Culinary Innovation Manager (Sonic)

SONIC; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

SONIC is seeking a Culinary Innovation Manager to drive new product development from concept to launch, bringing creative food concepts to the SONIC guest. You will partner with cross-functional teams across operations, procurement, brand, and commercialization to deliver products aligned with consumer, operational, and financial goals.

The role involves leading tastings, developing vendor partnerships, and coordinating product showcases for senior leadership and franchise communities.

Qualifications

• Two-year degree in culinary or related field preferred.
• 3–5 years’ experience in culinary or product development.
• Strong strategic thinking and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Support the Product Innovation team and Director in delivering goals and strategies.
• Work independently on development projects with guidance as needed.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on objectives for new products.
• Develop products from benchtop to commercialization with vendor partners.
• Make recommendations and develop product specifications with cross-functional teams.
• Lead product tastings and new product showings.
• Plan Product Showcase events for senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Provide guidance to other product developers.
• Other duties as needed.

Skills

Culinary development

Product development

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Two-year degree

Job description

The Culinary Innovation Manager should bring a creative viewpoint to all new product development, while delivering relevant food and beverage concepts to the SONIC guest. This position will lead and manage product development of new products and execution of strategic initiatives as it relates to all segments and dayparts from concept approval to product launch, including bringing concepts to life through consumer and in-store testing. It will be critical for this role to partner with cross-functional teams to deliver products that best meet successful criteria for consumer, operations & financial goals.

Responsibilities

• Support the Product Innovation team and Director of Culinary in delivering against organizational and personal goals, objectives, and strategies
• Work independently on development projects, with check-ins and guidance from supervisor as needed
• Participate in the creation of new product development objectives while collaborating with cross functional teams including Category Management, Brand Experience, Operations, Procurement, Commercialization, Quality Assurance, and others as appropriate
• Independently work with vendor partners to develop new products from gold-standard products to initial benchtop samples and through commercialization process. Own development of products.
• Make recommendations for improvements to current prototypes. Collaborate with cross-functional teams in the development and creation of product specifications on commercialized products with vendor partners, Commercialization Quality Assurance, and other teams as necessary
• Lead product taste tests and new product showings
• Present product improvement/change recommendations based on taste test results and/or feedback to Culinary Innovation leadership Partner with Procurement Team to develop accurate food & paper formulas.
• Plan and execute Product Showcase events to (and not limited to) SONIC Senior Management, Board of Directors, Franchise Community, Marketing Leadership, Shareholders & SONIC National Convention
• Provide guidance and support to other product developers
• Other duties assigned as needed

Requirements

• 2 Year Degree Preferred - A culinary or Food related degree is preferred for this position
• 3-5 years’ experience in a culinary or product development role required. Experience in QSR culinary development highly preferred
• Ability to think strategically, be detail oriented and respond quickly to business needs
• Bring creativity to menu development and trend dives for the team
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, especially the ability to explain difficult concepts and insights in applicable business terms. Ability to summarize insights into PowerPoint presentations in clear and understandable calls to action.
• Ability to collaborate and motivate across the operations, supply chain, field, and marketing teams.
• Self-starter with the ability to project manage and handle multiple assignments simultaneously and meet all desired deadlines.
• Strong leadership, sales support, project management and training skills
• Understanding how to take products or programs through a development and testing process
• Effective problem-solving skills and ability to listen and translate details accurately
• Should possess an innate curiosity and growth mindset

At SONIC, we encourage and attract wildly creative people. Bold, unique personalities whose passion for what they do shows in the food, the experience and the culture of our brand. Sound like you? Join us as we deliver delightful and delicious moments to our guests!

Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,000 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.