Restaurants must be bold now that summer is gone
The Fifteen Group president David Hopkins offers clear advice for restaurant operators during the challenge of the changing seasons.
David Hopkins
Can your foodservice business survive future pandemics?
Taking concrete lessons from this pandemic will only benefit the foodservice industry, says David Hopkins of The Fifteen Group.
Meat prices to increase after minimum wage announcement, along with restaurant bills
By David Hopkins With the announcement of minimum wage increasing to $15 by 2019, restaurant owners in Ontario, Alberta and potentially British Columbia will not only see higher rent and utility costs, but also increases in meat prices. The surge in meat prices will add yet another level to profit challenge, making it harder for […]
Minimum wage increase anticipated to have negative effect on restaurant industry
Press release On May 30, the Wynne government announced a monumental change to the wage structure in Ontario. Effective January 1, 2018, minimum wage will be increasing from $11.40/hour to $14/hour, a 22.8 per cent increase. Then on January 1, 2019, the minimum wage will rise again to $15/hour – a 31.6 per cent increase compared to current rates. This increase […]
Employee turnover: Not necessarily a bad thing
By David Hopkins One of our first clients at The Fifteen Group originally contacted us as they were having challenges with making strong profits on strong sales. As we quickly discovered, this was in large part because of difficulty in controlling labour costs. It wasn’t because they weren’t good at managing labour efficiency; it was […]
The challenges and opportunities of operating a foodservice business in Canada
By Alex Fraser, Cheryl Gardner and David Hopkins The future of Canadian foodservice holds some exciting new opportunities but a few familiar challenges as well. Fresh new concepts with diversified menu offerings, along with innovations in technology, social media and marketing platforms will gain momentum. However, familiar challenges such as a weak Canadian dollar, acquiring […]
Is your restaurant making at least 15 per cent profit?
By David Hopkins When I named our company The Fifteen Group in 2001, it was because we believed that any decent restaurant should make at least 15 per cent profit on sales (or potentially more, under the right circumstances). We still stand by that viewpoint today, however if I were naming the company now, it […]