Diisco Leeds: Decanter Founder Launches Hospitality Gig Platform

Diisco launches in Leeds as a hospitality gig work platform with 500 workers already signed up, founded by Alex Temprell and tech developer Hasan Shahid

Alex Temprell, the former owner of Leeds wine bar Decanter, has launched Diisco Leeds, a hospitality gig work platform designed to connect bars, restaurants, hotels, and event venues with flexible workers in real time. The app, co-founded with technology developer Hasan Shahid, has already signed up more than 500 hospitality workers ahead of its Leeds launch, with venues joining daily. Diisco Leeds is not an agency: venues pay workers directly through their existing payroll processes, avoiding the ongoing hourly commissions and percentage-based fees charged by traditional staffing providers. Instead, the platform operates on a flat-fee model. The founders chose Leeds as their launch city because of its hospitality growth, nightlife scene, universities, and strong student population.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Leeds’ hospitality sector is expanding and major events from UKREiiF to the World Cup are driving demand for temporary staff. A platform built to solve the problems venues face by someone who has lived the industry is a strong combination. Five hundred workers signed up before launch suggests real demand on both sides of the marketplace.

How Diisco Leeds Works

Venues can post shifts in minutes, review worker profiles and ratings, confirm bookings in real time, and manage staffing through a single platform. Workers browse nearby shifts, apply instantly, manage their availability, and build a reputation through ratings and completed work. The platform includes GPS check-in, messaging tools, availability tracking, and shift management systems designed specifically for hospitality operations. Temprell said he built Diisco because finding reliable staff at short notice is stressful, expensive, and time-consuming, and he wanted to give venues a faster, simpler way to find workers while giving hospitality professionals more flexibility and control. A built-in referral system allows workers to earn additional income by inviting others onto the platform.

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“Having worked as a bartender and owned hospitality venues myself, I’ve experienced the staffing challenges our industry faces first-hand. We built Diisco to give venues a faster, simpler way to find workers while giving hospitality professionals more flexibility and control over how they work.”

— Alex Temprell, Co-founder, Diisco

From Decanter to Tech Startup

Temprell’s journey from Leeds hospitality operator to tech founder gives Diisco a credibility that distinguishes it from platforms built without industry experience. Many of the app’s features were developed directly from challenges the founders experienced themselves, last-minute staff shortages, unreliable agency cover, and the need for a faster staffing solution. Co-founder Hasan Shahid brings hospitality experience alongside a background in software development and business growth. The platform is now live on iOS and Android, with expansion into Manchester and other UK cities planned. For Leeds’ hospitality businesses, Diisco offers a locally founded alternative to national staffing agencies.