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Culinary Director (Menu Operations)
A respected and fast-growing full service restaurant group is seeking a hands-on culinary leader who excels at being present and engaged across multiple locations and collaborating with various leaders. This role offers a unique opportunity to develop and update menus across a thriving brand, enhance kitchen operations, and maintain the brand’s culinary identity.
Culinary Director Benefits & Compensation
- Competitive base salary with bonus based on company KPIs
- Generous health benefits
- Excellent paid time off and vacation time
- Tech package
- Approximately 40% to 50% work-from-home flexibility
- Opportunity to grow within a supportive and fast-expanding team
Culinary Director Requirements & Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or a related field preferred
- 10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including at least 5 years in menu innovation or product development within a multi-unit casual dining environment
- Proven track record of developing and launching popular, profitable menu items at scale
- Strong understanding of restaurant operations, food costs, and supply chain management
- Excellent project management, organizational, and communication skills
- Proficiency in culinary software and Microsoft Office Suite
- Ability to travel extensively to restaurant locations, vendors, and for market research
Culinary Director Day-to-Day Responsibilities
- Lead the end-to-end process of menu item development, from concept to rollout
- Develop a pipeline of menu innovations balancing trends, guest favorites, and operational efficiencies
- Collaborate with culinary and operations teams to ensure the executability of new menu items
- Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and trend forecasting to identify growth opportunities
- Create and maintain back-of-house recipes and plate specifications for training and implementation
- Work with procurement to source high-quality ingredients within cost targets and maintain quality control
- Partner with Marketing on messaging and promotional strategies for new menu launches
- Collaborate with Operations and Supply Chain for training materials, execution protocols, and ingredient forecasting
- Present new concepts and align with leadership on strategic priorities
- Develop menu execution timing protocols within the POS-KDS platform (Aloha)
- Monitor menu item performance and optimize based on data-driven insights
- Manage inventory software and maintain accurate inventory control
This role is ideal for a culinary professional who values both creative development and operational excellence within a supportive, expanding restaurant organization.
JOB ID: 182504
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Larry Chesner