END TO END R&D LEADERSHIP
Transforming a Core Ingredient from Commodity to Competitive Advantage
THE CHALLENGE
A restaurant chain built around grilled chicken needed to fundamentally rethink how it’s signature products were sourced, prepared, and delivered - transitioning from raw commodity chicken to a pre-marinated ready-to-grill format without compromising the quality their customers expected.
OUR APPROACH
1
Scope & Strategy
Created the complete scope of work, timeline, and work plan encompassing R&D development through back of house (BOH) testing and validation.
2
Multi-Stream Execution
Led four parallel work streams coordinating internal cross-functional teams alongside external suppliers across seasoning, functional ingredients, and chicken processing.
3
Supplier Orchestration
Worked directly on the bench-top with the strategic seasoning partner and functional ingredient suppliers to develop custom formulations, which were then scaled through chicken processors into gold-standard finished products.
4
Validation & Launch
Managed consumer testing process with in house sensory team, defined the BOH validation plan with operations, and phased supply chain integration ensuring the product met both consumer expectations and operational requirements at scale.
RESULTS & IMPACT
$2M+
PROCUREMENT SAVINGS
100% Natural
ALL NATURAL COLORS REPLACED ARTIFICIAL WHILE MAINTAINING SIGNATURE APPEARANCE
12%
INCREASE IN CONSUMER PREFERENCE ON KEY CONSUMER ATTRIBUTES
3 HRS
DAILY LABOR SAVINGS / RESTAURANT