Corporate Chef

OHG Brands; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

OHG Brands is seeking a Corporate Chef to drive product development, menu innovation, and culinary strategy across its global portfolio from the Atlanta, GA area. This role leads the test kitchen and collaborates with marketing, supply chain, QA, operations, and training to create costed recipes that enhance sales and profitability.

You will support field operations, manage external partners, and participate in events and media engagements, shaping OHG Brands' culinary direction.

Qualifications

• Experience in menu item development for multi-unit restaurant brands.
• Understanding of food and labor costs.
• Experience with consumer research and trend analysis to support strategy development.
• Strong written and verbal communication; interface with all levels of the organization and franchise owners.
• Ability to guide and manage external resource partners.
• Experience in cross-functional environments with collaboration across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead all steps of the product development process from inspiration to formulation, including cost targets and operational constraints.
• Oversee the OHG Brands test kitchen, including inventory, ordering, sanitation, and equipment maintenance.
• Represent the brand in TV and PR appearances; assist in food styling for media shoots.
• Collaborate with marketing, supply chain, QA, operations, and training to develop culinary strategy and new products.

Skills

Menu item development

Cost management knowledge

Consumer research & trend analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

External partner management

Influence decision making

Education

Culinary Education

Job description

Job Type

Full-time

Description

OHG Brands is a leading global franchising company that develops and grows fast casual, quick-service, and casual dining concepts around the world — a portfolio of 12 brands, including Round Table Pizza®, Fatburger, Marble Slab Creamery, Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Great American Cookies, Buffalo’s Cafe & Express, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Native Grill & Wings, Pretzelmaker, and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses, spanning more than 1,700 units worldwide.

Description

OHG Brands is a leading global franchising company that develops and grows fast casual, quick-service, and casual dining concepts around the world — a portfolio of 12 brands, including Round Table Pizza®, Fatburger, Marble Slab Creamery, Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Great American Cookies, Buffalo’s Cafe & Express, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Native Grill & Wings, Pretzelmaker, and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses, spanning more than 1,700 units worldwide.

Job Summary And Scope

The Corporate Chef manages internal and external culinary initiatives for OHG Brands, including product development and menu innovation. This role oversees the company’s test kitchen and collaborates closely with marketing, supply chain, quality assurance, operations, and training teams. To drive sales and improve profitability, the Corporate Chef partners with the Innovation team to develop culinary strategy, source ingredients, create and document recipes, engineer costs, and present new products.

In addition to new menu item development, the Corporate Chef will work as a resource to our operations team and field-level area supervisors when they need support in their culinary processes.

Primary Duties And Responsibilities

Product Development 70%

• The Corporate Chef will manage all steps of the product development process including:
• Inspiration – Using industry trends, trade shows, primary and secondary research, and competitive analysis to determine which “big ideas” OHG Brands concepts should pursue for its menu.
• Ideation – Work with our partners, suppliers, franchisee stakeholders and internal teams to produce menu concepts to present to the teams.
• Validation – Utilize survey tools, focus groups, or other data collection methods to determine if menu items produced in previous step are appropriate for OHG Brands
• Formulation – Support the operational team in writing recipes for the menu items including quantities and procedures used. Food cost targets and operational constraints must be considered in this step.

Test Kitchen Management 15%

• The Corporate Chef takes ownership regarding all activities involved with the OHG Brands test kitchen, including but not limited to ordering product, cleaning & sanitation, inventory, and equipment maintenance.

Other Activities 15%

• Represent the brand on TV and other PR appearances as necessary.
• May be called to act as a food stylist for video/photo/social media shoots.
• Attend events and conferences related to the field.

Requirements

• Strong Culinary Education or sufficient background in both full-service and limited-service restaurant concepts
• Experience in the development of menu items for a multi-unit restaurant brand
• Understanding of the financials of a restaurant operation including food and labor costs.
• Understanding of consumer research and trend analysis to support strategy development including both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Experience in effectively guiding and managing external resource partners in accomplishing assigned responsibilities.
• Experience in working in a cross-functional environment where on-going communication and information sharing are vital to achieving success.
• Strong written and verbal skills and ability to interface effectively with all levels of the organization and franchise owners.
• Ability to influence decision making using consumer and business insight to drive rationally

This position will be based out of our Atlanta, GA Manufacturing Office