Senior Manager, Food & Beverage Development

Lava Island•Denver, CO

3d•$95,000 - $100,000

About The Position

Lava Island is seeking a hands-on food and beverage leader to set the vision for what families eat and drink across its indoor play parks. The Senior Manager will lead menu strategy, innovation, and revenue growth, creating distinctive signature items, seasonal and limited-time offerings, and a coffee and hot drinks program for parents and adult guests. The beverage program is non-alcoholic. The role requires learning park kitchens firsthand, including working during busy weekends and birthday-party rushes. Menu and beverage ideas must be fun and on-brand while remaining practical for fast service, simple preparation, a focused set of ingredients, and consistent execution by young, entry-level teams across every park. The position splits time between headquarters and park kitchens and involves regular travel to parks. The Senior Manager will develop recipes and standards, set food-cost targets, recommend pricing, assess sales results, and identify ways to grow revenue per guest. They will plan launches with operations, headquarters, and new-park teams; prepare SOPs, kitchen guides, and training materials; evaluate beverage equipment, vendors, and partnerships; and collaborate with party coordinators, the brand team, and suppliers such as Sysco. The role also leads the F&B Manager, who handles food safety certifications, permits, and inspections.

Requirements

At least 5 years of culinary, menu development, or food and beverage leadership experience in quick service, fast casual, family entertainment, family dining, or multi-unit hospitality.
Track record of developing and launching menu items across multiple locations.
Experience designing menus for speed and consistency and for entry-level kitchen teams.
Working knowledge of food cost, cost of goods, ingredient cross-utilization, and menu engineering.
Hands-on kitchen experience and willingness to work shifts in park kitchens, including weekends and rush periods.
ServSafe Manager certification, or ability to obtain it within 90 days.
Willingness to travel regularly to parks.
Ability to pass a background check.

Nice To Haves

Experience in family entertainment centers, attractions, or kid-focused venues.
Experience creating branded or themed menu items.
Experience building or launching a coffee or specialty beverage program.
Experience working with Sysco or another broadline distributor.
Culinary degree or formal culinary training.

Responsibilities

Work in park kitchens, including busy weekends and birthday-party rushes, before leading menu changes.
Spend regular time in kitchens across markets to understand capacity, equipment, service speed, and crew workflows.
Test new items with park crews under real operating conditions.
Set menu direction, balancing family appeal, brand personality, speed, simplicity, and revenue.
Create signature, brand-inspired items with distinctive names and presentation.
Develop new, seasonal, and limited-time menu items and test them in parks before rollout.
Design menus around a lean set of ingredients that can be used in multiple ways.
Launch a coffee and hot drinks program for parents and adult guests.
Develop specialty, seasonal, and brand-inspired non-alcoholic drinks for the whole family.
Evaluate beverage equipment, vendors, and partnerships.
Identify opportunities to grow food and beverage revenue per guest.
Partner with party coordinators on food and beverage upgrades for birthday parties.
Set food-cost targets for menu items, recommend pricing, and use sales results to improve the menu.
Create recipes and standards that young crews can follow consistently.
Plan rollouts with operations, headquarters, and new-park teams, including SOPs, kitchen guides, and training materials.
Visit parks to test offerings, provide support, and check consistency.
Work with Sysco and other vendors on products, availability, and pricing.
Lead the F&B Manager, who manages food safety certifications, permits, and inspections.
Partner with the brand team on item names, menu boards, promotions, and food-related messaging.