Senior Director of Research and Development, Hard Rock International
As Senior Director of Research and Development for Hard Rock International, Darryl Mickler oversees new menu development and provides strategic culinary direction for all corporate and franchise cafe locations around the world. This includes managing the brand’s limited-time offerings, creating new food platforms and keeping Hard Rock Cafe on the forefront of culinary trends.
Darryl brings to the table more than 25 years of professional culinary experience. In the past year, Darryl has helped develop the fan-favorite burger and beer platform, which fuses Hard Rock’s expertise in the burger category with the brand’s exceptional beverage program to perfectly craft unique food pairings inspired by beer. Since its creation in 2015, the platform has successfully launched five pairings, including the newest Guinness & Jameson Bacon Cheeseburger, paired with Guinness Stout.
Prior to joining Hard Rock, Darryl was a senior chef for The Walt Disney Company. Previously, he held similar research and development roles at Darden Restaurant Group, Brinker International and Aramark. Career highlights included being a featured chef at the James Beard House, Menu Master awards and being on the opening team of Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition to his culinary experience Darryl also holds a MBA from Crummer School of Business.
In his spare time, Darryl enjoys traveling with his family. A true foodie, Darryl loves to cook for family and friends and collects vintage cookbooks.
