Director of Culinary and Menu Operations

Ford’s Garage is a growing casual dining restaurant brand with 35 franchised locations in seven states. We are passionate about serving exceptional food in a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. Our commitment to quality and guest satisfaction drives everything we do, and we're on a mission to deliver a craveable menu that keeps our guests coming back for more.

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a highly strategic, tactical and experienced Director of Culinary and Menu Operations to lead our culinary development efforts. This pivotal role will be responsible for conceptualizing, developing, and launching innovative menu items that align with our brand vision, operational capabilities, and guest preferences. While we appreciate the art of scratch cooking, we operate with a pragmatic approach, leveraging high-quality prepared components alongside select scratch-made items to ensure consistency, efficiency, and scalability across all our restaurants.

Responsibilities:

Menu Strategy & Development:

• Lead the end-to-end process of menu item development, from ideation and concepting to testing, refinement, and successful rollout.
• Develop a menu innovation pipeline that balances new trends, guest favorites, and operational efficiencies.
• Collaborate with culinary and operations teams to ensure new menu items are executable within our operational model, which balances prepared ingredients with select scratch-made components.
• Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and trend forecasting to identify opportunities for menu differentiation and growth.
• Create and maintain BOH facing recipes and plate specs for training and implementation of menu items.

Product Sourcing & Quality:

• Work closely with procurement to identify and source high-quality ingredients, ensuring they meet our specifications and cost targets.
• Establish and maintain rigorous quality control standards for all menu items.
• Evaluate and select vendors for new ingredients and products.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner closely with Marketing to develop compelling messaging and promotional strategies for new menu launches.
• Collaborate with Operations to develop clear recipes, training materials, and execution protocols for all menu items.
• Work with Supply Chain to forecast ingredient needs and ensure smooth product flow.
• Engage with our leadership team to present new concepts, gather feedback, and align on strategic priorities.
• Create and implement menu execution timing protocols for menu items within the POS-KDS platform.

Financial Performance:

• Develop menu items that meet target food cost goals and contribute to overall profitability.
• Monitor the performance of new and existing menu items, making data-driven decisions for optimization.
• Manage and maintain the inventory management software utilizing the current platforms (meez, R365).

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or a related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience, with at least 5 years in menu innovation or product development within a multi-unit casual dining restaurant environment.
• Proven track record of successfully developing and launching popular and profitable menu items at scale.
• Strong understanding of restaurant operations, food costs, and supply chain management.
• Ability to balance culinary creativity with operational feasibility and financial targets.
• Excellent project management, organizational, and communication skills.
• Proficiency in culinary software and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to travel to restaurant locations, vendor sites, and for market research.