Derek Kirk Email & Phone Number

Nashville, Tn, Us

soulPhoodie is a community that celebrates black food and beverage culture. soulPhoodie proudly serve as the premier destination to shine a light on the innovative endeavors of brothers and sisters who are revolutionizing the food and beverage industry, and those that love to experience their food!We are dedicated to spotlighting the stories and talents of creators who are pushing the boundaries in the realm of food and beverage. With a community of more that 180k followers across all platforms are a brand that informs, educates, and entertains those passionate about black food culture, (melanin not required, but strongly encouraged).As the Founder of soulPhoodie, my role is to set the vision and direction for our community, ensuring that we celebrate and uplift black food and beverage culture. I am responsible for cultivating partnerships, overseeing content creation, and guiding the overall growth and impact of soulPhoodie in the industry.Additionally, I manage the day-to-day operations, coordinate with our team of content creators, and engage with our passionate community of over 180k followers. I am focused on delivering informative, educational, and entertaining content that resonates with those who love and appreciate black food culture.

At The Restaurant Nerd, we specialize in offering strategic guidance and marketing expertise exclusively tailored to support food service establishments. Our consultancy is dedicated to empowering and assisting these businesses through comprehensive restaurant strategy and marketing services, ensuring their growth and prosperity in the industry.The Restaurant Nerd’s Key Services include:1. Brand Strategy: We provide comprehensive brand strategy services to define brand identity, target audience, and market positioning.2. Creative Development: Our team delivers unique concepts, designs, and campaigns to enhance brand recognition and engagement.3. Third Party Delivery and Virtual Restaurants: We optimize clients' presence and profitability in the digital space.4. Menu Development and Engineering: We create innovative menus that align with the brand and cater to customer preferences.5. Digital Marketing: We offer website development, social media management, SEO, CRM, and email marketing for online visibility and customer engagement.We deliver this through several available options for our partners including as courses, incubators, and one on one engagements. As the Founder and Principal Consultant, my role is to provide strategic guidance and expertise to food service establishments. I am responsible for developing customized strategies, conducting market analysis, and implementing effective marketing campaigns to drive growth and success for our clients in the competitive food service industry.

Denver, Co, Us

Nextbite helps restaurants focus on what matters most and takes care of the rest. The only all-in-one virtual restaurant solution for existing restaurants and kitchens that pairs our proven online ordering/delivery management system with a selection of highly visible, on-trend, delivery brands.As the Senior Director of Brand Development at Nextbite, I led a team focused on creating and managing a diverse portfolio of virtual restaurants. My responsibilities included developing marketing strategies to drive brand awareness, conversion, average order value (AOV), and repeat sales through third-party delivery platforms. I also played a key role in successfully launching the Nestle Cookie delivery pilot, which resulted in significant improvements in conversion rates during the testing phase. Additionally, I was promoted to General Manager of the Dinner Bell brand, taking on additional responsibilities in operations and culinary strategy alongside marketing.Key Achievements: - Optimized and improved the overall user experience for a key new product, improving conversion rates by more than 75% during testing

The Brooklyn Water Bagel Company is an authentic and local New York style bagels and small batch roasted coffee company that can't be beat.In my role as VP of Marketing, I successfully achieved a 60% reduction in ad agency expenses by leveraging a pool of skilled freelancers. Additionally, I implemented a strategic pricing plan and integrated third-party delivery services such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, and ezCater, resulting in a remarkable 75% increase in off-premises sales with only a marginal 10% erosion in margins. Furthermore, I achieved a significant 7% increase in comparable sales for key restaurants in 2019. Our focus was on offering specialty water, specialty bagels, and specialty coffee, catering to the unique tastes of our valued customers.

West Palm Beach, Fl, Us

At Hurricane Grill & Wings, we offer a unique wing dining experience that allows you to escape and unwind whenever you desire.I embarked on a transformative journey to enhance our brand's success and elevate the customer experience. Within just six months, I spearheaded a complete reengineering and redesign of our entire point-of-purchase (POP) portfolio, which included Core, 2Go, Kids, Beverage, and limited-time-offer (LTO) menus. This strategic initiative resulted in a significant improvement in customer satisfaction and a remarkable 7% increase in average check size, all accomplished without any price adjustments.Key Achievements:- Reengineered and redesigned entire POP portfolio, leading to increased customer satisfaction and a 7% boost in average check size without price increases.- Restructured team roles, resulting in a 75% increase in LSM tool activation, 100% compliance with LTO and marketing programs, and a 50% rise in marketing satisfaction scores.- Executed a comprehensive reconstruction of the marketing function, saving 20% of the marketing budget allocated to franchisee local marketing.

Vella Marketing Consulting is an independent marketing consultant agency creating innovative marketing solutions for the restaurant and entertainment industries and advising private equity and independent investors on restaurant company acquisitions, startups, and strategies. Worked hand in hand with Buzztime as their Director of Business Development to create indirect sales channel for new restaurant gaming and entertainment product for publicly traded company. This involved creating a unique go-to-market strategy, operations plans, and compensation plans for new channel. Client List included: Goode Partners, Sun Capital, DIRECTV and Buzztime

Plantation, Fl, Us

I was retained by Sun Capital as a consultant to tackle a substantial decline in revenue. Within the first 90 days, I successfully executed a new marketing communications plan that involved implementing strategies like point-of-purchase (POP) displays, loyalty programs, direct mail campaigns, and broadcast advertising. As a result, we achieved positive comparable sales for the first quarter in two years. Alongside the operations team, we collaborated to reduce in-restaurant discounts by 75% while minimizing any impact on guest frequency.

El Segundo, Ca, Us

At DIRECTV, our mission is to deliver an exceptional entertainment experience that goes above and beyond expectations.As the General Manager, I focused on our Bars and Restaurants Segment, I was recruited to address stagnating revenue in the $285M vertical. My responsibilities included implementing a segmentation-based sales strategy and focusing the dealer channel on Hispanic programming products, all with the goal of revitalizing the business and driving growth. Key Achievements: • Delivered 155% of annual sales goal and received the 2011 World Class Sales Award

Independent marketing consultant creating innovative marketing solutions for the restaurant and entertainment industries and advising private equity and independent investors on restaurant company acquisitions, startups and strategies. Client List Included: Goode Partners, Sun Capital, DIRECTV and Buzztime

Cypress, Ca, Us

Orlando, Fl, Us

Orlando, Fl, Us

Orlando, Fl, Us

Bba, Finance

Mba, Entrepreneurial Management & Marketing

Education record