Marketing Manager, New Restaurant Openings

The Marketing Manager, New Restaurant Openings will own the marketing strategy and execution for Sarku Japan's new restaurant openings from early market planning through the first 90 days of operation. This role will build anticipation before we open, drive traffic and sales when the doors open, and turn opening excitement into sustained sales momentum.

You will lead an integrated opening plan across paid media, social, PR, influencers and creators, CRM and loyalty, digital ordering, third-party delivery, local partnerships, events and in-store creative. You will serve as the marketing workstream lead within Sarku Japan's cross-functional New Restaurant Opening team, bringing together partners across Marketing, Operations, Development, Finance, Technology and external agencies to deliver a coordinated launch.

In addition to new openings, this role will own the marketing growth plan for Sarku Japan’s existing Street portfolio, identifying and activating opportunities to drive traffic, sales and sustained local relevance across approximately 30 locations.

Key Responsibilities:

Own the New Restaurant Opening Marketing Strategy

• Own the end-to-end marketing plan for every new restaurant, beginning with market planning approximately 60-90 days before opening and continuing through Day 90 post-opening.
• Build launch strategies tailored to the opportunity, including new-to-market openings, infill locations and different restaurant/trade-area dynamics.
• Establish clear objectives, sales and traffic targets, marketing KPIs, budgets, channel strategies and contingency plans before each opening.
• Analyze the trade area, competitive environment, audience, traffic drivers and local community to identify the strongest opportunities to build awareness and trial.

Bring the Brand to Life & Drive 90-Day Growth

• Own the integrated marketing plan from 30 days pre-opening through Day 90, building awareness, driving opening traffic and converting trial into repeat visits. 
• Introduce Sarku Japan’s Brand to life locally, translating our fresh, grilled-to-order experience, 40 years of teppanyaki expertise and approachable Japanese-inspired flavor into compelling storytelling and activation. 
• Coordinate paid media, social, PR, creators/influencers, CRM/loyalty, local partnerships, community outreach, offers and digital marketplace support into one cohesive launch plan. 
• Build local relationships and market-specific activations that create excitement and cultural relevance without relying solely on discounts or generic grand-opening tactics. 
• Partner across Brand, Creative, Digital, PR and field teams to ensure every guest touchpoint is launch-ready, cohesive and unmistakably Sarku Japan. 
• Monitor sales, transactions and marketing performance through Day 90, adjusting support as needed and leading Day 30/60/90 reviews to sustain momentum and inform the ongoing field marketing plan.

Lead Cross-Functional Execution

• Serve as the Marketing lead within the broader New Restaurant Opening team and drive alignment across Marketing, Operations, Development/Real Estate, Finance, Technology and other partners.
• Build clear project plans, timelines, decision points and ownership to ensure marketing deliverables are completed on time.
• Lead through influence, proactively surface risks and dependencies, and bring solutions when plans change.
• Manage external agencies, media partners, PR resources, influencers, vendors and community partners as needed.

Measure, Learn and Improve

• Own reporting and performance analysis for every opening, including sales, transactions, media performance, marketing efficiency, loyalty acquisition, digital performance and other agreed KPIs.
• Evaluate performance against opening forecasts, prior NRO cohorts and Day 30/60/90 goals.
• Identify which tactics actually drive incremental traffic and sales and continuously shift investment toward the highest-performing activities.
• Build and continuously improve Sarku Japan's scalable NRO Marketing Playbook, documenting learnings, benchmarks, best practices and contingency triggers from every opening.
• Manage New Restaurant Opening marketing budgets and ensure investments are tied to measurable business outcomes.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of integrated, field or local marketing experience, preferably within QSR, fast casual, restaurants, retail, hospitality or another multi-unit consumer business.
• Direct experience marketing multiple new restaurant or retail openings, including pre-opening awareness, launch execution and post-opening sales support.
• Strong understanding of the full marketing ecosystem, including paid media, social, PR, influencer/creator marketing, CRM/loyalty, digital ordering, third-party delivery, community partnerships, events and local marketing.
• Strong business and analytical acumen with experience using sales, transaction, media and customer data to evaluate performance and make decisions.
• Experience managing marketing budgets and evaluating ROI.
• Excellent project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple openings, timelines, agencies and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Comfortable spending significant time in restaurants and local markets and partnering closely with field teams.
• Ability to travel 50%+ as required to support openings across the country.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Sarku Japan strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, veteran status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

Founded in 1987, Sarku Japan began with four entrepreneurs who saw an opportunity to introduce Japanese teppanyaki cooking to the United States. Starting with a single location in the Liberty Tree Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, they built the company through hard work, shared responsibility, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
From the beginning, the vision was simple: serve fresh, made-to-order meals cooked directly in front of customers while delivering an experience that stood apart from traditional food court dining. Through energy, showmanship, and quality, Sarku Japan quickly built a loyal customer following.
The early years required determination, long hours, and an unwavering belief in the brand. As the company grew throughout the Northeast, Florida, Texas, and eventually across the country, the founders stayed committed to the philosophy of Kaizen — continuous improvement. That mindset continues to shape how we operate today, from refining recipes and operations to investing in our people and guest experience.
Today, Sarku Japan has grown into a nationally recognized brand with locations across the United States, including shopping centers, street-front restaurants, and military bases. While we have grown significantly since 1987, our commitment to quality, teamwork, innovation, and growth remains at the center of everything we do.