread recognition for both its food and its commitment to creating a positive, family-like work culture.

Since its inception, Agave & Rye has grown to 18+ locations across Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and Indiana, and is expanding at a rapid pace.

The Problem
As Agave & Rye continued to grow, their hiring process became increasingly inefficient and time-consuming. 

With 18 locations and two other brands to manage, the company faced several key challenges in recruiting top talent quickly and effectively.

Here’s what they were up against:

1. Disjointed Hiring Systems

Agave & Rye relied on multiple platforms such as UKG, Indeed, and Calendly, none of which integrated well with each other. This created a fragmented and manual process that required constant switching between systems and extra effort to maintain consistency.

2. High Spending, Low Efficiency

The company was spending upwards of $6,000 per month on job postings across their multiple locations and brands. However, they had no effective way to track or optimize the performance of these postings, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities for improvement.

3. Time-Consuming Manual Tasks

The hiring process demanded significant involvement from the Chief People Officer, HR admin, and payroll specialist. These tasks, from candidate outreach to interview scheduling, took them away from their core responsibilities and added unnecessary strain on their teams.

4. Tracking and Duplicate Applications

Agave & Rye struggled with tracking candidates who applied to multiple locations. This led to duplicate applications, confusion, and a fragmented experience for candidates, making it harder to streamline the hiring process.

5. Critical Staffing Shortfall Impacting Upcoming NRO

With the upcoming launch of their newest restaurant, Agave & Rye faced an urgent need to fill more than 100 positions in just three weeks. Despite using an Applicant Tracking System, the volume of quality applicants needed wasn't generated in time, putting their opening at risk.As the company continued to expand into new markets, Agave & Rye realized they needed a more dynamic, efficient recruitment solution to meet both current and future staffing demands.

With LANDED, Agave & Rye found the perfect partner to streamline their hiring process, reduce costs, and automate many of the manual tasks that were draining their team’s time. 

By integrating seamlessly with their existing systems, including UKG, LANDED eliminated the need to switch between platforms, and ensured that the hiring process became faster, more efficient, and scalable.

Here’s how LANDED solved Agave & Rye’s biggest recruitment challenges:

Optimized Job Postings Across Multiple Platforms
LANDED optimized Agave & Rye’s job postings across 80+ job boards and social media platforms. This broader reach enabled the company to target the right candidates and significantly reduce their monthly spending on job ads.

24/7 Engagement with Candidates
Leveraging LANDED’s  human recruitment team in tandem with Generative AI, candidates were immediately engaged, screened, and scheduled for an interview — all without manual input from Agave & Rye’s team. 

This freed up time for HR professionals to focus on operations and ensuring high-quality hires.

Seamless Metrics and Data Optimization
LANDED’s platform tracked candidates across multiple locations, preventing duplicate applications and offering a smooth, integrated experience for both candidates and recruiters. 

This also allowed Agave & Rye to maintain a clear view of each applicant’s journey, even if they applied to different locations.

By automating key aspects of the hiring process and providing a dynamic recruitment platform, LANDED helped Agave & Rye meet their staffing needs more efficiently, reducing their workload while ensuring they could continue to scale successfully.

LANDED has become a critical driver in Agave & Rye’s rapid expansion, ensuring they can staff new restaurant openings efficiently and at scale. 

Here’s a quick look into the partnership’s impressive results: 

• 3,247 text messages sent per month 
• 162 hours saved per month
• 396 qualified applicants received per month 
• 77 interviews scheduled per month

As Agave & Rye continues to open new locations, LANDED will be at the heart of their staffing strategy, ensuring every new restaurant is fully staffed with top talent, fast.