Menu & Equipment Innovation Lead

Menu & Equipment Innovation Manager Reports to: Director, Ops Services About the Role Sweetgreen is building the future of fast‑casual dining — and menu innovation is at the center of that work. The Manager, Menu & Equipment Innovation will own the end‑to‑end testing lifecycle for new menu items, core menu development and limited‑time offerings, from field execution through fleet readiness. This is a highly cross‑functional role requiring equal parts strategic thinking, operational rigor, and collaborative instinct. What You'll Do Own the end‑to‑end cross‑functional market test lifecycle for new menu and core menu development — from equipment and smallware needs to test design and site selection through data analysis, readout, and go/no‑go recommendations. Lead field execution for menu tests in partnership with marketing, engineering, culinary, and operations; ensure operational fidelity and consistent data capture across test locations. Synthesize quantitative and qualitative signals (sales, labor impact, throughput, yield/waste, customer feedback) into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leadership. Build and maintain cross‑functional project plans that align culinary, operations, marketing, supply chain, and engineering on test timelines and launch sequencing. Develop and maintain menu test protocols, tracking tools, and post‑test documentation to build institutional knowledge. Partner with the operations and technology teams to build automation compatibility into menu development from day one, ensuring test learnings inform how items are designed, sequenced, and scaled. What You'll Bring Bachelor's in Business, Hospitality, Food Science, Operations, Culinary Management, or related field. 5+ years of experience in restaurant operations, consulting, strategy, innovation, operations services, project management, or product management required; fast‑casual or high‑growth food & beverage experience is preferred. Proven ability to manage complex, multi‑stakeholder projects from inception through execution with minimal oversight. Strong analytical skills — comfortable working with sales data, labor metrics, and operational dashboards to build a complete picture of test performance. Exceptional communicator with the ability to distill complexity into crisp, decision‑ready recommendations for cross‑functional and executive audiences. Operates comfortably at both altitudes — able to set strategic direction on a test program and then get into the details of a store‑level execution plan without losing the thread between the two. High collaboration instinct — this role touches nearly every function, and a low‑ego, high‑trust working style is essential. Experience with project management tools (Smartsheet, Asana, or equivalent). Nice to Have Familiarity with automation or tech‑enabled kitchen environments. Experience designing or analyzing menu tests at scale (10+ locations). Working knowledge of SQL sufficient to independently query sales and operational data in support of test readouts and analyses. Exposure to ingredient sourcing or supply chain coordination. Benefits Highly competitive pay + bonus plan Three different medical plans to suit your and your family's needs Dental and Vision insurance Flexible PTO plan401k program Employee HSA and FSA Complimentary greens Free sweetgreen swag Salary range for this role: Starting salary range based on experience $100,000—$112,000 USD. Sweetgreen provides equal opportunities for all employees and applicants, without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, any service in the uniformed services of the United States, or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law. California residents: Review our applicant privacy notice. sweetgreen participates in the federal government's E‑Verify program to determine employment eligibility. To learn more about the E‑Verify program, please. #J-18808-Ljbffr Sweetgreen, Inc.