Production R&D Specialist, Culinary Standards & Menu Development
Overview
This role owns end-to-end menu development and culinary standardization for BK Franchise Holdings’ portfolio, including Ten Thousand Coffee and L’AMI Bakery & Flower, at a 3+ brand scale. You will build the core infrastructure that ensures consistent product quality across all locations, from recipe creation to field training. Working with the R&D and Production teams, you drive the systems that enable scalable growth. This position combines hands-on kitchen work with strategic process design, directly shaping brand expansion.
What You'll Do10
- 1Develop and test new menu prototypes through cooking tests, quantifying recipes and creating Standard Recipes and Spec Sheets.
- 2Standardize cooking procedures by writing SOPs, Recipe Cards, and Prep Guides for each brand.
- 3Support seasonal and promotional menu (LTO) development based on competitor benchmarking and market trends.
- 4Design BOH operations, including cooking workflows, station setups, and equipment settings, for new store openings.
- 5Conduct on-site recipe training and demo sessions for store staff, ensuring product consistency during initial opening phases.
- 6Run pilot cooking tests and analyze feedback to refine recipes and processes.
- 7Diagnose and resolve cooking-related issues, such as quality drops or equipment malfunctions, by proposing actionable solutions.
- 8Perform QC sampling and regular quality evaluations, including ingredient testing and supplier sample reviews.
- 9Test and propose improvements for the production kitchen’s processes to enhance efficiency and quality.
- 10Investigate store feedback and F&B-related claims, identifying root causes and reporting improvement plans.
Requirements10
- 13+ years of BOH culinary experience or menu testing/R&D in a professional kitchen, café, bakery, or restaurant.
- 2Culinary school graduate or equivalent professional culinary experience.
- 3Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts, Food Science, Hospitality Management, or related field preferred.
- 4Food safety certification such as ServSafe preferred.
- 5Proven ability to quantify and standardize recipes, preparing Recipe Cards, Spec Sheets, and SOP documents.
- 6Strong understanding of BOH kitchen operations, workflow, and station/line layout.
- 7Knowledge of production kitchen processes and basic food manufacturing flow.
- 8Proficiency with PowerPoint and Excel for creating training materials.
- 9Excellent verbal and written communication skills for cross-functional collaboration.
- 10Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment with strong ownership and accountability.
Salary Insight
$85 - $105k per year
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