Whitsons Culinary Group · 3 hours ago
Director of Sales
Berkeley, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$130K/yr - $150K/yr
7+ years expWhitsons Culinary Group is seeking a Director of Sales who will serve as the primary commercial leader responsible for driving growth across the hospitality, leisure, and destination-based foodservice segments. This role involves leading sales strategy and execution for various customers, building relationships, and expanding market opportunities.
Food and BeverageFood DeliveryFood ProcessingRestaurantsWholesale
Hiring Manager
Courtney Scholl
Responsibilities
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
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
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
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
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
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, or related field required
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
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
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
Familiarity with CRM platforms for pipeline management and reporting
Preferred
MBA preferred
Benefits
Health
Dental
Vision
401(k) with company match
Generous PTO
Paid holidays
Company
Whitsons Culinary Group
Founded in 1979, Whitsons Culinary Group® provides dining services to consumers in both public and private organizations throughout the United States, and our Whitsons Family of Companies continues to grow as we expand across the country.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknown2021-09-08Acquired
Leadership Team
Paul Whitcomb
President & Chief Executive Officer
Kelly Friend, FMP, CDM, CFPP
COO, Contract Management
Recent News
2025-08-18
Whitsons Culinary Group
2025-07-30
2025-07-10
Company data provided by crunchbase