Director, International Menu & Product Development

Denny's • Spartanburg, SC

8d • $142,000 - $195,800

About The Position

This role is responsible for leading the development and implementation of international menus and product offerings for Denny's. The Director will conduct market evaluations, collaborate with franchise partners, and ensure menu items align with brand identity, cultural expectations, and operational limitations. This includes managing ingredient sourcing, recipe databases, and the new product approval process to support profitable and sustainable sales globally.

Requirements

• Conduct local market evaluations to understand the individual needs of that market related to the menu and messaging support needs.
• Determine where and when regional programs could maximize profits.
• Lead local franchise partners to determine the best menu and limited-time offers for their market that support Denny’s brand identity and provide profitable sustainable sales.
• Provide guidance and partner with Denny’s marketing subject matter experts to determine the best menu layout and design.
• Support global menu requirements with a balance of local, regional, and US ingredient sourcing. Must match all A-level ingredients and find suitable alternatives for ingredients with subsequent levels of proprietary status.
• Must use Denny’s standard protocol for international ingredient testing.
• Maintain global recipe and photo database by country, to ensure all Denny’s recipes are protected worldwide and can be assessed by international partners in the event a recipe in one part of the world could be successful in another part.
• Help franchise partners source ingredients to support US programs where applicable and fill voids where necessary.
• Manage the supply commitment process for franchisee module participation in conjunction with Denny’s purchasing.
• Develop bi-yearly regional ideation sessions to support the efficiencies of regional programs as an alternative to an all-US calendar.
• Support concept ideation of then create recipes that meet the cultural expectations of respective countries.
• Refine recipes and ingredient specifications to meet the consumer preferences as established through sensory panels and marketing research with special consideration of the ability to successfully execute said recipe within Denny’s operational and manufacturing limitations.
• Conduct market visits to discover issues and find solutions before a recipe, ingredient, or program is implemented when applicable.
• Verify or refine recipes submitted by international franchisees through the “New Product Approval” process.
• Assist Product Innovation/Product Development team with other duties as assigned.

Responsibilities

• Conduct local market evaluations to understand menu and messaging support needs.
• Determine regional programs to maximize profits.
• Lead local franchise partners to determine the best menu and limited-time offers for their market that support Denny’s brand identity and provide profitable sustainable sales.
• Provide guidance and partner with Denny’s marketing subject matter experts to determine the best menu layout and design.
• Support global menu requirements with a balance of local, regional, and US ingredient sourcing, matching A-level ingredients and finding alternatives for others.
• Use Denny’s standard protocol for international ingredient testing.
• Maintain global recipe and photo database by country.
• Help franchise partners source ingredients to support US programs and fill voids.
• Manage the supply commitment process for franchisee module participation in conjunction with Denny’s purchasing.
• Develop bi-yearly regional ideation sessions to support the efficiencies of regional programs.
• Support concept ideation and create recipes that meet the cultural expectations of respective countries.
• Refine recipes and ingredient specifications to meet consumer preferences and operational/manufacturing limitations.
• Conduct market visits to discover issues and find solutions before implementation.
• Verify or refine recipes submitted by international franchisees through the “New Product Approval” process.
• Assist Product Innovation/Product Development team with other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, military or veteran's status, criminal background, or any other characteristic protected by Federal, State, or local law.
• Reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed