Hospitality Design & Visual Styling Director

Restaurant Associates; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life Insurance/AD

Job summary

Restaurant Associates is seeking a Director of Design & Style to shape the visual expression across food, hospitality, and retail experiences. The role collaborates with Culinary, Marketing, Operations, and Design & Construction to translate concepts into compelling environments.

The ideal candidate combines a strong eye for detail with a current sense of style, delivering environments that feel purposeful and not merely decorative, while aligning with operational realities.

Qualifications

• Strong background in interior design, hospitality design, retail design, visual merchandising, experiential design, styling or a related discipline.
• Exceptional visual sensibility — a sophisticated understanding of color, material, proportion, composition, texture and presentation.
• Experience with tabletop, service wares, merchandising, uniforms and/or food presentation strongly preferred.
• Ability to read and respond thoughtfully to architectural plans, elevations and design documentation.
• Strong knowledge of current hospitality, retail, interiors, fashion and lifestyle trends.

Responsibilities

• Lead visual development of new and evolving food, beverage and hospitality concepts, from mood boards and material palettes through final styling.
• Translate brand, culinary and hospitality strategies into a clear, cohesive visual language, with hands-on responsibility for set-ups of new units, refreshes and renovations.
• Identify emerging trends in hospitality, restaurants, retail, fashion and interiors, translating relevant ideas into fresh approaches for the business.
• Help shape servery, café, restaurant, marketplace and amenity environments from planning through opening, participating in reviews, mock-ups, installations and openings to carry design intent through execution.
• Lead selection of tabletop, china, glassware, flatware, serving pieces, display vessels and smallwares, and develop uniform programs, balancing aesthetics with durability, functionality, inclusivity, cost and operational needs.
• Develop merchandising strategies and visual standards for cafés, markets and grab-and-go environments, and style food displays, buffets, counters and catering presentations to support navigation, storytelling and sales.
• Partner with Culinary on food presentation, Marketing and Creative on brand storytelling, and Operations to keep concepts practical and executable.
• Coordinate with vendor partners on sourcing, logistics and deliveries, and present concepts to leadership and clients with clarity and confidence.

Skills

Interior design

Hospitality design

Visual merchandising

Styling

Presentation

Communication

Job description

Restaurant Associates is seeking a Director of Design & Style to shape the visual expression across food, hospitality, and retail experiences. The role collaborates with Culinary, Marketing, Operations, and Design & Construction to translate concepts into compelling environments.

The ideal candidate combines a strong eye for detail with a current sense of style, delivering environments that feel purposeful and not merely decorative, while aligning with operational realities.