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How Grill Concepts Served Up Financial Flexibility with On-Demand Pay

How Grill Concepts Served Up Financial Flexibility with On-Demand Pay

Benefits
Human Resources

June 14, 2025

February 19, 2026

Written by:

Erin Alkire

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In the restaurant industry, keeping a full team is always a challenge. Between high turnover, tight margins, and tough competition for staff, employers need benefits that help them stand out. For Grill Concepts, offering earned wage access (EWA) through Tapcheck has proven to be a recipe for stronger recruitment, improved retention, and happier employees.

The Challenge: Supporting Employees Beyond Daily Tips

With their Daily Grill and Public School restaurants spanning Texas, Nevada, and California, Grill Concepts employs staff across the front and back of house. While servers and bartenders leave each shift with tips in hand, back-of-house employees often wait two weeks between paychecks.
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“We are on a bi-weekly payroll and many times people don't want to wait two weeks,” explained Jessica Pike, HR Director at Grill Concepts. “[Earned wage access is] really beneficial, especially to our employees that don't receive tips daily. Although our servers and bartenders go home with something every day, our kitchen staff doesn't.”
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Recognizing this gap, Grill Concepts turned to Tapcheck as a way to offer more financial flexibility to all employees.

The Solution: Seamless Setup and Everyday Flexibility

Grill Concepts implemented Tapcheck after reviewing its integration with Paycom. “It was actually really easy,” Pike said of the integration. “The process every payroll is easy. It's already done. We just upload the dataset and it takes care of itself.”
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Once in place, Tapcheck quickly became part of employees’ financial routines. “I have noticed people using it consistently,” Pike observed. “Even our managers have benefited from Tapcheck.”
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Employees also found creative ways to use the benefit, such as setting aside funds on their Tapcheck card for savings. “Some tell me, ‘I use it to put money to the side [from my check],’” Pike explained. “So, [they’re] taking that money and putting it on the Tapcheck card as a savings for when things happen.”
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For Pike herself, the benefit proved unexpectedly useful. When she ran into issues with her own debit card, she was able to use her Tapcheck card in the meantime. “It came in handy,” she said.

The Results: Recruiting and Retaining Talent

The impact of Tapcheck has been clear across Grill Concepts’ restaurants:

  • 51% of employees registered for Tapcheck
  • 31% use it every pay cycle
  • $27,000 accessed per pay period on average, fully funded by Tapcheck so R2’s cash flow is unaffected

Employees now have more financial stability, and the benefits show up on the job:

  • More attractive job postings – “It is in our job postings so they see that when they're applying for the job, they know they can work today and get paid tomorrow.”
  • Improved retention – “It seems like the people that use it, they've stayed with us. When I run the payroll reports, I can see who is using it and I recognize folks. I think they see that as a benefit.”
  • Greater equity across roles – Back-of-house staff now have the same opportunity to access pay early as tipped front-of-house employees.
  • Flexible use cases – Employees use Tapcheck for unexpected expenses, day-to-day needs, and even savings through the Tapcheck card.

At a Glance: Grill Concepts + Tapcheck

Category Details
Industry Restaurants
Region Multi-State Workforce
Locations Texas, Nevada, California
Program Impact Consistent adoption across both managers and staff

Why It Matters

Earned wage access has helped Grill Concepts address one of the biggest challenges in restaurants: making pay fair and flexible for every role. By offering Tapcheck, they’ve been able to recruit more effectively, reduce turnover, and create a stronger sense of equity between tipped and non-tipped staff.
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“It's who we’re targeting [with this benefit]: the people who don't walk home with tips every day. They still have that same opportunity to get paid earlier [like front-of-house staff]. It gives them that same experience of working and getting paid right away.”
— Jessica Pike, HR Director at Grill Concepts

FAQ

How does Tapcheck help restaurant employees who don’t earn tips daily?
EWA gives kitchen staff and other back-of-house employees the same ability as servers and bartenders to access pay right away, leveling the playing field across the team.
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How easy is Tapcheck to implement?
Tapcheck integrates seamlessly with systems like Paycom. For Grill Concepts, the setup was quick, and ongoing payroll processes run automatically without extra work.
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Does Tapcheck improve recruiting?
Yes. Grill Concepts includes Tapcheck in their job postings, showing applicants they can “work today and get paid tomorrow.” This helps attract candidates in a competitive hiring environment.
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What about retention?
While exact numbers vary, Grill Concepts has noticed that employees who use Tapcheck tend to stay longer. For many, the ability to access pay early is a reason to remain with their employer.
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Is Tapcheck only useful in emergencies?
Not at all. Some employees use Tapcheck to set aside savings on their Tapcheck card, while others find it helpful in unexpected moments, like when a debit card isn’t working.
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Ready to see how Tapcheck can help your business recruit and retain top talent while giving employees more financial flexibility? Schedule a free demo.

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Want a broader review of earned wage access to learn how it can impact your business? Visit our guide here.

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See how Tapcheck stacks up

Select a competitor. Tap any row to see the details.

Category
Tapcheck
DailyPay

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tapcheckTapcheck is payroll native. Advances settle as a line-item payroll deduction with automatic reconciliation built into the payroll run. It's visible on the pay stub and in the employer's payroll register. The paycheck is never intercepted or routed through a third party.
DailyPay DailyPay operates a payroll intercept model: before any paycheck reaches an employee, DailyPay takes control of the full payroll disbursement. They hold the employee's earned wages, distribute the advance amount they've already issued, and release the remainder to the employee.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck's real-time payroll integration allows us to calculate earned wages with precision, including tax withholdings and deductions, which is why we can confidently offer employees up to 70% of net pay.
DailyPay DailyPay can offer up to 70%, but because their system doesn't calculate withholdings with the same precision, they often configure employers at 50% to hedge against overpayment risk.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck has no limit on transfers per day or per pay period, so employees access their earned wages as many times as needed.
DailyPay DailyPay limits employees to 5 transfers per day. For employees with multiple smaller financial needs across a week, this daily cap can limit how they use the benefit.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck works with any bank account, debit card, or the Tapcheck Mastercard. No direct deposit requirement and no new account needed, including for unbanked workers.
DailyPay DailyPay requires employees to have direct deposit set up to enroll, per DailyPay's own FAQ. In hospitality and QSR, 15-25% of the workforce may not have direct deposit configured, creating a meaningful enrollment barrier for the employees EWA is designed to serve.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner with 300+ payroll and timekeeping integrations, including particular depth in mid-market and healthcare systems (Viventium, Infor, Dayforce (Ceridian), iSolved, and Paycor) where DailyPay's coverage is thin or unconfirmed.
DailyPay DailyPay claims 180+ HCM, payroll, and time management integrations, but depth is thinner in the mid-market systems where Tapcheck is strongest.
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sources
  1. DailyPay — "How DailyPay Works" and FAQ (intercept model, direct deposit requirement). dailypay.com/faq‍
  2. DailyPay — Integration count (180+). dailypay.com/integrations
  3. DailyPay — Transfer limit (5 per day). DailyPay Manager's Guide
  4. Tapcheck — 300+ payroll integrations, ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner. tapcheck.com/marketplace
Category
Tapcheck
PayActiv

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is payroll native. Advances settle as a line-item payroll deduction with automatic reconciliation built into the payroll run. It's visible on the pay stub and in the employer's payroll register. The paycheck is never intercepted or routed through a third party.
PayActivPayActiv also uses a payroll-deduction model. However, rather than using actual payroll withholdings data, PayActiv estimates net pay as 80-90% of gross depending on the employer configuration. This estimation approach introduces overpayment risk.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck calculates access against net pay, the employee's actual take-home after taxes, up to 70% per pay period.
PayActivPayActiv estimates the accessible balance as 50% of estimated net pay, where net is approximated as 80-90% of gross rather than calculated from actual payroll data. Using their own example: an employee with $500 in gross earned wages would have an accessible balance of $225. Because the net figure is an estimate, the advance may not reflect actual take-home pay.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck offers unlimited transfers within the pay period.
PayActivPayActiv caps total EWA transfers at $500 per pay period. A single unexpected car repair can easily exceed that ceiling, leaving employees unable to access any remaining earned wages for the rest of the pay period.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner with approximately 300 integrations, including particular depth in Infor, Viventium, iSolved, Dayforce/Ceridian, and vertical-specific healthcare, staffing, and senior living systems where PayActiv's coverage is limited.
PayActivPayActiv is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner and integrates with Paychex, Paycor, UKG, and SAP SuccessFactors. Strong across major enterprise payroll platforms. Mid-market and vertical-specific system depth is less documented.
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sources
  1. PayActiv — Estimated net pay methodology (80–90% of gross). payactiv.com/trust-center/compliance-handbook
  2. PayActiv — Access calculation (50% of estimated net). payactiv.com/get-started
  3. PayActiv — Transfer cap ($500 per pay period). payactiv.com/blog
  4. Tapcheck — 300+ payroll integrations, ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner. tapcheck.com/marketplace
  5. PayActiv — Integrations (ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner). payactiv.com/partnerships
Category
Tapcheck
Rain

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is payroll native. Advances settle as a line-item payroll deduction with automatic reconciliation built into the payroll run. It's visible on the pay stub and in the employer's payroll register. The paycheck is never intercepted or routed through a third party.
RainRain uses a payroll-deduction model and fronts funds from its balance sheet, repaid at the end of the pay period. Rain calculates access on gross pay, before taxes and withholdings, which creates overpayment exposure when hours or deductions change. Employers are responsible for reconciling differences manually.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck calculates access against net pay, the employee's actual take-home after taxes, up to 70% per pay period.
RainRain calculates access against gross earned wages, before taxes and withholdings are applied. This creates real overpayment risk: when hours change, deductions vary, or an employee is terminated mid-period, the amount advanced can exceed what's actually owed on a net basis.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner with approximately 300 integrations, including Infor, Viventium, iSolved, Dayforce/Ceridian, and vertical-specific healthcare and staffing systems where Rain's depth is thinner in mid-market.
RainRain integrates with Workday (Built on Workday, July 2025), Paylocity, ADP, UKG, Paychex, Fourth, Deputy, and Harri. Strong major-enterprise coverage, but less comprehensive in mid-market and vertical-specific systems.
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sources
  1. Rain — 50% of gross pay calculation. rainapp.com/ewa-provider-guide
  2. Tapcheck — 300+ payroll integrations, ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner. tapcheck.com/marketplace
  3. Rain — Payroll integrations. rainapp.com/integrations
Category
Tapcheck
ZayZoon

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is payroll native. Advances settle as a line-item payroll deduction with automatic reconciliation built into the payroll run. It's visible on the pay stub and in the employer's payroll register. The paycheck is never intercepted or routed through a third party.
ZayZoon ZayZoon uses a payroll-deduction model, fronts funds from its balance sheet, and calculates access against net earned wages. However, access is capped at $1,000 per pay period regardless of what an employee has earned.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck calculates access against net pay, the employee's actual take-home after taxes, up to 70% per pay period.
ZayZoon ZayZoon calculates access at 50% of net earned wages, but applies a hard cap of $1,000 per pay period. For most full-time employees, the dollar cap is hit before the 50% ceiling.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner with approximately 300 direct API integrations across major enterprise payroll and HCM systems including ADP, Workday, UKG, Infor, Viventium, iSolved, and Dayforce, plus vertical-specific systems in healthcare and staffing.
ZayZoon ZayZoon has 160+ integrations, primarily through SMB payroll bureaus, PEOs, and platforms like Swipeclock and Payentry. Effective for SMB distribution, but less relevant for enterprise buyers needing direct API connections with major HCM platforms.
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sources
  1. ZayZoon — 50% of net pay, $1,000/period cap, integration count. zayzoon.com/go/paytime_payroll
  2. Tapcheck — 300+ payroll integrations, ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner. tapcheck.com/marketplace
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