Celebrity Chef Sean Brock beta tests new restaurant worker app in Charleston: Sean Brock may no longer be affiliated with the two Charleston restaurants that made him a culinary star -- McCrady's and Husk -- but despite his break with the Neighborhood Dining Group family and moving to Nashville, the James Beard-winning chef has chosen his one-time Holy City stomping grounds to beta test his restaurant worker app, Sidegig. 

While few details are available about the app other than it connects restaurant owners and management with F&B workers looking for gigs, Brock announced the beta test yesterday on Instagram, his go-to social media outlet.

The former Emmy-winning host of "Mind of a Chef" and the author of the forthcoming cookbook "South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations" wrote: "So excited to release @sidegigworks into the wild. We started beta testing today in @charlestonsc. Yes, we are planning to expand to as many cities as possible! @sidegigworks is designed to connect people looking for work and restaurants looking for workers. Give us a follow, sign up, find work, get paid. Thank you for the support! 🙏"

Currently, Brock is working on a new restaurant concept in East Nashville and waits for the October release of his latest cookbook.

Despite all of the national acclaim for the Charleston restaurant scene, the area has been experiencing a rather severe restaurant-worker shortage for some . The explosion of new restaurants in a town packed with culinary destinations certainly contributes to the worker shortage, but a lack of affordable housing and long commutes, coupled with inadequate public transportation, have also contributed to the problem. 

Charleston's F&B industry isn't alone in dealing with a worker shortage. Both Columbia and Greenville are experiencing similar woes.

Earlier this week, a video for another app called SideGIG was posted to Youtube. Unlike Brock's app, this one aims to help would-be entrepreneurs start a business. The video encourages interested parties to donate funds to the app's Kickstarter page, which, at press time, appeared to not be live. 

The Neighborhood Dining Group includes Husk outposts in Charleston, Greenville, Savannah, and Nashville; Mexican-inspired Minero restaurants in Charleston and Atlanta; the fine-dining McCrady's and more casual McCrady's Tavern in Charleston; and Delaney Oyster House in Charleston.

The name for Brock's East Nashville has yet to be publicly revealed.
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