Project Lead - Menu Process Development
No salary listed
Mid
Bachelor's
Atlanta, GA, USA
HybridAt least 8–10 days per month in person; travel required 20%.
Project & Program ManagementProject Management
About the job
Requirements
- In-depth knowledge and experience with fundamental culinary techniques.
- Strong technical understanding of food production, particularly in a franchised restaurant environment.
- A basic understanding of Lean Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, or other process improvement principles.
- Ability to think critically about challenges and opportunities and identify solutions and options.
- Experience designing and executing experiments and processes.
- Strong executive presence and communication skills to present to senior leadership and work effectively with internal and external international business partners.
- Sound relational and feedback-gathering skills that enable valuable interactions with restaurant-level Team Members, Owner/Operators, and project stakeholders in a restaurant business environment.
- Commitment to maintain and guard confidential proprietary company information as appropriate.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Food & Beverage Management, Culinology, Food Science, Food Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, or a similar field.
- Three years of required experience.
Responsibilities
- Develop a deep understanding of food production processes, their impact on food quality and team member experience, and represent restaurant realities during innovation.
- Lead and manage aspects of projects, including developing and validating menu process solutions, ingredients, tools, and systems needed to execute new menu items consistently and efficiently.
- Lead complex projects as a subject matter expert, ensuring stakeholders are informed and aligned and Restaurant Operator and customer expectations are met.
- Create production methods for menu development, including identifying required processes, tools, product and packaging needs, and addressing operational, quality, and safety requirements.
- Serve as a Menu & Packaging liaison to other departments to uphold product quality and execution standards.
- Set operational feasibility guidelines for menu development and track them throughout development and testing, identifying opportunities to optimize operations and quality.
- Support culinary evaluations and identify opportunities and solutions to maintain quality expectations.
- Create data-driven operational recommendations during menu development and communicate customer benefits and operational challenges of adding new menu items to organizational leaders.
- Foster cross-organizational relationships and support operational efforts on large-scale process and system simplification initiatives using data-driven decision-making.
- Work autonomously to drive outcomes while managing relationships with suppliers and internal and external partners.
- Work hands-on in a kitchen or research and development facility, restaurants, supplier locations, and manufacturing facilities.
- Spend time engaging in Chick-fil-A restaurants and learning from Operators and Team Members about operational opportunities.
- Maintain professional and technical knowledge through educational workshops, professional publications, personal networks, benchmarking, and participation in professional societies.
- Demonstrate enterprise-wide thinking and decision-making.
- Present content and recipes to multiple levels of leadership, including the Executive Committee, Strategy Teams, Operators, and Team Members.
Desired Qualifications
- Mastery of fundamental culinary techniques.
- A successful track record of creating, developing, and executing new menu items in a restaurant environment.
- A deep understanding of Lean Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, or other process improvement principles.
- Ability to think critically about challenges and opportunities and identify solutions and options.
- Experience designing and executing experiments, processes, sensory testing, or consumer testing.
- Strong executive presence and communication skills to present to senior leadership and work effectively with internal and external international business partners.
- Sound relational and feedback-gathering skills that enable valuable interactions with restaurant-level Team Members, Owner/Operators, and project stakeholders in a restaurant business environment.
- Proficiency in project management.
- Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Food & Beverage Management, Culinology, Food Science, Food Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, or a similar field.
About the company
Chick-fil-A operates fast-food restaurants in the U.S. focused on chicken items like sandwiches, nuggets, and waffle fries, served dine-in, takeout, drive-thru, and through mobile ordering and delivery. Customers earn points through the Chick-fil-A One loyalty program with tiers (Member, Silver, Red) and rewards to encourage repeat visits. The company emphasizes quick service, friendly staff, and a seamless app experience for ordering, payment, and rewards. Its goal is to build long-term customer loyalty and expand its U.S. footprint by delivering reliable quality and convenient dining options.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
Debt Financing
Total Funding
$650M
Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
Founded
1946
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- 2025 revenue rose 14% to $10.3 billion, despite only 1% net income growth.
- Chick-fil-A opened 179 restaurants in 2025 and announced Spokane, Cornelius, and Edmond openings.
- Red Wagon Ventures expands into Daybright and Acrew, diversifying beyond chicken by 2027.
What critics are saying
- Williams v. Chick-fil-A, filed July 23, 2026, targets Chick-fil-A One breach controls.
- EEOC sued Hatch Trick in May 2026; franchise employment practices still expose the brand.
- Mall closures at Arbor Place, Cobb, and North Point signal weaker legacy formats.
What makes Chick-fil-A unique
- Andrew Cathy keeps Chick-fil-A family-owned, rejecting an IPO on October 4, 2026.
- The operator model drives local entrepreneurship, exemplified by Greg Harjo’s third Edmond restaurant.
- Chick-fil-A preserves human drive-thru service, refusing AI ordering on October 4, 2026.
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Benefits
- Flexible Work Hours
- Remote Work Options