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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Food Service Analyst

💰 $65,000 - $95,000

Food ServiceAnalyticsData AnalysisHospitalitySupply Chain

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a highly analytical and detail-oriented Food Service Analyst to join our dynamic team. In this pivotal role, you will be the engine behind our data-driven decision-making process, transforming raw operational and financial data into strategic insights. You will be responsible for dissecting everything from menu performance and supply chain efficiency to customer purchasing behavior and labor productivity. The ideal candidate is a curious problem-solver with a passion for the food and beverage industry, capable of communicating complex findings to stakeholders at all levels to drive profitability and enhance the guest experience.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Data Analyst or Business Analyst
  • Restaurant Manager or Chef with strong analytical skills
  • Supply Chain Coordinator or Specialist

Advancement To:

  • Senior Food Service Analyst or Lead Analyst
  • Manager of Food & Beverage Analytics
  • Business Intelligence Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Supply Chain Analyst
  • Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Analyst
  • Marketing Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Analyze sales data, product mix (PMIX), and daypart performance across all service locations to identify sales trends, forecast future demand, and provide actionable recommendations for revenue growth.
  • Conduct comprehensive menu engineering and profitability analysis to optimize menu offerings, pricing strategies, and promotional activities for maximum margin contribution.
  • Develop, maintain, and distribute key performance indicator (KPI) dashboards and reports for operations, marketing, and executive leadership, tracking metrics such as food cost, labor cost, waste, and customer satisfaction.
  • Perform detailed cost analysis of ingredients, recipes, and finished goods to identify opportunities for cost reduction without compromising quality standards.
  • Monitor and analyze inventory levels, turnover rates, and stock-outs to improve inventory management practices and optimize supply chain efficiency.
  • Evaluate supplier and vendor performance based on cost, quality, and delivery metrics, providing data-backed recommendations for contract negotiations and partnership strategies.
  • Utilize statistical analysis and data modeling to identify the root causes of operational inefficiencies and recommend process improvements for kitchen and front-of-house operations.
  • Translate complex datasets into compelling visual stories and presentations for non-technical stakeholders, clearly communicating trends, insights, and strategic recommendations.
  • Conduct market basket analysis to understand customer purchasing behaviors, identify cross-selling opportunities, and inform menu-pairing suggestions.
  • Partner with the culinary and marketing teams to model the potential financial impact of new menu items, limited-time offers (LTOs), and marketing campaigns before launch.
  • Analyze customer feedback and sentiment data from surveys, social media, and review platforms to correlate with sales performance and identify areas for service improvement.
  • Manage the integrity and accuracy of food service data within our databases and ERP systems, performing regular data cleansing and validation.
  • Develop and implement waste tracking programs, analyzing data to identify key drivers of food waste and recommending mitigation strategies across the operation.
  • Create and maintain sophisticated forecasting models for sales, production needs, and labor scheduling to ensure optimal resource allocation.
  • Support the annual budgeting and long-range planning process by providing historical data analysis and predictive insights for food and beverage revenues and costs.
  • Investigate and report on financial variances between actual performance and budgeted targets, providing detailed explanations and corrective action plans.
  • Assess the performance of different service channels (e.g., dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering) to guide strategic focus and investment.
  • Ensure data-driven compliance with health, safety, and quality assurance standards by analyzing audit results and incident reports.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis from various business units, including operations, finance, and marketing.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by identifying new data sources and analytical opportunities.
  • Collaborate with IT and data engineering teams to translate business needs into technical requirements for new data pipelines and tools.
  • Participate in sprint planning, retrospectives, and other agile ceremonies as part of the broader analytics team.
  • Mentor junior analysts and business users on data interpretation and the use of self-service analytics tools.
  • Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in food service analytics and data visualization.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Microsoft Excel: Mastery of pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, complex formulas, and data modeling is essential.
  • Business Intelligence (BI) Tools: High proficiency in creating dashboards and reports using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker.
  • SQL (Structured Query Language): Strong ability to write complex queries to extract, manipulate, and analyze data from relational databases.
  • Statistical Analysis: Solid understanding of statistical concepts and experience using software like R or Python (with pandas, NumPy libraries) for data analysis.
  • ERP & POS Systems: Experience with enterprise resource planning (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and Point-of-Sale systems common in the food service industry.
  • Financial Modeling: Ability to build financial models to forecast sales, costs, and profitability for various scenarios.
  • Data Warehousing Concepts: Familiarity with data warehouse structures and the principles of data management.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical & Critical Thinking: Exceptional ability to dissect problems, see connections in complex data, and draw logical, insightful conclusions.
  • Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.
  • Problem-Solving: Proactive and resourceful in identifying issues, evaluating solutions, and implementing effective resolutions.
  • Attention to Detail: Meticulous approach to data accuracy, analysis, and reporting to ensure the reliability of insights.
  • Business Acumen: A strong understanding of food service operations, financial principles, and the key drivers of profitability in the hospitality industry.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, including culinary, operations, marketing, and finance.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree (MBA, MS in Analytics, Hospitality Management, or related field)

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Finance or Economics
  • Statistics or Data Science
  • Hospitality Management
  • Supply Chain Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3-5 years of experience in a data analysis, business analysis, or financial analysis role.

Preferred:

  • Direct experience within the food service, multi-unit restaurant, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or hospitality industry is highly preferred.
  • Proven track record of leveraging data to drive measurable business results, such as increased revenue, cost savings, or operational efficiency.
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