Mellow Mushroom
Industry
Food Service
Location
Germantown, TN
Employees
65 Employees
How One Restaurant Kept Employees Showing Up (and Smiling) with Express Wages
When Julie Meek and her husband opened their Mellow Mushroom in Germantown, TN, they knew restaurant ownership wasn’t for the faint of heart. With about 65 employees, most of them part-timers, she saw the same challenge over and over: money stress.
“We have employees that don’t always have the money they need to get through the day or week. It could be gas, a flat tire, or something wrong with their car. If they had to wait for payday, sometimes they couldn’t make it to work.”
The revolving door of restaurant work, paired with these financial roadblocks, made it tough to keep people on the floor and focused. Julie and her team found themselves fielding loan requests or advances several times a month — risky for them, and embarrassing for employees.
Finding a Better Way
When Julie first learned about Express Wages, she saw the potential for what this could mean:
“This gave us an easy way to put the onus back on the employee. We don’t have to worry about compliance or getting paid back.”
Her husband’s reaction was instant: “Where has this been all my life?”
The setup was simple, with on-site sessions to explain the program to staff. Once connected to payroll, it just worked.
A Shift in the Workplace
The impact was felt almost immediately.
Showing up for shifts
“Two employees use it frequently. One told me, ‘I didn’t think I was going to get to work today because I didn’t have enough gas money. Thank goodness I have Express Wages.’”
Less stress, more focus
“If you take money stress out of the picture, you improve their attitude at work, their ability to focus, and they work better.”
A recruiting edge
“In restaurants, they’re not going to care about a 401k, but they will care about early access to their money. We tout it as part of our benefits package.”
Building financial confidence
“A lot of these kids are in their first job. Express Wages gives them financial acumen they may not otherwise have.”
Julie admits she didn’t think a smaller business like hers would benefit so much. Now she tells every restaurant owner she knows about how it's created real advantages for them.
The Takeaway
By giving employees access to the money they’ve already earned, Mellow Mushroom reduced no-shows, boosted morale, and turned a stressful problem into a simple solution.
Want to give your employees the same peace of mind? Get a Demo