Where will the next Fifteen be?

With four restaurants in operation, Fifteen aims to continue its growth both nationally and internationally although no specific new sites have been identified at present.

How we find a location?

Great care is taken in selecting locations with a strong social demand for such a unique venture. Key considerations include the local need for such a training concept, the potential sustainability & growth of the restaurant in that given area as well as a strong food culture with a wide range of high quality local suppliers available for us to source our produce from. Cornwall, for example, opened in May 2006 and was a perfect partnership for Fifteen. The area has one of the highest unemployment rates in the United Kingdom yet has fantastic growth potential. Fifteen Cornwall has generated enormous benefits to the Watergate Bay area and has given another 15 apprentices, per year, a chance to create a successful career in the restaurant industry. The tourism benefit can be quantified by the 28,000 bookings in the first two months of opening.

Although Fifteen is growing both domestically and internationally, it is important that each new restaurant has its own local identity and works to support its surrounding area. Once a location has been sourced, a charity is set up so that profits are spread back into its own community (Fifteen London profits go to the ‘Jamie Oliver Foundation', Fifteen Cornwall profits go to the ‘Cornwall Foundation of Promise’ and a percentage of profits from Fifteen Amsterdam go to the ‘Kookdroom Foundation’). What this means is money being generated back into the community for long term sustainable development of its young people as well as generating tourism through the global brand of Fifteen. Additionally there is a commitment to sourcing products and services within the community to support local trade.

How do I go about submitting a new business proposal?

We’ve had lots of interest from people wanting to pitch a new Fifteen venture and whilst  we welcome all proposals, we are unable to enter into any conversations, realistically, until 2012 as we have a clear strategy for the next two years.
Given we’ve just entered our seventh year of operation, it is imperative that we ensure all four restaurants are unified and running at their best operationally.

How do I go about setting up a social enterprise like Fifteen?

We’re fortunate – due to the strength of the Fifteen brand as one of the leading global social enterprises – that we receive many enquiries about the Fifteen model. Although we are unable to offer direct advice, we can suggest a number of websites that are a good starting point:

Business Link UK 
Setas
Social Enterprise Ambassadors
Social Enterprise Coalition

Why produce a social report?

The Social Report, titled ‘Fifteen: life in the present tense’ is a warts-and-all look at the way in which we operate as a business, that is the restaurant and charity. The purpose of this report is to assess the impact we’ve had on the young people we train as part of our pioneering apprenticeship scheme. Where most businesses measures performance in profit and return, we’ve interviewed past and present apprentices to look at what’s working and what’s not working within our organisation.

Fifteen: Life In The Present Tense includes facts and figures, graduate stories and some independent research into the content and value of our chef apprenticeship.

..."perhaps the most remarkable thing about the report is that it was commissioned and published by Fifteen itself. In the foreword, its (recently departed) director, Liam Black, writes: "This is not a typical annual report or PR document, it is a warts-and-all look into the guts of Fifteen, celebrating what's great about this place but acknowledging too when and how we have missed the mark." There is, as the report makes clear, much to celebrate. But it is a rounded, self-critical assessment, done with the aim of improving Fifteen's performance. Consequently, Fifteen is in the process radically changing its training and support programmes, and raising its target graduation rate to 70%. It's hard to think of another organisation in the public, private or voluntary sector that has had the balls, or the honesty, to do this."

Butler, Patrick (2008), "Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Enterprise serves up honest fare", The Guardian, Wednesday February 20 2008