Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end marketing plan for every new restaurant, beginning with market planning approximately 60-90 days before opening and continuing through Day 90 post-opening.
• Build launch strategies tailored to the opportunity, including new-to-market openings, infill locations and different restaurant/trade-area dynamics.
• Establish clear objectives, sales and traffic targets, marketing KPIs, budgets, channel strategies and contingency plans before each opening.
• Analyze the trade area, competitive environment, audience, traffic drivers and local community to identify the strongest opportunities to build awareness and trial.
• Own the integrated marketing plan from 30 days pre-opening through Day 90, building awareness, driving opening traffic and converting trial into repeat visits.
• Introduce Sarku Japan’s Brand to life locally, translating our fresh, grilled-to-order experience, 40 years of teppanyaki expertise and approachable Japanese-inspired flavor into compelling storytelling and activation.
• Coordinate paid media, social, PR, creators/influencers, CRM/loyalty, local partnerships, community outreach, offers and digital marketplace support into one cohesive launch plan.
• Build local relationships and market-specific activations that create excitement and cultural relevance without relying solely on discounts or generic grand-opening tactics.
• Partner across Brand, Creative, Digital, PR and field teams to ensure every guest touchpoint is launch-ready, cohesive and unmistakably Sarku Japan.
• Monitor sales, transactions and marketing performance through Day 90, adjusting support as needed and leading Day 30/60/90 reviews to sustain momentum and inform the ongoing field marketing plan.

Requirements

• 5+ years of integrated, field or local marketing experience, preferably within QSR, fast casual, restaurants, retail, hospitality or another multi-unit consumer business.
• Direct experience marketing multiple new restaurant or retail openings, including pre-opening awareness, launch execution and post-opening sales support.
• Strong understanding of the full marketing ecosystem, including paid media, social, PR, influencer/creator marketing, CRM/loyalty, digital ordering, third-party delivery, community partnerships, events and local marketing.
• Strong business and analytical acumen with experience using sales, transaction, media and customer data to evaluate performance and make decisions.
• Experience managing marketing budgets and evaluating ROI.
• Excellent project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple openings, timelines, agencies and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Comfortable spending significant time in restaurants and local markets and partnering closely with field teams.
• Ability to travel 50%+ as required to support openings across the country.