Director of Food Safety

Reporting to the COO, this role owns the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of Mo’ Bettahs food safety and sanitation programs across every restaurant in the system. You will set the multi-year food safety vision as we scale from 80 restaurants to nearly 90 across eight states by year end, and you will build the team, systems, and health department relationships that allow us to grow without compromise.

You will partner closely with Operations, Training, Supply Chain, and Construction to ensure every plate served, from kalua pig to white rice, meets the highest standards of safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. You will own HACCP plans, the third-party audit program, Serv Safe certification, supplier food safety standards, and the company’s response to foodborne illness allegations and recalls, serving as the executive voice of food safety to senior leadership.

This position is based in Lehi, UT with significant multi-state travel (40-50%) to support restaurants across our operating footprint.

• Own and continuously evolve the Mo’ Bettahs food safety strategy and program, including HACCP plans, standard operating procedures, and brand-specific food safety standards across every restaurant in the system.
• Build, lead, and develop the food safety function, including third-party resources, as the restaurant count and geographic footprint grow.
• Maintain compliance with the FDA Food Code and all applicable state, county, and municipal regulations across our eight-state operating footprint.
• Develop and maintain temperature, time, allergen, and sanitation standards specific to Hawaiian-style menu items, including rice handling, slow-cooked proteins, steam-table holding, and raw protein cross-contamination controls.
• Conduct and oversee in-restaurant food safety audits across the portfolio on a defined cadence, surfacing wins and recognition opportunities alongside corrective action.
• Own the third-party audit program (Eco Sure, Steritech, or equivalent), including scope, scoring, vendor relationship, and reporting; calibrate scoring and standards across District Managers and General Managers.
• Own the company’s food safety crisis management playbook; serve as incident commander for foodborne illness allegations, supplier recalls, and health department actions, partnering with Legal, Communications, and executive leadership.
• Manage relationships with local and state health departments across all eight states; serve as primary point of contact for inspections, plan reviews, and variances.
• Own the Serv Safe Manager certification program system-wide and maintain a current roster of certified managers in every restaurant.
• Build and deliver food safety training content for new hires, GMs, DMs, and Restaurant Support Center Team Members, including allergen awareness and Hawaiian-style menu-specific protocols.
• Partner with Construction, Real Estate, and Operations on permitting, plan review, and pre-opening health department inspections for New Restaurant Openings in existing and new states.
• Partner with Supply Chain to ensure approved suppliers meet Mo’ Bettahs food safety standards, including third-party certifications (SQF, BRC, or equivalent); lead supplier food safety reviews and recall execution.
• Evaluate, implement, and own food safety technology, including digital line checks, remote temperature monitoring, and audit management platforms, to give Operations real-time visibility into food safety performance.
• Own the food safety department budget, including third-party audit, technology, training, and pest management vendor contracts.
• Build and report monthly food safety KPIs to the executive team, including audit scores, illness reports, health department…