Director of Food Service

Position Summary

The Director of Foodservice (Food & Beverage / Multi-Unit Operations) leads strategy and operations with full P&L accountability for the Chestnut Market foodservice program across a growing multi-unit convenience retail (c-store) network. Owns end-to-end foodservice program development and execution from concept to cash: category management, menu development, recipe curation, culinary operations, equipment standards, vendor management, food safety, and profitability.

Key Responsibilities

• Set foodservice vision, strategy, and multi-year road-map, drive category growth across store formats.
• Build scalable programs by store tier (assortment, equipment, layout, menu complexity) based on space and labor model.
• Lead menu development: core menu, LTOs, and regional customization.
• Define and launch QSR and commissary strategy within 6 months.
• Deliver low-to-moderate capex “quick win” initiatives within first 6 months (sales, margin, speed of service, labor efficiency).
• Define, build, and launch Chestnut Market’s differentiated foodservice brand/offer within 12 months.

Operations & Execution

• Own foodservice category execution and performance across company-owned stores.
• Create SOPs/playbooks for food quality, food safety, temp control, portioning, inventory, production routines, and execution consistency.
• Implement repeatable operating systems for a multi-unit convenience/QSR kitchen environment.
• Partner with Operations leaders to drive store-level execution, training, and compliance.
• Support new store openings, remodels, and conversions (kitchen design, equipment, training, launch).

Equipment, Facilities & Store Design

• Set equipment standards/specs by store tier.
• Partner with Construction/Facilities on equipment selection, testing, and capex planning.
• Lead pilots/tests to validate menus, equipment, and workflows.

Vendor & Product Management

• Own vendor/supplier management for foodservice.
• Lead sourcing, SKU rationalization, and product differentiation.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, and service levels to improve margin, quality, and execution.

Food Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Ensure food safety, sanitation, and regulatory compliance.
• Build audit program, QA controls, and corrective action plans.
• Drive food safety training and certification with Operations.

Financial Performance & Reporting

• Own foodservice P&L: sales, gross margin, labor, waste, and profitability.
• Set pricing strategy/models to meet competitive, margin, and brand goals.
• Build KPIs and dashboards by store/region; track trends and root causes.
• Use data to prioritize capex and continuous improvement (sales, waste, labor efficiency, margin).

Food Service Marketing

• Own foodservice marketing strategy and annual plan (with support from Foodservice Marketing Coordinator).
• Represent the brand through social media support and industry relationships.
• Partner with Loyalty and Media teams on offers, messaging, and campaigns to increase traffic.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Merchandising, Loyalty/Media, and Marketing to integrate foodservice into growth initiatives.
• Partner with Finance on forecasting, budgeting, and ROI analysis.
• Partner with senior leadership on strategic planning, performance reviews, and foodservice priorities.

Required Qualifications

• Servant leadership / people-first leadership.
• Bachelor’s degree (Hospitality, Business, Culinary, or related).
• 5+ years of foodservice leadership in multi-unit retail, convenience, or QSR.
• Foodservice program launch and scale experience across multiple locations (menu, operations, training, standards).
• Kitchen operations, equipment, food safety, and labor models.
• Vendor/supplier negotiation and relationship management.
• Category management, pricing, P&L and margin management.
• Comfortable in fast-paced, cross-functional, accountable environments.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and project management skills.
• Serv Safe certification (required or obtained upon hire).
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); comfort with AI tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Convenience store, grocery, or food-forward retail experience.
• New store openings and remodel support experience.
• Test-and-learn / pilot rollout experience.
• Influence without authority in a matrix organization.