Restaurant Business Development Manager

High Flying Foods is redefining airport dining, one local flavor at a time. With over 25 locations across six international airports, we partner with beloved neighborhood restaurants and celebrated chefs to bring authentic, locally inspired dining to travelers everywhere. From iconic eateries to chef-led concepts, we deliver exceptional hospitality and preserve what makes each brand unique, creating a genuine taste of the city wherever your journey takes you.

About the role

The core of this role is finding, pursuing, and securing partnerships with exceptional restaurant concepts. We pursue restaurants with a line out the door, chefs ready for a bigger stage, and neighborhood institutions travelers would be genuinely happy to find past security. The person we hire will grow into broader work over time, including negotiating license agreements, supporting relationships with airports, and contributing to our competitive bids to secure new locations. In the first year, the priority is closing brand partnerships with top restaurants.

Responsibilities

• Source and secure partnerships. Own the pipeline from target identification through signed partnership across our active markets nationwide.
• Build durable operator relationships. Establish credibility with chefs, owners, and restaurant groups. Maintain those relationships well beyond signature.
• Evaluate concepts in the field. Travel to experience restaurants firsthand through meals, site visits, and kitchen tours.
• Negotiate and structure partnerships. Work through commercial terms with prospective partners. Own the partnership agreement and coordinate with internal legal and finance through execution.
• Navigate airport processes. Support the paperwork, timelines, and approvals required to move a signed brand toward opening. Partner with leadership on airport authority relationships.
• Contribute to competitive bids. Support our bidding process with brand rosters, operator commitments, and concept context that make our proposals compelling and win us new locations.
• Provide weekly pipeline updates. Report to the VP of Development on closes, deals in flight, and deals at risk.

Requirements

• Substantive experience in restaurant development, hospitality business development, franchise development, or airport concessions. Culinary fluency is essential.
• A demonstrated record of closing. You have moved partnerships from first contact through signed agreements at pace.
• Self-directed field execution. You operate independently in unfamiliar markets, initiate contact with operators directly, and build the credibility required for an owner to entrust their brand to a licensing partner.
• Sound judgment on what makes a concept last. You can identify what concepts would work in an airport.
• Comfort with commercial terms and license structures. You can negotiate credibly with owners and senior decision makers.
• Independent pipeline ownership. You have managed a book of business without close supervision and consistently hit acquisition or revenue targets.
• Comfort with frequent travel. Approximately three days per week on the road.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. Track record and judgment matter more than a specific credential.

Benefits

• Base salary: $110,000 to $120,000 annually
• Performance bonus: Discretionary annual bonus targeting up to 20% of base, calibrated to signed partnerships and broader contributions to the business development function
• Health coverage: Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• Flexible spending: Medical and dependent care FSAs
• Paid vacation: 10 days annually, accrued biweekly
• Paid sick leave: Up to 56 hours annually, accrued biweekly
• Retirement: 401(k) with 5 percent company match

What You’ll Gain

• A national network of operators and chefs. You will meet the people building the most interesting restaurants in the country and develop relationships that outlast any single deal.
• Deep fluency in airport concessions. You will learn a specialized business model, from license economics to airport authority approvals and competitive bids, that few people in hospitality understand well.
• Direct exposure to senior leadership. You will work alongside the VP of Development and company leadership rather than through layers of process.
• Active coaching and development. You will get regular guidance on pipeline strategy, deal structure, and negotiation, not an annual review and little else.
• Room to grow. This role is designed to broaden over time into license negotiation, airport relationships, and market strategy as the portfolio expands.

Schedule

This is a travel-heavy role, averaging three days per week in markets visiting brands and concepts. Days you are not on the road are worked from our Denver office. Occasional visits to our Sausalito, CA office several times per year.

Location: Denver, CO
Type: Full-time, exempt. Individual contributor reporting to the VP of Development.