About the Role
Sweetgreen is building the future of fast-casual dining — and menu innovation is at the center of that work. The Operations Innovation & Implementation Manager will own the end-to-end testing lifecycle for new menu items, core menu development and limited-time offerings, from field execution through fleet readiness. This is a highly cross-functional role requiring equal parts strategic thinking, operational rigor, and collaborative instinct.
What You'll Do
Own the end-to-end cross-functional market test lifecycle for new menu and core menu development — from equipment and smallware needs to test design and site selection through data analysis, readout, and go/no-go recommendations.
Lead field execution for menu tests in partnership with marketing, engineering, culinary, and operations; ensure operational fidelity and consistent data capture across test locations.
Synthesize quantitative and qualitative signals (sales, labor impact, throughput, yield/waste, customer feedback) into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leadership.
Build and maintain cross-functional project plans that align culinary, operations, marketing, supply chain, and engineering on test timelines and launch sequencing.
Develop and maintain menu test protocols, tracking tools, and post-test documentation to build institutional knowledge.
Partner with the operations and technology teams to build automation compatibility into menu development from day one, ensuring test learnings inform how items are designed, sequenced, and scaled.
What You'll Bring
Bachelor's in Business, Hospitality, Food Science, Operations, Culinary Management, or related field.
5+ years of experience in restaurant operations, consulting, strategy, innovation, operations services, project management, or product management required; fast-casual or high-growth food & beverage experience is preferred.
Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects from inception through execution with minimal oversight.
Strong analytical skills — comfortable working with sales data, labor metrics, and operational dashboards to build a complete picture of test performance.
Exceptional communicator with the ability to distill complexity into crisp, decision-ready recommendations for cross-functional and executive audiences.
Operates comfortably at both altitudes — able to set strategic direction on a test program and then get into the details of a store-level execution plan without losing the thread between the two.
High collaboration instinct — this role touches nearly every function, and a low-ego, high-trust working style is essential.
Experience with project management tools (Smartsheet, Asana, or equivalent).
Nice to Have
Familiarity with automation or tech-enabled kitchen environments.
Experience designing or analyzing menu tests at scale (10+ locations).
Working knowledge of SQL sufficient to independently query sales and operational data in support of test readouts and analyses.
Exposure to ingredient sourcing or supply chain coordination.
Come join the sweetlife!
About sweetgreen
Sweetgreen is a national restaurant brand dedicated to building healthier communities by connecting people to real food. Since 2007, Sweetgreen has reimagined fast food to be fresh, flavorful, and rooted in relationships with farmers and communities. As we grow, we are committed to developing our people in our restaurants and at our support center, so that everyone can be part of the movement. When you join Sweetgreen, you not only invest in your own future but help create spaces where food, people, and purpose come together
Founded in 2007, sweetgreen is a destination for simple, seasonal, healthy food. We believe the choices we make about what we eat, where it comes from and how it’s prepared have a direct and powerful impact on the health of individuals, communities and the environment. That’s why we’re building a transparent supply network, why we cook from scratch, and why we’re building a community of people who support real food.
We’re in the business of feeding people, and we’re out to change what that means.
These six core values embody our culture, spirit and dedication to doing what’s right. They keep us aligned and help us make decisions about everything from the food we serve to the way we design our stores.
create solutions where the company wins, the customer wins, the community wins.
make decisions that last longer than you will.
cultivate authentic food and relationships.
create meaningful connections every day
leave people better than you found them.
celebrate your passion and your purpose.
Our mission is to inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food. We know that sweetgreen is a critical link between growers and consumers, and we feel a responsibility to protect the future of real food. To that end, we’re committed to supporting small and mid-size growers who are farming sustainably, to creating transparency around what’s in your food and where it came from, and to creating more accessibility to healthy, real food for more people. Because here at sweetgreen, impact is not an arm of our business, it is our business, and it permeates everything we do, from what we source to who we hire and how we support local communities. We want to make an impact and leave people better than we found them, and we tailor our approach in each market to reflect the needs of the community.