ABOUT US
The Problem
In 2008, food service operations in the U.S. alone reported losing over 500 million dollars in flatware and ramekins. Other estimates put the figure at over $1 billion. Despite the significant monthly hit to the profits of virtually all casual and fine dining establishments, products currently on the market are only marginally effective, at best. FlatwareSaver, LLC was created to design, produce, and market a device that solves this problem, once and for all.
The Solution
In 2001, a restaurant manager who was frustrated with the continual expense of replacing silverware had had enough. After years of trying the leading products made to stem these losses, he felt there had to be a better way. He dedicated his free time to coming up with that better way. He knew it had to be quick and easy for the employees without slowing down restaurant operations. And it had to be effective. In addition to normal stainless steel flatware, it should also save the upscale flatware such as silver, 18/10 and 18/8, as well as ramekins of every material. His dedication paid off and, by 2003, he had an initial design for what is now called the Deluxe model. At that point, he collaborated with an engineer who helped refine the design, specify materials, and conduct time-and-motion tests in several local restaurants using a working prototype. Finding a manufacturer proved to be a challenge, but by 2010 the first FlatwareSaver Deluxe units hit the market. Customers loved them, but they were still too fragile and temperamental. However, one customer tried using his Deluxe unit without power (no metal detection) for a week, and discovered that it still saved four times more silverware and ramekins than the products he had used in the past! The FlatwareSaver Original was born, providing an effective option for restaurants that preferred not to use high-tech equipment or whose kitchen environment wasn’t compatible with metal-detection technology. In 2019, we partnered with Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd one of the leading metal detecting manufacturers in the world. Their engineers helped refine and improve the Deluxe Model by adding some unique features. Based on continued testing and customer feedback, those initial designs have been further refined, resulting in the durable, reliable, and effective products that now are called the SilverSaver 200 and the SilverSaver 1000. These improved products are available now and are in demand by restaurants in countries all around the globe.
The Team
The FlatwareSaver management team has over three decades of restaurant experience and includes engineers and international business executives. NASA engineers assisted the team with early technical challenges, and the initial design and development staff was spearheaded by the engineer who designed many of the vibrating pagers that you see in restaurants every day. The Minelab Electronics Pty Ltd partnership has added expertise and experience in metal detecting design and manufacturing.