Freelance Menu Development Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

NOW Group

Location: Peoria, IL / Hybrid (Remote + Travel to Peoria, IL)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Salary: $55,000–$70,000 + Performance Bonus

NOW Group is a rapidly growing hospitality company focused on creating exceptional restaurants, events, and entertainment experiences.

Our portfolio includes:

• Brienzo's Pizza + Bar
• VAULT Social House + Culture Room
• NOW Hospitality
• NOW Events
• NOW Consulting
• Additional concepts currently in development

We're looking for someone who wants more than a marketing job. We want someone who wants to help build brands that people genuinely love.

If you're excited about launching restaurants, creating unforgettable guest experiences, building communities, and helping shape the future of a growing hospitality company, we'd love to meet you.

This is not a role where you'll simply schedule social media posts.

You'll own the marketing function across multiple brands and work directly with executive leadership to grow revenue, strengthen our brand presence, and execute marketing campaigns that deliver measurable business results.

You'll be responsible for planning campaigns, managing projects, coordinating creative resources, and ensuring every initiative is executed with excellence.

• Develop and execute marketing strategies across all NOW Group brands
• Maintain brand consistency across digital and physical touchpoints
• Coordinate seasonal campaigns and promotions
• Launch new restaurant locations and concepts

• Email marketing
• SMS marketing
• CRM management (SevenRooms)
• Website updates
• Reputation management
• Paid digital advertising
• SEO initiatives

• Own the content calendar
• Coordinate photographers, videographers, designers, and freelancers
• Publish content across all platforms
• Monitor engagement and community management

• Grand openings
• Menu launches
• Special events
• Community partnerships
• Local marketing initiatives
• Guest database growth

• Keep marketing projects on schedule
• Coordinate with operations
• Manage creative deadlines
• Work with outside vendors and agencies
• Ensure campaigns launch on time

Track and report on:

• Guest database growth
• Email and SMS performance
• Website traffic
• Social engagement
• Reservation growth
• Catering and private event leads
• Campaign ROI
• Marketing budget

Within your first 90 days, you'll have:

• Built a marketing calendar across all brands
• Successfully supported the East Peoria opening
• Organized content production into a repeatable system
• Improved project accountability and execution
• Established monthly KPI reporting
• Reduced the amount of day-to-day marketing coordination required from executive leadership

• 3+ years of marketing experience
• Strong project management skills
• Excellent organizational ability
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously
• Strong written communication
• Experience with email marketing platforms
• Experience managing social media for consumer-facing brands
• Comfortable using marketing analytics to make decisions

Preferred:

• Hospitality, restaurant, retail, or lifestyle brand experience
• CRM experience (SevenRooms, Toast, or similar)
• Paid advertising experience
• Website management experience
• Event marketing experience

We're looking for someone who:

• Takes ownership without being asked
• Is highly organized
• Loves building systems
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment
• Thinks strategically but enjoys executing
• Wants to grow with an ambitious company
• Is excited to build something meaningful

• $55,000–$70,000 annual salary
• Performance bonus opportunity
• Hybrid work environment
• Opportunity for career growth as the company expands
• Direct access to executive leadership
• Opportunity to help shape multiple growing brands

Please submit:

• Resume
• Portfolio or examples of marketing campaigns you've led
• Links to brands you've managed (if applicable)
• A brief note explaining why you're excited about helping build NOW Group

We're not looking for someone to simply manage marketing—we're looking for someone who wants to help build one of the Midwest's most exciting hospitality companies.

NOW Group is a creative collective specializing in hospitality concepts, curated events and brand partnerships, and strategic consulting. We build standout brands, craft memorable experiences, and help businesses grow with clarity and impact.