The Fifteen Group

THE F I FTEEN GROUP ensure that restaurants are properly recycling or composting their materials. “All of these initiatives are great in targeting Millennials,” he states. “One thing that can be missing, sometimes, though, is communicating these efforts; making sure that your guests understand what you’re doing from a policy perspective to ensure that you are a sustainable restaurant. That’s what we do in terms of social media application, developing websites, as well as press communication. We ensure that all these wonderful points that the restaurants are now focused on, and executing, are transferred through guest communication techniques.” Hopkins believes that the restaurant industry is constantly challenging and that one of the greatest challenges, today, is the cost and availability of skilled labor. “Labor costs have gone through the roof, largely because of the minimum wage increases,” he reports. “And on top of that, just finding skilled labor is challenging, which drives labor costs up even more; if you can’t find skilled labor, you’ve got to pay more for the ones that are skilled. So, the profitability for restaurants “Authenticity, transparency, and optics are now playing a critical role in the ongoing relationship with guests. So, we’ve come up with some tips that we’ve implemented within the operations of some of our clients, as well.” One key initiative that the company promulgates is increasing the number and variety of plant-based food options on the menu, as consumers’ diets are clearly changing and many are moving away from animal-based meals. Then, there’s efficient menu development options in order to decrease waste and increase profits, such as designing a menu that cross-utilizes ingredients, or using one ingredient in multiple dishes and in many variations to ease labor, increase ordering execution, and reduce food waste. “Another key point that we’re suggesting is harnessing the power of technology,” Harrison adds. “Utilizing in-house sales, ordering software, and apps can dramatically improve forecasting sales and ingredient procurement.” Finally, Harrison suggests having a “strict, but user-friendly, recycling policy” that consults with local community waste recycling programs to