Director of Culinary & Food Service

If you're friendly and dependable and you like to work with terrific guests, we'd love to talk about an opportunity on our team!

Coborn's, Inc. is a fast-growing employee-owned grocery retailer located in the Midwest. Our grocery store formats include Coborn's, Cash Wise, Marketplace Foods, Hornbacher's, Tadych's Marketplace Foods, and Sullivan's Foods and we offer unique online grocery home delivery services through our CobornsDelivers and Cash Wise Delivers locations.

Coborn's, Inc. also owns and operates liquor stores under the Coborn's Liquor, Cash Wise Liquor, Andy's Liquor and Captain Jack's brands. Additionally, our fuel and convenience division, pharmacy, in-house grocery warehouse and distribution center, in-house Central Bakery, in-house Fresh Foods Commissary, and Tops Cleaners are significant assets to our operations. We also have a handful of other retail entities in the markets where the fit is right: Little Dukes, Ace Hardware, Country Floral Gifts & Greenhouse, Caribou Coffee, Dunn Bros Coffee, and Erbert and Gerbert's.

Join our innovative and fun-loving, food family as the Director of Culinary and Food Service! As the Director, your primary focus in this position is to oversee all functions and activities of our owned Food Service operation. You will develop and implement strategies and programs designed to produce revenue growth, achieve sales and profit goals, and improve guest retention. The Director of Culinary and Food Service is responsible for the vision, innovation, recipes, menus, and product development of the food service operations. You will use your knowledge to drive a focus on quality standards, food safety continual improvement, professional development, and training while developing a culture of exceptional food quality and cutting-edge presentation.

All functions are to be performed according to the established standard and in compliance with all company policies and procedures while maintaining regular, prompt attendance and availability to work outside of standard business hours.

Strategic Vision:

• Develop food service business strategies, programs, product selection, and pricing for ready-to-consume meal programs, including Fresh Salad Bar, Hot Bar, Sushi, Soup Bar, and Instore Food Stands (Burger Grill, Sandwich Bar, Pizza, Italian, etc). Establish, monitor, and maintain operations standards that will provide a solid foundation for immediate growth and scaling of the business; these standards will include but not be limited to, food quality and safety, sanitation and cleanliness, and visual presentation. Provide leadership direction to the development and implementation of such strategies and standards.

Product Development:

• Partner with internal and external sources to develop new recipes, products, and product enhancements. Cultivate relationships with vendor partners and internal resources to ensure recipes and products can be operationalized to drive sales and profit.

Store Segmentation:

• Create distinct strategies for different store types (Premium/Flagship Grocery, Neighborhood Grocery, and Low Volume Grocery) ensuring that we can maximize sales and profit, while still delivering against guest needs. Own the P&L for the business and work cross-functionally to optimize our performance. Collaborate cross-functionally with our Franchise Operations team that oversees non-owned concepts such as Caribou Coffee to ensure we are representing the best total offering to the guest.

Operational Leadership:

• Provide leadership in the day-to-day operations, while focusing on the strategic goals of the department and organization. Partner in coordinating the efforts of store leadership and operations specialists that will improve the day-to-day guest experience and operations and merchandising of store departments. Lead by example and effectively communicate and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Operational Performance:

• Plan, evaluate, and monitor owned Food Service operations and all areas under this scope to maximize sales and profitability. Develop programs that support the achievement of financial goals, improve guest satisfaction and retention, and maintain the company's competitive position. Oversee successful implementation and execution of programs, processes, and department-specific initiatives that relate to food services. Continually observe and analyze programs and processes and make necessary adjustments to maximize productivity and minimize controllable costs.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead by example to create a culture that engages employees, and builds team spirit and morale through recognition, accountability, coaching for talent development, and urgency. Partnering with Human Resources to anticipate and recognize staffing needs, and hire, develop, and retain top talent. Develop high-performing teams to create and maintain effective succession plans. Train, coach, and mentor on how to drive sales through consistent execution excellence of operational standards, in-store promotional excitement, product knowledge, and guest service.

Education and Experience:

• Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management or related field and/or a minimum of 5-7 years' experience in the supermarket food services. Extensive deli department merchandising preferred.
• Strong leadership skills, including leading teams, staff development, and strong negotiation and communication skills.

We believe that building a team of people with different backgrounds, beliefs, experiences and perspectives inspires fresh thinking and opens us up to new possibilities. We are an EEO/AA Employer - All qualified individuals, including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Our remarkable employees strive to inspire happiness, healthy living and simplicity one guest at a time. With a vibrant and fun work environment, ongoing opportunities for career growth, and generous benefit packages, Coborn's offers a bright future for all employee owners.

We're proud to offer a variety of benefits to both our full-time and part-time employees including:

• A 10% Employee Discount (for the employee and their immediate household) and if you work at a location with a coffee shop, you'll receive a discount there too!
• Get Paid Daily with DailyPay - for employees who would like access to their pay before payday, we offer this great benefit!
• Paid Time Off (PTO/Vacation)
• Paid Floating Holidays & 1 - time for hours worked on a company-recognized Holiday!
• Sunday Premium Pay - An extra $1 per hour for hours worked on Sundays
• Paid Military Leave
• Employee Health & Wellness Programs, Challenges and Resources - to assist our team members live a life of wellbeing!
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - unlimited phone access to legal, financial, and work-life services and up to five free in-person counseling sessions, per situation/issue, per year.
• Tools, resources and opportunities for Career Growth & Development
• 401(k) plan options - we also match up to 20% of the first 5% contributed
• Participation in our Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) - yes, we're employee-owned. Our team members benefit from the success of the company through this company-sponsored benefit!
• Additional Voluntary Benefits - such as Vision, Accident and Critical Illness Insurances

If you're hired or promoted into a full-time position with our company, you will also be eligible for: Medical & Dental Insurance, Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Tuition Reimbursement, Adoption Reimbursement, Paid Family Caregiver Leave, as well as company-sponsored Term Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance, and Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance!

As a member of our team, you can also expect:

• Flexible scheduling - We understand that many of our employees are trying to juggle school, practice, family time, errands and personal hobbies, all with only about 16 hours of awake time in a day.
• Recognition - We celebrate a culture of recognition, encouraging employees to recognize and thank one another for remarkable behavior. We even have an app for that!
• Growth Opportunities - We're always looking for motivated, high-potential employees who want to be part of our next generation of leaders! There are opportunities to grow within our company to positions you may not yet even know exist. Coborn's, Inc. offers a variety of development programs for employees who want to grow their careers with us.

Our culture celebrates employee ideas and encourages creative innovations. We're growing, learning, and overflowing with energy. In a dynamic atmosphere that welcomes diversity, we are investing in our employees, along with the growth of our company. We invite you to join us in carrying out our vision to "Be Remarkable!" Apply today!

Starting pay is determined based on several factors, which can include the candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, education, and geographic area.