• Director of Foodservice - Berkeley Culinary

    Whitsons Culinary Group (Berkeley, IL)


    Director of Foodservice - Berkeley Culinary

     

    Berkely, IL, USA

     

    Requisition Number

     

    15751

     

    Location

     

    Berkely Il

    Job Description

    SUMMARY

    The Director of Foodservice – Hospitality & Leisure serves as the primary commercial leader responsible for driving growth across Whitsons’ hospitality, leisure, and destination-based foodservice segments. This role leads sales strategy and execution for customers including entertainment venues, attractions, travel & leisure operators, hospitality groups, and other experiential dining environments.

     

    This role is entrepreneurial in nature and requires a highly motivated, self-starting sales leader with a strong growth-oriented mindset. The ideal candidate is energized by building new relationships, opening new market opportunities, and expanding Whitsons’ presence within hospitality, leisure, and destination-based foodservice environments. Success in this role requires creativity, resilience, and the ability to operate with autonomy while effectively influencing cross-functional partners to deliver innovative, scalable, and experience-driven foodservice solutions.

    ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES

    Strategic Sales Leadership

     

    + Develop and execute the hospitality & leisure foodservice sales strategy, including new customer acquisition, portfolio expansion, and annual revenue planning.

    + Identify growth opportunities within destination dining, seasonal operations, and experiential foodservice environments.

    + Translate customer and market insights into actionable commercial strategies and pipeline forecasts.

     

    Customer Relationship & Account Management

     

    + Build and maintain senior-level relationships with hospitality operators, venue leadership, and foodservice decision-makers.

    + Serve as a trusted advisor to customers by delivering tailored solutions that balance experience, quality, speed, and scalability.

    + Lead customer presentations, contract discussions, and executive-level business reviews.

     

    Sales Process & Execution

     

    + Own the full sales lifecycle, including prospecting, proposal development, pricing strategy, contract negotiation, and close.

    + Partner with Operations, Culinary, Supply Chain, QA, and Finance to ensure operational readiness and successful program execution.

    + Maintain disciplined pipeline management, forecasting accuracy, and documentation.

     

    Market, Category & Competitive Intelligence

     

    + Monitor hospitality and leisure industry trends, consumer behaviors, and competitive activity.

    + Leverage data and customer insights to support concept development, menu strategies, and service models.

    + Provide market feedback internally to support innovation and continuous improvement.

     

    Cross-Functional Collaboration

     

    + Partner closely with Operations and Culinary to ensure programs meet service expectations in high-volume and dynamic environments.

    + Collaborate with Finance and Legal on pricing models, contract structures, and bid responses.

    + Support internal stakeholders with customer insights and growth intelligence.

     

    This role offers a salary range of $130,000 – $150,000 annually, based on skills, experience, and location. Employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, generous PTO, and paid holidays.

    Requirements

    REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

    Education

    + Bachelor’s degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, or related field required.

    + MBA preferred.

    Experience

    + Minimum 7 years of progressive sales experience within CPG, retail, private label, or co-manufacturing.

    + Demonstrated success managing national or regional retail accounts.

    + Proven ability to meet or exceed revenue targets consistently.

    + Experience presenting to senior leadership and customer decision makers.

    + Strong background in interpreting syndicated data and retail analytics.

    + Experience leading complex negotiations and multi-stakeholder commercial processes.

     

    Core Competencies

     

    + Market & Experience-Driven Strategy – Drives growth through deep understanding of hospitality, leisure, and experiential dining environments, balancing creativity, service expectations, and commercial results.

    + Customer Partnership & Influence – Builds trusted, senior-level relationships and serves as a strategic advisor to hospitality and destination-based customers.

    + Sales Execution & Negotiation – Leads the full sales lifecycle with discipline, initiative, and an entrepreneurial spirit, actively creating opportunities from prospecting through pricing, contracting, and close.

    + Cross-Functional Alignment – Partners with Operations, Culinary, Supply Chain, and Finance to deliver seamless, high-quality execution in dynamic environments.

    + Business Acumen & Accountability – Applies strong financial, operational, and analytical judgment to drive sustainable, results-oriented growth.

     

    Technical Skills

     

    + Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

    + Familiarity with CRM platforms for pipeline management and reporting.

    Work Schedule

    This is a full-time exempt position. Standard work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00

     

    Supervisor

     

    Michelle L Rothermich

     

    Salary Target

     

    $130,000-$150,000