Director of Purchasing

Description

Innovative Dining Group (IDG) is seeking a highly organized, analytical, and hospitality-focused Director of Purchasing to oversee food, beverage, and operating-supply procurement across the company’s restaurant portfolio. This role is responsible for ensuring effective purchasing practices, accurate inventory management, and strong cost controls across all locations.

Home Office Position with the ability to be based in our West Hollywood office or remote in Las Vegas or Austin. Must be able to travel regularly to all restaurants in IDG's portfolio across California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona.

The Director of Purchasing serves as IDG’s Restaurant365 (R365) subject-matter expert for purchasing, inventory, and recipe management and is the primary owner of cost-of-goods accuracy and analysis across the portfolio. This individual will work closely with restaurant leadership, finance, operations, and vendors to maintain accurate pricing and product data, identify cost-saving opportunities, monitor purchasing and inventory practices, and support the financial performance of each restaurant. The Director will also provide guidance and oversight to restaurant teams, help establish and maintain purchasing standards, and support new restaurant openings and other company initiatives as needed.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Restaurant365 Ownership:

• Serve as system owner for R365 purchasing, inventory, and recipe modules across all locations, including setup for new openings
• Build and maintain recipes, sub-recipes, prep items, and menu item mappings for every food menu so theoretical costs are accurate
• Support the Director of Beverage on all R365 work for the bar, wine, and sake programs, including recipe and item builds, vendor setup, and inventory
• Maintain item masters, units of measure, pack sizes, vendor items, and order guides as menus, specials, and pricing change
• Manage the POS integration (Toast) and menu item mapping so sales flow correctly into theoretical usage
• Train and support chefs, GMs, and bar managers on ordering, receiving, inventory counts, and waste logging in R365
• Continuously improve R365 configuration, workflows, and data integrity

Purchasing Strategy & Vendor Management:

• Develop and implement purchasing strategies that reduce cost while protecting the quality standards of fine dining concepts
• Set up and enforce procurement policies, order guides, par levels, and approval workflows
• Identify items bought through non-approved channels (e.g., Amazon, retail stores, credit card purchases) and move them into approved vendor and supply chain channels for better pricing, visibility, and control
• Source, evaluate, and select vendors on quality, price, reliability, and service; negotiate contracts, pricing agreements, rebates, and delivery terms
• Track prices for key commodities, including premium beef, seafood, fish, produce, and wine and spirits. Benchmark these prices against contracts and follow up to confirm vendors deliver on their commitments
• Partner with culinary and beverage leadership on ordering, specs, and substitutions, and with regional vendors serving locations outside California

COGS Reporting & Analysis:

• Produce mid and end-of-month period reporting on food cost of goods by location, including actual vs. theoretical COGS, variance analysis, and error checking
• Support the Director of Beverage with beverage COGS reporting and analysis by category (wine, spirits, sake, beer, bar consumables), including variance drivers such as waste, pour costs, pricing, comps, and inventory counts
• Oversee period-end inventory counts and valuation in R365 alongside Accounting
• Provide menu engineering and recipe costing support for new menus and price changes

Accounts Payable & Controls:

• Design and oversee the purchase-to-pay workflow in R365 (PO, receiving, invoice matching, approval) so vendor payments are accurate, timely, and properly coded across entities
• Resolve pricing discrepancies, credits, and short shipments with vendors
• Maintain internal controls over purchasing and receiving

Operating Supplies & New Openings:

• Manage purchasing of non-food and operating supplies: china, silverware, glassware, smallwares, branded merchandise, and to-go packaging
• Lead pre-opening purchasing for new restaurants, working with the VP of Operations, Corporate Executive Chef, and Director of Beverage to source and order the opening inventory of food, liquor, beer, wine, and sake, plus operating supplies and equipment
• Coordinate opening orders with vendor setup, delivery timing, and R365 location setup so each restaurant is fully stocked and system-ready before opening
• Support purchasing standards at managed and licensed locations as needed

Other:

• Ad hoc projects as assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university (required)
• 7+ years of progressive experience in purchasing, inventory, or finance, including at least 2 years directly in a food and beverage environment focused on purchasing or inventory; multi-unit fine dining experience strongly preferred
• Experience implementing an inventory and purchasing system in a food and beverage environment (required)
• Extensive hands-on Restaurant365 experience, including system setup and ongoing maintenance, recipe builds, item and vendor setup, inventory, and purchasing modules (required)
• Experience implementing or expanding R365 across multiple locations strongly preferred
• Solid understanding of finance and accounting, including COGS, theoretical vs. actual variance, and P&L impact
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills; comfortable with data analysis and reporting
• Exceptional attention to detail, with a high standard for accuracy
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with strong follow-up skills
• Ability to drive results through and with others across culinary, beverage, operations, and finance teams
• Proven vendor negotiation track record; knowledge of wine, spirits, sake, and specialty proteins a plus

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & TRAVEL:

• Regular travel to Los Angeles-area restaurants, plus periodic travel to locations in Northern California, Nevada, Texas, and Arizona
• Ability to work in busy or confined restaurant spaces, including walk-ins, storerooms, and kitchens
• Ability to lift and move items up to 50 lbs.