Founded in 2001, The Fifteen Group is one of North America’s leading hospitality consulting companies.
With a team of 35 of the industry’s best personnel, the company has experts with over 200 years of combined experience in all aspects of successful restaurant operation — menu, operations, brand, concept, marketing and fiscal responsibility.
We believe that a well-run restaurant & brand should be able to make 15% profit, so much so that our whole company is named after that target.
Our Leadership
David Hopkins,
President
After graduating with an honours business degree in 1990, David began a career in restaurant management. He focused on restaurant operations and held various senior management positions within some of the top restaurant companies in North America. In 1997, David joined a large multi-brand restaurant group to head up the financial/accounting department of one of their most profitable divisions. During his time there, David reconstructed the division’s information processing into a centralized accounting department and helped the division grow from 4 restaurants to 9, each with sales over $4 million annually.
In 2001, David formed The Fifteen Group Inc., a consulting company dedicated to maximizing restaurant and hospitality profits through effective sales generation and disciplined cost control management. The Fifteen Group’s clients range from owner/operated establishments to multi-unit restaurant corporations worldwide. Since 2001, David has continually grown and developed the company and its offerings, reaching a milestone of over 1,000 clients.
Alex Fraser,
VP Concept Development
Alex began his career as a young Chef, working in a 4 diamond restaurant and studying under a 2 Michelin Star Chef. After graduating from a Culinary Apprenticeship Program and satisfying his penchant for cooking, Alex expanded his focus and development on the front-of-house operations and held General Manager and Director of Operations positions at companies representing some of the top corporate branded restaurants in North America. Alex has facilitated the opening of over 50 restaurants, including with world-renowned chef, Wolfgang Puck.
With a 17 year tenure at The Fifteen Group, Alex oversees all new opening projects as VP of Concept Development.
Jenny Companion,
VP Operations Consulting
Jenny began her hospitality career at a large restaurant group. She worked her way up in restaurant management and held positions such as Bar and Training Manager, Assistant General Manager and General Manager. In 2010 she joined SIR Corp and worked alongside senior leaders to help develop leadership competencies, a labour program and a ‘manager in training’ online program. She then went on to join The Fifteen Group as the company’s VP of Consulting Operations. Jenny’s love for restaurants and food revolves around the ‘perfect guest experience,’ which she has brought to life through countless projects over her 7 years with the company. She has a very strong business and operations sense with a love for training perfect guest engagement.
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Olivia Harrison
Director of Design & Brand
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Steve Silvestro
Executive Chef
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Tim Cuff
CCC
Executive Chef
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
What’s in a great concept? It’s so much more than a name, a menu or a great interior. We have the multi-disciplinary skill set to bring it all together.
OPERATIONS CONSULTING
We have the expertise you need to make your operation a 10/10 guest experience.
OUR TENURE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
Our foundation for hospitality runs deep. With 20+ years in business, we are the masters of crafting concepts, indelible experiences and flawless operations. With over 1,000 client projects in our repertoire, our expertise serves the spectrum of the industry — from multi-unit operations in Monterey to nightclubs in Toronto, elegant fine dining in Vancouver and immersive culinary experiences in Las Vegas.
We work where you are. Here are some of our recent project locations.
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The Fifteen Group has been hired to develop the food and beverage program for the new $350 million Vancouver Art Gallery. Spring-boarding off our success in developing the 1931 Gallery Bistro at the current gallery, this new project involves multiple foodservice outlets as well as banqueting and conference facilities.
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The Fifteen Group worked closely with our client to evaluate the operation and purchase of a three-restaurant group in Monterey, California. Upon finalizing the acquisition, our team helped develop the new Coastal Roots Hospitality brand for the concept and assist with the operational and organizational strategy moving forward.
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The Fifteen Group is working in conjunction with a well-known international company to develop a brand-new food and beverage experience. Designed to first launch in the Las Vegas market, this concept will then be rolled out in other international venues.
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The Sheraton Hotel in Toronto is undergoing an extensive renovation, and The Fifteen Group is working with the team to help develop a new food and beverage and training program. The completion and launch are anticipated in Spring of 2022.
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The Fifteen Group worked with our client to develop a new ‘speakeasy’ bar concept. While slated to launch at the start of Covid, perseverance by the client and adjustments from our team helped lead to a successful launch of Rouge in the Fall of 2021.
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The Fifteen Group worked with a well-known Lebanese food and beverage concept to bring the brand to the North American market. The project involved adapting the concept for suitability to North American clientele and assisting with all aspects of the launch program.
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The Fifteen Group has been brought on board to develop a new high-end restaurant concept in Bahrain. The project scope includes overall concept development, brand development and full menu development. The concept is slated to launch in Summer 2022.
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The Fifteen Group has been brought on to develop the food and beverage concepts for two exciting new hotels launching in Banff. Slated to open in late 2022/early 2023, the hotels, as well as the food and beverage experiences, will be revolutionary to the market.