jan-2018

138 139 Some believe that good service means taking orders and running food in a timely and efficient manner. We believe great service extends far beyond that. With Silverware, we ensure every aspect of the guest experience is taken care of, from when the first customer walks in, until the last one walks out. Elevating your guests experience is at the forefront of our technology. If you’re not using Silverware, you’re missing out on what top restaurateurs across the globe already know. Silverware helps streamline your service to get the most out of your operation so your team can focus on putting the customer first. Silverware. We bring more to the table, allowing you to bring more to yours. THE FIFTEEN GROUP So,in2001,withabackground asacontroller andfinancial analyst,Hopkins launchedhis company.“At the time,I knewa lotofpeople inthe industryand I got askedtohelpacoupleof restaurants thatwerestruggling, turningtheir revenues intoprofit,” hecontinues.“Thatwas thestart- ingpoint forTheFifteenGroup. I sawthisopportunitywhere it seemed like therewerea lotof either independent restaurants in themarketplace,or small,multi-unit companies thatwere busybutwerenotmakingmoneybecause theyreally didn’t knowhowtorunabusiness.So,weworked initially withvarious restaurants thathadstrongrevenues to in- crease theirbottomlinepercentage fromanywhere from four toeightpercent.For a restaurant that’sdoingtwoto threemillion insales,fivepercentof aprofit increase is anywhere fromahundredthou- sand,upwards,intermsofprofit increase.” Soon,Hopkinsbeganproviding bookkeepingservices,aswell. “Notbecause Iwantedto,”he avers,“butbecause the first five restaurants I consultedforhad horriblebooksand I’mavery numbers-orientedperson.Forme, intermsofhowwehelprestau- rantsmakemoremoney,books areakeypartof it.I’mabigbe- liever inbudgets; I’mabigbeliever inmonthlyP&Ls that areaccurate,andbeingable tohavemeasurements in termsofwherevariancesareandhowthemanagement teamcanworkto improve those.So,westartedgetting intobookkeepingabout ayear after I startedthecompany, somewhat reluctantly,because,unfortunately,bookkeep- ing isnot ahugemarginarea; it requiresa lotof labor and AT A GLANCE THE FIFTEEN GROUP WHAT: A restaurant consulting company WHERE: Offices in Toronto, Vancou- ver, Calgary, Halifax and Chicago WEBSITE: www.thefifteengroup.com