Culinary Director ( Menu Operations)

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.

Larry Chesner

Salary : $140,000