Key Points
- Jetro Restaurant Depot reduced annual candidate sourcing and employee onboarding costs by $1.8 million in the first year, with projected annual savings of $2.2 million
- Time-to-hire is the fastest in company history with AI-driven candidate sourcing and screening, which has improved candidate quality and streamlined onboarding
- Operational savings are being reinvested to modernize HR processes and support continued business growth
UKG, a leading global AI platform unifying HR, pay, and workforce management, today announced that Jetro Restaurant Depot, a national wholesale foodservice supplier in the U.S., has achieved substantial cost savings and hiring efficiency with UKG® Rapid Hire — a mobile- and AI-first solution designed specifically for high-volume, frontline hiring.
Jetro Restaurant Depot operates 165 locations across 35 states, providing restaurants and the foodservice industry with equipment, food, and essential supplies. With a workforce of more than 10,500 employees — including cashiers, shelve stockers, and drivers working in high-turnover positions — Jetro is on pace to open another 11 locations by 2027.
As the business expanded, it faced considerable hiring challenges, starting during the pandemic when Jetro was deemed an essential business but struggled to recruit enough staff and relied on multiple sourcing and onboarding solutions that drove up costs.
“From 2020 to 2024, we were paying an average of over $2.2 million a year to source candidates, plus a combined $240,000 for our onboarding platform and job postings. We knew there had to be a better way,” said Kavir Singh, HR Director and Assistant Controller at Jetro Restaurant Depot. “We saw significant results after piloting the solution and went live in all locations in January 2025.”
By switching to UKG Rapid Hire, Jetro dramatically reduced annual sourcing and onboarding costs by at least $1.8 million in 2025 alone and is projected to save $2.2 million annually going forward. The AI-driven solution played a pivotal role in these results, helping Jetro efficiently source candidates, automatically screen for policy requirements — such as verifying that applicants meet legal hiring age criteria — and streamline the entire hiring process. Managers now spend less time on administrative tasks and can focus more on qualified applicants thanks to the automation and intelligence built into UKG Rapid Hire. Time-to-hire has improved significantly, allowing Jetro to maintain its hiring pace and support ongoing business growth.
“For non-background check positions, it’s the most efficient we’ve had in the entire history of the company. The process from application to onboarding is now faster than ever, and both the number and quality of applicants has increased,” said Singh. “We’re currently onboarding 140 to 160 employees per week, maintaining or exceeding our previous hiring pace without relying on secondary platforms.”
Operational savings have allowed Jetro to reinvest in the business, focusing on employee development and process improvement. For example, the supplier recently upgraded its learning center and is exploring further automation in time and attendance management to drive even greater efficiency. UKG Rapid Hire has supported these improvements by making training and adoption simple, even for new team members. Jetro says store HR admins and frontline managers praise the solution’s ease of use and responsive support.
“It’s very simple, very user friendly. The new people who come on, it’s so easy for them to catch on and use the solution. The UKG team is nimble and quick to make changes and accommodate our requests. Their support is the best we’ve ever experienced,” Singh said.
“Jetro Restaurant Depot is a powerful example of how the right technology can deliver measurable ROI, transform hiring operations, and find the best people for the job,” said Amy Brar, Vice President of Product Management at UKG. “UKG Rapid Hire unites high-volume hiring, HCM, and workforce management in one intelligent platform that connects people data with real-time workforce insights to help organizations hire smarter, anticipate staffing needs, and build teams that succeed now and in the future. For organizations hiring quickly and at scale, this unique level of integration and intelligence is beyond helpful — it’s essential.”
Supporting Resources
- About Jetro Restaurant Depot.
- Learn more about UKG Rapid Hire and other UKG solutions in booth 5720 at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show January 11-13 in New York City.
About UKG
UKG is a leading global AI platform for HR, pay, and workforce management. Unifying award-winning solutions with the world’s largest collection of workforce data and people-first AI, UKG delivers unrivaled insights into today’s workforce, helping organizations in every industry turn data into decisions that elevate productivity, culture, and the customer experience. Trusted by more than 80,000 organizations across 150 countries, tens of millions of employees — from small businesses to global enterprises — use UKG every day. To learn more, visit ukg.com.
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