Director of Training & Development – Restaurant Company

Director of Training & Development

Fast Casual Restaurant Brand

About the Role

We’re seeking a Director of Training & Development to lead the learning strategy for a growing, people-driven fast casual restaurant brand known for high-quality food, strong culture, and operational excellence. This role is ideal for a hospitality training leader who is passionate about developing people, protecting brand standards, and building scalable training systems that support growth.

As Director of Training, you’ll own the end-to-end training and development experience across the organization — from onboarding and brand immersion to leadership development and new restaurant openings. You’ll work closely with Operations and Field Leadership to ensure every restaurant delivers a consistent, high-quality guest and team experience.

Key Responsibilities

Training Strategy & Execution

• Design, execute, and continuously improve company-wide training and development programs for hourly team members, managers, and leaders.
• Own the training lifecycle from onboarding through leadership development, ensuring programs scale with growth.
• Translate brand values, culture, and standards into clear, engaging, and practical training tools.

Brand Standards & Training Restaurants

• Ensure training restaurants consistently uphold brand standards, training accuracy, and operational excellence.
• Partner with Operations leadership to audit, coach, and support training locations.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert on brand standards, systems, and best practices.

New Restaurant Openings (NROs)

• TRAVEL – Will be at NRO for 3-4 Weeks
• Lead and deploy NRO trainers to support successful openings.
• Develop and train future trainers, ensuring a strong bench of certified training leaders.
• Create repeatable NRO training playbooks and timelines that support rapid, high-quality expansion.

Trainer & Leader Development

• Recruit, train, and mentor NRO trainers and field trainers.
• Build “train-the-trainer” programs that elevate consistency and teaching effectiveness.
• Support General Managers and Area Leaders with coaching tools and brand standards education.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate with Operations, Culinary, HR, and Leadership teams to align training with business goals.
• Use performance data and field feedback to evolve training programs and improve results.
• Champion a people-first, learning-driven culture across the organization.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience leading training and development in fast casual or restaurant operations
• Strong background in multi-unit restaurant environments
• Experience supporting new restaurant openings (NROs) and training teams
• Deep understanding of brand standards, service models, and operational excellence
• Passion for people development, coaching, and culture building
• Highly organized, adaptable, and comfortable in a fast-growing environment
• Ability to influence without authority and build strong cross-functional relationships

Why This Role

• Be a key culture carrier in a values-driven organization
• Build training systems that directly impact growth and guest experience
• Lead and develop trainers who shape the future of the brand
• Join a company that believes great food starts with great people

As part of our recruiting process, we may contact you regarding positions we feel are a good fit or engage with you via SMS text message. By clicking to submit your application, Superior Talent Source has your consent to communicate via SMS text message moving forward.

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