Food Service Director

Kirtland Community College | Grayling, MI
Salary: $70,000 annually

Lead the Kitchen. Inspire the Team. Create an Experience.

Are you a culinary leader who loves great food, developing people, and creating an exceptional dining experience? Are you ready for an opportunity where you can bring your culinary creativity and leadership skills to a college campus community?

Creative Dining Services is looking for a Food Service Director to join our team at Kirtland Community College in Grayling, Michigan!

This is more than an operations role. As Food Service Director, you'll have the opportunity to lead a talented culinary and hospitality team, elevate the dining experience, develop future leaders, and build strong relationships throughout the campus community.

If you're a hands-on culinary professional who knows how to balance great food, great people, and great business results, we'd love to meet you!

What You'll Do

As Food Service Director, you'll take the lead in the day-to-day operation of the dining program while ensuring exceptional food quality, service, safety, and financial performance.

Lead the Operation

• Oversee all aspects of food service operations and ensure company quality and service standards are consistently met.
• Create an engaging, welcoming dining experience for students, faculty, staff, and guests.
• Monitor sales, labor, food costs, controllable expenses, safety, sanitation, and compliance.
• Identify opportunities to improve operations, menus, service, and the overall guest experience.
• Partner with the Operations Director and campus leadership to achieve account goals.

Lead & Develop Your Team

• Hire, train, coach, develop, and motivate managers and support staff.
• Build a positive team culture where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to succeed.
• Identify development opportunities and create plans to help team members grow.
• Lead regular team and management meetings.
• Ensure team members understand and follow company policies, employment regulations, safety standards, and food safety requirements.

Bring Your Culinary Creativity

• Use your culinary expertise to create exciting and appealing food experiences.
• Help develop and implement new products, recipes, menus, procedures, and culinary techniques.
• Plan and execute merchandising and marketing initiatives.
• Monitor food quality, presentation, production, and consistency.
• Stay connected to dining trends and look for new ways to engage the campus community.

Own the Business

• Partner with the Operations Director on annual and period budgeting.
• Drive sales and profitability while maintaining exceptional operating standards.
• Monitor purchasing and financial performance.
• Analyze labor, food costs, and operational results and implement improvements when needed.
• Complete quarterly business reviews and communicate results and opportunities with leadership and the client.

Build Strong Partnerships

• Develop positive relationships with students, faculty, staff, campus leadership, and community partners.
• Maintain open and effective communication with the Creative Dining team and client.
• Promote a positive public image and help ensure long-term account success and retention.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for a culinary professional and people leader who is ready to make an impact.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Culinary experience and a strong food service background – required.
• Demonstrated success leading a food service operation and culinary team.
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities.
• The ability to coach, develop, and motivate a diverse team.
• Strong problem-solving, critical-thinking, and decision-making skills.
• Experience managing budgets, purchasing, labor, and operating costs.
• Experience facilitating training and developing team members.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and other computer-based systems.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Hospitality Management, Culinary Management, or a related field is preferred.
• In lieu of a Bachelor’s degree, a minimum of 10 years of successful managerial experience may be considered.
• ServSafe Certification required.
• Allergen Certification required.

Why Creative Dining Services?

At Creative Dining Services, we believe hospitality should be fun, innovative, and focused on the community we're serving.

When you join CDS, you're joining a team that believes in developing people, creating memorable experiences, and doing things differently.

Here's What We Offer:

• $70,000 annual salary
• Competitive benefits package
• DailyPay – access your earned wages when you need them
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Bonus opportunity
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Daily Pay
• 20% discounted tuition at Davenport University
• Tuition reimbursement opportunities
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• And much, much more!

About Creative Dining Services

Creative Dining Services partners with colleges and universities, Fortune 100 companies, senior living communities, conference centers, K-12 schools, and camps to provide a different kind of hospitality and facility management experience — one that is fun, innovative, and focused on the community.

At CDS, we believe food is more than a meal. It's an opportunity to bring people together, create connections, and make someone's day a little better.

Ready to Make an Impact?

If you're a culinary leader who is passionate about food, people, hospitality, and creating an outstanding campus dining experience, we want to hear from you!

Join Creative Dining Services and bring your passion to Kirtland Community College!

Creative Dining Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Veteran-Friendly Employer.