At True Food Kitchen, we are purveyors of nourishment for the wellness-aware. We believe that living well isn’t just about eating the right food, but about sharing it with the right people. At our restaurants, guests are presented with the opportunity to enjoy meals without compromise. Working at True Food Kitchen is unlike anything else you’ve experienced before. Since our menu is a journey into a new way of eating, those who prepare, present and serve the food are key to telling our story. Our family of chefs, managers, cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts, dishwashers and more are the key ingredients to our growth and success. Join our growing team and we’ll show you how passionate we are about making your career goals come TRUE.

Reporting to the VP of Culinary Operations, the Culinary Manager, Growth & Innovation will be an accomplished leader with responsibility for driving culinary innovation for key growth opportunities for True Food Kitchen. The Culinary Manager, Growth & Innovation, will be an integral part of the Growth and Innovation team and will help to drive new business opportunities from ideation to implementation.  This role will ensure safety and cleanliness standards are consistently met and that overall communication between departments, vendors and leadership remains strong.  The role is based in the corporate headquarters (True Central) in Phoenix, Arizona.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Takes culinary lead for projects related to growth and innovation initiatives.
• Responsible for recipe creation for new concept menus.
• Partners with the Vice President of Culinary Operations on all creative process and innovation needs, and reviews recipes and procedures for consistency and quality standards.
• Simplifies and adapts existing recipes to new formats/speeds while keeping core of the recipe and creating increased efficiency standards.
• Conducts performance and yield analysis tests for all new and current ingredients under review.
• Works directly with Purchasing Department to ensure proper sourcing channels and inventory needs are met.
• Continues to grow and develop culinary expertise and systems knowledge.
• Ensures safe production environment, cleanliness, and organization of storage areas pre and post open dates.
• Continuously evaluates new kitchen equipment & operational platforms to elevate executional efficiency & consistency.  
• Maximizes profits through menu analysis, food cost management, labor and inventory control.
• Develops culinary staffing model that fits P&L for new business initiatives.
• Operational lead for new unit openings, inclusive of staffing, training, and systems implementation.
• Evaluates and develops operational systems that align with business needs to include rollouts, manuals, written procedures, and training.
• Creates operational SOPs and training material and tools for concept growth.
• Responsible for all operational procedures and processes post open dates to achieve the highest food quality standards under all types of volume production conditions.
• Embraces a hands-on approach to operational support.
• Will be cross utilized between special projects and growth initiatives when directed.

Measures & Targets:

Menu creation/innovation/standards, sourcing, training material, execution of culinary processes during New Restaurant/location openings, safety, and sanitation, fully staffed, food quality, labor budgets, meet or exceed financial goals. Opens new locations that are fully capable to accommodate demand.

Travel Requirements:

50 - 60%

• 5 -7 years restaurant experience across full service and fast casual restaurant operations, preferably as an Executive Chef in a high volume / high performing restaurant organization.
• Must possess exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Must have strong interpersonal and motivational skills.
• Must be able to effectively supervise and instill cooperation in staff.
• Must be able to work well under pressure.
• Experience with multi-unit management is preferred.
• Experience with recipe and menu innovation.
• Must have a strong attention to detail.
• Must be well-organized and able to multi-task. 
• Has a high level of personal initiative, takes action, and is results oriented.
• Strong working knowledge with Microsoft Office (specifically: Outlook, Word and Excel).
• Successful track record of developing staff and culinary leaders.

• Competitive Pay + Bonus Incentive
• Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance
• 401k Plan with Company Match
• 5 Day Work Week
• Paid Time Off
• Dining Discount 
• Relocation Assistance
• Professional Career Development and Growth Opportunities
• Fun Work Vibe