Culinary Innovation Manager - Arby's

IRB USA Inspire Resources; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Inspire is seeking a culinary innovator to lead product development across core menus and limited-time offerings. You will translate briefs into tested concepts, work with vendors from concept to launch, and ensure scalable, cost-effective recipes for a multi-brand restaurant platform.

You will partner with Marketing, Operations, QA, and Supply Chain to drive consumer-led, financially viable innovations while maintaining high standards and market competitiveness.

Qualifications

• Minimum education in Culinary Arts or Food Science with related discipline.
• Experience in culinary product development and menu strategy.
• Ability to translate briefs into innovative products for testing and launch.
• Collaborative work with marketing, operations, QA, and supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary innovation and core/LTO menu development.
• Translate briefs into viable product concepts and prototypes.
• Collaborate with vendor partners from concept to commercialization.
• Work with insights team on consumer research and testing.
• Support training materials and back-of-house process improvements.
• Coordinate with supply chain and operations to ensure scalable launches.
• Travel ~20% for supplier visits and industry events.

Skills

Culinary innovation

Cross-functional collaboration

Project/program management

MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Vendor relations

Travel readiness

Education

2-year degree in Culinary Arts or Food Science

4-year degree in Culinary Arts or Food Science

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Job description

Duties and Responsibilities

• Culinary innovation & product development, including core menu and LTO innovation. Partner with Category Management team throughout the innovation process, including concept/ideation, product development, in-market testing & commercialization for system launch
  • a. Creative culinarian who inspires the team to push boundaries and strives to create the first in class, best in class and/or only products of target category offered in QSR
  • b. Responsible for translating culinary briefs into product innovation that drives new guest acquisition and industry-leading guest satisfaction
  • c. Work with Insights Team to conduct consumer/guest research to understand consumer needs & product optimization, including execution/preparation of product for testing
  • d. Work with vendor partners to develop new products from concept to prototype, prototype to costed commercially viable sample, and through system commercialization process.
  • e. In touch with culinary trends and competitive innovation
  • f. Participate & cook in key culinary events: Inspire & Arby’s Board Meetings, Annual Franchise Conference, Arby’s Foundation, Executive Tastings, Arby’s Foundation
• Deliver consistent, high quality guest experiences across the system - ‘Get it done’ by working collaboratively with Marketing, Operations, commercialization (QA) & Supply Chain leaders to align strategy and ensure excellence in execution Strong program management, operational discipline, and cross functional collaboration to deliver innovation that is consumer-led, financially attractive and executable at scale New product launch readiness – raw material/formula specifications, new product yield, confirm QA & regulatory / legal approval, establish scalable procedures & validate supplier readiness for system roll-out Partner with Operations: i) develop training materials to deliver consistent restaurant-level execution, ii) test and refine back/front of house process and procedures, iii) select equipment to improve guest experience and launch new products, iv) improve and optimize packaging to enhance guest satisfaction and reduce cost Work with Supply Chain (Arby’s Co-op and Inspire) to manage supplier relationships, define sourcing strategy and negotiate cost
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Minimum 2-Year Degree with a Concentration in Culinary Arts or Food Science / Food Technology / closely related scientific discipline
• Preferred 4-Year Degree with a Concentration in Culinary Arts or Food Science / Food Technology / closely related scientific discipline
• 3+ Years of experience Required in Culinary product development and menu strategy
• Experience preferred: Multi-unit Restaurant Chain
• Passion for Food & Culinary mastery – creative menu development, food products, cost, manufacturing, restaurant operations and equipment
• Collaboration – demonstrated ability to work with other functions and external vendors to build trust & deliver results
• Strategy & program development – ability to take idea to execution, managing multiple priorities and functional engagement
• Strong organization and presentation skills – balance multiple priorities, keep timelines & records, clearly written & verbal communication
• Thrives in ambiguity – ability to multi-task with minimal direct supervision. Move quickly on tight timelines while maintaining strong work product & quality standards
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Travel Required - Approximately 20% including Supplier visits, Industry Events, Research and Culinary Tours

About Inspire

Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,300 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide. We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences. Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,400 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants across 55 global markets. In an industry facing increasing disruption, our leaders saw an opportunity to build a restaurant company unlike any other – one that brings together differentiated yet complementary brands and aims to make them stronger than they would be on their own. Found inherently in the purposes of our family of brands, we identified a common thread between our restaurants – the capacity to inspire. From guest experience to career development to community well-being, Inspire plays a role in the lives of millions of people every day. Our brands are diverse, distinctive, and fan favorites. In a sense, you could say we seek those who provide something different than the norm.