How CookUnity Uses Spot to Support a Fast-Growing Distributed Team

Customer
CookUnity

Industry
Gastronomy

Size
1,000+

Country
United States

CookUnity is a fast-growing, chef-to-consumer meal marketplace with operations across the U.S. and Canada, as well as a remote team spread around the globe. In just a few years, the company has expanded to eight locations in the U.S. and recently acquired Toronto-based Cookin. With a unique setup of onsite fulfillment centers and kitchens combined with a largely remote workforce, CookUnity’s people team has had to find creative ways to stay connected with employees. We talked to Beate Kiser, CookUnity’s Learning and Development Manager, to learn how they use Spot.

"Employees understood right away that Spot is there to support them, whether they want to raise concerns anonymously or just need a different way to be heard."

—Beate Kiser
Learning and Development Manager, CookUnity

The challenges of rapid growth As CookUnity rapidly expanded, so did its workforce, growing eightfold since 2021. And with growth comes challenges:

• Many employees work remotely, often in different time zones and countries.
• CookUnity has large onsite teams, with particular kinds of obstacles and issues, and not every location has an onsite HR representative.
• Hourly employees, particularly those in kitchens and fulfillment centers, needed an accessible and straightforward way to share concerns and feedback—an option that respected their privacy and encouraged open communication.

Why Spot? CookUnity started using Spot when their People team was still small—around five people—but their workforce was already multiplying quickly. The People team needed a way for employees to connect with them safely and comfortably, especially those working remotely or in high-paced onsite roles.

“What stood out to us was how easy Spot made it for people to speak up, especially when they didn’t feel comfortable having a face-to-face conversation,” says Beate. They chose Spot because its anonymity and intake process made it a versatile solution for everything from whistleblowing to everyday feedback, making it easy for the People Team to manage behind the scenes.

Quick, well-supported rollout With Spot’s intuitive design and clear purpose as an incident reporting tool, employees adopted it almost immediately. "It was a very smooth rollout," says Beate. "Employees understood right away that Spot is there to support them, whether they want to raise concerns anonymously or just need a different way to be heard."

The Spot team worked closely with CookUnity’s People Team to customize the platform to fit their organization’s structure and needs. Spot’s adaptable system, alongside CookUnity's clear desire to hear what their employees have to say, helped strengthen employee engagement and build greater trust across the company.

What CookUnity loves about Spot

• Easy mobile interface: Field workers and staff without regular computer access can quickly find Spot and submit reports straight from their phones, wherever they are.
• Language accessibility: Spot is available in 13 languages, making it easy for Spanish-speaking employees to submit reports in their preferred language, while the People Team can respond seamlessly in English or Spanish.
• Text-like experience: “It feels like you’re texting with someone,” Beate notes, making Spot’s case intake more approachable than forms or emails.
• Actionable data: The People Team can easily identify patterns, address concerns early, and improve both employee experience and operational processes.

Effective incident management for real impact Spot has helped CookUnity address both people-related and operational issues. It’s given employees a way to safely raise concerns about:

• Management topics, such as improving communication or scheduling practices
• Operational needs, like addressing equipment maintenance or managing overtime effectively
• Team dynamics, including resolving interpersonal challenges and building stronger working relationships

More importantly, it’s helped reduce turnover in roles where high attrition is common.

“Before, we might not have known why an hourly employee left. Now, they can tell us what’s happening, giving us the opportunity to support the manager and make improvements before anyone feels they have to leave,” says Beate. “We believe in giving people the chance to grow. Not every new manager starts out knowing how to lead—it’s something you learn with the right support. Spot helps us catch challenges early, guide our managers, and keep building stronger teams. It’s a big part of how we invest in retention, development, and a healthy workplace.”

Advice for Learning & Development teams Beate recommends that L&D teams see Spot not just as an incident reporting tool, but as a source of valuable feedback for improving leadership and operations.

“Reports can show you where your managers need help, but also where your processes can be improved. Maybe a report isn’t about harassment, maybe it’s about someone missing their breaks or being scheduled overtime. These things matter too,” she explains.

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