---
title: A Little Love from Crain’s Detroit
description: Beth Hussey's journey from restaurateur to tech founder led to the creation of Shifty, a platform designed to improve restaurant team training and retention. Read about her inspiring story in a new Crain's article.
image: https://bites.shiftyinc.com/hubfs/SHIFTY%20BLOG%20Crains.jpg
---
[Book a demo](https://www.shiftyinc.com/book-demo)
[All posts](https://bites.shiftyinc.com/blog)
Shifty Bites Blog · Company News
# A Little Love from Crain’s Detroit
The Shifty Team
August 29, 2025 ·2 min read
Ok, we’re blushing.
Crain’s Detroit Business just featured our founder Beth Hussey in a fantastic piece about the journey from restaurateur to tech founder — and how Shifty was born out of real-world restaurant challenges. 👉 [Read the full article here](https://www.crainsdetroit.com/technology/hazels-co-owner-launches-tech-startup?share-code=17564852029735070-198f7367669&utm_id=gfta-ur-250829)
In the article, reporter David Eggert dives into Beth’s story — from leading training in her family’s steakhouse in the ’90s, to opening more than 20 restaurants, to co-owning [Hazel’s](https://www.eatathazels.com/), a staple in Birmingham, Michigan.
When the pandemic hit, Beth didn’t just adapt — she built. What started as a flashcard system turned into something bigger: a platform built for frontline restaurant teams.
Shifty was designed from the inside out — not by a tech bro in a hoodie, but by someone who’s rolled up her sleeves, worked the line, led teams, and felt the weight of a no-show on a Friday night.
Now, Shifty is helping other operators do what Beth did at Hazel’s: build stronger teams, reduce turnover, and create a culture where people want to stay. In fact, Hussey’s platform has also been endorsed by the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association. The partnership will include marketing to the organization's 5,600 membership locations and an exclusive 10% discount to membership locations for the three years of the partnership.
As Beth told Crain’s:
> *“There’s just this fundamental disconnect in how we train and communicate with staff. I wanted to create something that met people where they are.”*
We’re proud to be a Michigan-based company, growing from restaurant roots into a tech platform that’s now helping multi-unit operators across the country.
So, if you’ve ever said,*“We really need to fix our training…”*
We’re here. Let’s get your shift together.
### Take a Tour
[Company News](https://bites.shiftyinc.com/blog/tag/company-news)
Written by
### [The Shifty Team](https://bites.shiftyinc.com/blog/author/the-shifty-team)
## Keep reading
### [ Company News Why MRLA’s Newest Partnership Is a Win for Michigan Restaurants Read](https://bites.shiftyinc.com/blog/why-mrlas-newest-partnership-is-a-win-for-michigan-restaurants)
## See Shifty in action.
Book a 15-minute demo and see how Shifty helps restaurants schedule, train, and retain.
[Book your free demo](https://www.shiftyinc.com/book-demo)
© 2026 Shifty. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](https://www.shiftyinc.com/privacy)
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "The Shifty Team",
"url" : "https://bites.shiftyinc.com/blog/author/the-shifty-team"
},
"dateModified" : "2025-08-29T19:51:23.889Z",
"datePublished" : "2025-08-29T19:28:16.000Z",
"headline" : "A Little Love from Crain’s Detroit",
"image" : [ "https://bites.shiftyinc.com/hubfs/SHIFTY%20BLOG%20Crains.jpg" ],
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://bites.shiftyinc.com/blog/a-little-love-from-crains-detroit",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://bites.shiftyinc.com/hubfs/Shifty-1.svg"
}
}
}
```