Love's Travel Stops
Director of Fresh Kitchen Menu Strategy
Love's Travel Stops, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 73116
Overview
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Director of Fresh Kitchen Menu Strategy
role at
Love's Travel Stops
Welcome to Love's:
At Love’s, our values go beyond our name. We look for those values in our people. The Director, Fresh Kitchen Menu Strategy at Love’s Travel Stops plays a pivotal role in driving the long-term success of our proprietary food & beverage brand. This strategic leadership position is responsible for shaping and executing innovative menu and category strategies that align with our broader foodservice vision. As a key leader in the Foodservice Department, this role spearheads the continued growth and evolution of the LFK brand, ensuring it remains a destination of choice for travelers seeking fresh, high-quality food options.
Benefits
Fuel Your Growth with Love's - company funded tuition assistance
Paid Time Off
401(k) – 100% Match up to 5%
Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance after 30 days
Competitive Pay
Career Development
Responsibilities
Drives the vision and execution of category strategies for Love’s Fresh Kitchen, leading the development of innovative menus and product assortments that elevate the customer experience and complement our branded food concepts
Partner with procurement in the sourcing of high-quality, yet cost effective ingredients used for in-store assembly of the fresh food program
Partner with internal and external stakeholders to bring innovative and exclusive products to market
Inspires and empowers a team of Category Managers to deliver data-driven, customer-focused tactics that align with and advance overall foodservice growth goals.
Collaborates closely with senior Foodservice leadership to shape long-term strategies around menu development and packaging innovation, ensuring continued relevance and market differentiation
Financial Responsibility & Planning
Leads the development of annual category plans that align with strategic vision of the Love’s Fresh Kitchen (LFK) brand inclusive of driving decisions around assortment, positioning, product enhancements, and promotional strategies to deliver a compelling customer experience
Owns the budgeting process and ensures the business meets or exceeds financial commitments through strategic planning, performance monitoring, and proactive course correction
Development of Customer Focused Product & Promotional Calendar
Leads the planning and execution of a 12–24 month customer engagement roadmap, designed to drive awareness, increase retention, and position Love’s Fresh Kitchen as the go-to food destination for travelers
Provide strategic, insight-driven direction to Innovation team ensuring product development initiatives align with current business goals while anticipating future customer needs and flavor trends
Partner with Merchandising and Retail Data Analytics teams to design data-informed customer experiences leveraging product affinity to drive incremental sales and deliver on our promise of quality and convenience
Benchmarking against competitive landscape that includes traditional competition as well as emerging channels including grocery and quick-service restaurants
Business Review Process
Collaborates with the Data Analytics Team to deliver timely, accurate monthly P&L analysis that supports decision making and performance management
Guides the team in producing regular business reviews, highlighting category performance, key KPIs, and actionable insights to drive continuous improvement
Delivers quarterly business updates to Foodservice leadership, translating data into strategic recommendations that support growth and operational excellence
Assortment & Pricing Reviews
Leverage sales performance, market trends, and customer insights to continuously optimize the product offering and enhance the customer experience
Conducts regular SKU rationalization review to ensure the right product mix is available in the right locations, maximizing relevance and profitability
Partners with Data Analytics team to ensure pricing and promotional strategies are data-driven, market-aligned, and deliver strong value to our customers
Has deep understanding of foodservice industry and travel stop industry customer need states to ensure we deliver against and exceed customer expectations
Ensure a balanced portfolio approach to LFK assortment that accounts for total foodservice offering within each location to deliver on a core commitment of fresh, hot food available 24 hours a day
Vendor Relationships
Build and nurture strong relationships with strategic vendor partners to support long-term growth and innovation across the Love’s Fresh Kitchen brand
In collaboration with Procurement, leads vendor negotiations to secure optimal pricing, terms, and service agreements to balance cost efficiency with high standards for product quality and consistency.
Leadership
Cultivate a positive, collaborative team culture that encourages cross-functional teamwork, accountability, and continuous professional growth
Provides direct leadership and mentorship to the Category Management team, guiding the development of strategic, insight-driven category plans.
Champion team development by ensuring each team member has a clear, actionable growth plan aligned with their professional goals and business needs.
Promotes communication, collaboration, and curiosity within team
Experience And Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in business or marketing preferred
9+ years in Foodservice or CPG industry with a minimum 5 years of category management experience required
5+ years in a role with P&L accountability
Menu strategy and/or marketing experience preferred
Skills And Physical Demands
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
Highly collaborative with ability to build solid working partnerships across functional groups
Proven success in influencing at multiple levels across an organization
Comfortable and confident presenting content/ strategy to multiple levels of leadership
Ability to synthesize internal and external business insights to interpret data
Highly self-motivated and able to work both collaboratively as well as independently
Strong desire to learn industry trends
Sense of urgency
Requires standing and walking, with some bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, climbing and ladder use
Occasional lifting of up to 25 lbs
Occasional travel regionally/nationally will be required (up to 15%)
Our Culture Fueling customers' journeys since 1964, innovation leads the way for this family-owned and operated business headquartered in Oklahoma City. With nearly 40,000 team members, travel stops are the core business along with products and services that provide value for professional drivers, fleets, traveling public, RVers, alternative energy and wholesale fuel customers. Giving back to communities and an inclusive workplace are hallmarks of the award-winning culture.
Love's is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Veterans encouraged to apply.
Job Details
Seniority level: Director
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Business Development and Sales
Industries: Retail
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Director of Fresh Kitchen Menu Strategy
role at
Love's Travel Stops
Welcome to Love's:
At Love’s, our values go beyond our name. We look for those values in our people. The Director, Fresh Kitchen Menu Strategy at Love’s Travel Stops plays a pivotal role in driving the long-term success of our proprietary food & beverage brand. This strategic leadership position is responsible for shaping and executing innovative menu and category strategies that align with our broader foodservice vision. As a key leader in the Foodservice Department, this role spearheads the continued growth and evolution of the LFK brand, ensuring it remains a destination of choice for travelers seeking fresh, high-quality food options.
Benefits
Fuel Your Growth with Love's - company funded tuition assistance
Paid Time Off
401(k) – 100% Match up to 5%
Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance after 30 days
Competitive Pay
Career Development
Responsibilities
Drives the vision and execution of category strategies for Love’s Fresh Kitchen, leading the development of innovative menus and product assortments that elevate the customer experience and complement our branded food concepts
Partner with procurement in the sourcing of high-quality, yet cost effective ingredients used for in-store assembly of the fresh food program
Partner with internal and external stakeholders to bring innovative and exclusive products to market
Inspires and empowers a team of Category Managers to deliver data-driven, customer-focused tactics that align with and advance overall foodservice growth goals.
Collaborates closely with senior Foodservice leadership to shape long-term strategies around menu development and packaging innovation, ensuring continued relevance and market differentiation
Financial Responsibility & Planning
Leads the development of annual category plans that align with strategic vision of the Love’s Fresh Kitchen (LFK) brand inclusive of driving decisions around assortment, positioning, product enhancements, and promotional strategies to deliver a compelling customer experience
Owns the budgeting process and ensures the business meets or exceeds financial commitments through strategic planning, performance monitoring, and proactive course correction
Development of Customer Focused Product & Promotional Calendar
Leads the planning and execution of a 12–24 month customer engagement roadmap, designed to drive awareness, increase retention, and position Love’s Fresh Kitchen as the go-to food destination for travelers
Provide strategic, insight-driven direction to Innovation team ensuring product development initiatives align with current business goals while anticipating future customer needs and flavor trends
Partner with Merchandising and Retail Data Analytics teams to design data-informed customer experiences leveraging product affinity to drive incremental sales and deliver on our promise of quality and convenience
Benchmarking against competitive landscape that includes traditional competition as well as emerging channels including grocery and quick-service restaurants
Business Review Process
Collaborates with the Data Analytics Team to deliver timely, accurate monthly P&L analysis that supports decision making and performance management
Guides the team in producing regular business reviews, highlighting category performance, key KPIs, and actionable insights to drive continuous improvement
Delivers quarterly business updates to Foodservice leadership, translating data into strategic recommendations that support growth and operational excellence
Assortment & Pricing Reviews
Leverage sales performance, market trends, and customer insights to continuously optimize the product offering and enhance the customer experience
Conducts regular SKU rationalization review to ensure the right product mix is available in the right locations, maximizing relevance and profitability
Partners with Data Analytics team to ensure pricing and promotional strategies are data-driven, market-aligned, and deliver strong value to our customers
Has deep understanding of foodservice industry and travel stop industry customer need states to ensure we deliver against and exceed customer expectations
Ensure a balanced portfolio approach to LFK assortment that accounts for total foodservice offering within each location to deliver on a core commitment of fresh, hot food available 24 hours a day
Vendor Relationships
Build and nurture strong relationships with strategic vendor partners to support long-term growth and innovation across the Love’s Fresh Kitchen brand
In collaboration with Procurement, leads vendor negotiations to secure optimal pricing, terms, and service agreements to balance cost efficiency with high standards for product quality and consistency.
Leadership
Cultivate a positive, collaborative team culture that encourages cross-functional teamwork, accountability, and continuous professional growth
Provides direct leadership and mentorship to the Category Management team, guiding the development of strategic, insight-driven category plans.
Champion team development by ensuring each team member has a clear, actionable growth plan aligned with their professional goals and business needs.
Promotes communication, collaboration, and curiosity within team
Experience And Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in business or marketing preferred
9+ years in Foodservice or CPG industry with a minimum 5 years of category management experience required
5+ years in a role with P&L accountability
Menu strategy and/or marketing experience preferred
Skills And Physical Demands
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
Highly collaborative with ability to build solid working partnerships across functional groups
Proven success in influencing at multiple levels across an organization
Comfortable and confident presenting content/ strategy to multiple levels of leadership
Ability to synthesize internal and external business insights to interpret data
Highly self-motivated and able to work both collaboratively as well as independently
Strong desire to learn industry trends
Sense of urgency
Requires standing and walking, with some bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, climbing and ladder use
Occasional lifting of up to 25 lbs
Occasional travel regionally/nationally will be required (up to 15%)
Our Culture Fueling customers' journeys since 1964, innovation leads the way for this family-owned and operated business headquartered in Oklahoma City. With nearly 40,000 team members, travel stops are the core business along with products and services that provide value for professional drivers, fleets, traveling public, RVers, alternative energy and wholesale fuel customers. Giving back to communities and an inclusive workplace are hallmarks of the award-winning culture.
Love's is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Veterans encouraged to apply.
Job Details
Seniority level: Director
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Business Development and Sales
Industries: Retail
#J-18808-Ljbffr