Food & Beverage OPT Jobs in Louisiana
Food and beverage F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in Louisiana draw on the state's deep roots in food manufacturing, hospitality, and agriculture. Major employers include Zatarain's, Tabasco parent McIlhenny Company, and large hospitality groups concentrated in New Orleans. Baton Rouge and Lafayette also host processing and distribution operations with OPT-eligible roles in quality assurance, food science, and supply chain.
Find Food & Beverage JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 21+ Food & Beverage OPT Jobs in Louisiana
See all Food & Beverage OPT Jobs in Louisiana
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Food & Beverage OPT Jobs in Louisiana.
Get Access To All JobsAre you an experienced Sales Professional, Restaurant Manager, Culinary Manager or Chef looking for career development opportunities? Join Sysco’s World Class Sales Team and explore all the benefits and perks.
Why you should join our Sales Team:
- Competitive base salary, bonus, plus promotional incentive opportunities
- Car allowance (mileage reimbursement for candidates in CA) and cell phone provided
- Career pathing opportunities for both entry level, and experienced individuals
- Opportunity to be part of a purpose driven organization that supports communities and associates
- Specialized sales training
- Individual as well as team-based selling
- Opportunity to learn different ethnic segments
- Monthly and annual sales rewards and recognition
- Robust benefits package including an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, & 401(k) with automatic matching
JOB SUMMARY
This is an outside sales position responsible for promoting the company's products and services and for building relationships with new and existing accounts. The main focus is to help Sysco customers succeed while achieving sales and profit goals established by the company. This position may require working some non-traditional hours (evening, weekends, and holidays) to successfully meet customers' needs.
Responsibilities
- Develop new business, penetrate existing accounts, and minimize lost business to achieve profitable sales growth and special objectives within assigned territory.
- Seek and qualify prospects following company account stratification goals.
- Research customer business needs and develops a mix of products and service to meet needs.
- Evaluate market trends and recommend products to customers, based on business needs and goals.
- Be informed of market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales; share information with customers as part of value-added services provided.
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, and product use.
- Provide product information and practical training to customer personnel.
- Drive personal vehicle to customer accounts, conventions, company meetings, etc.
- Communicate and collect accounts receivable as necessary, working with the credit department and client; collect all balances due based on approved credit terms.
- Manage deliveries to the routing schedule published by the transportation department; troubleshoot any problems that occur during the order process (for example, out of stock items, special order items, low inventory, etc.).
- Participate in company functions, promotions, customer visits, and customer events.
- Attend and participate in general sales and district meetings.
- Engage in ongoing training sessions.
- Assist with the training of new employees as requested.
- Review and analyze daily and weekly reports such as special-order requests, customer bid files, and sales/gross profit margin data.
- Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, maintaining sales records, processing credits, and pick-up requests, preparing sales quotes and menu suggestions, and filing reports.
- Other duties may be assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required Education/Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, Hospitality, Culinary Arts or related discipline OR HSD/GED and 3 years Restaurant Management, B2B or outside sales experience, or equivalent relatable experience including completion of the Sysco Sales Internship.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bi-Lingual
- Restaurant Management, Foodservice Outside Sales, Chef Experience preferred
Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations
- Valid driver’s license with a driving record that meets company insurability standards.
- Current automobile insurance with the following limits of liability: Bodily injury - $100,000 each person and $300,000 each accident; property damage - $100,000 is required
Requirement
- Pass employment testing
- Must sign Sysco Protective Covenants Agreement.
- Reside or willing to relocate to the geographical vicinity of territory.
Professional Skills
- Basic PC skills and proficiency with MS Office.
- Ability to read, write, speak English.
Competencies
- Building Trust
- Building Customer Loyalty
- Follow-up
- Sales Ability / Persuasiveness
- Managing Work
- Adaptability
- Communication
Are you an experienced Sales Professional, Restaurant Manager, Culinary Manager or Chef looking for career development opportunities? Join Sysco’s World Class Sales Team and explore all the benefits and perks.
Why you should join our Sales Team:
- Competitive base salary, bonus, plus promotional incentive opportunities
- Car allowance (mileage reimbursement for candidates in CA) and cell phone provided
- Career pathing opportunities for both entry level, and experienced individuals
- Opportunity to be part of a purpose driven organization that supports communities and associates
- Specialized sales training
- Individual as well as team-based selling
- Opportunity to learn different ethnic segments
- Monthly and annual sales rewards and recognition
- Robust benefits package including an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, & 401(k) with automatic matching
JOB SUMMARY
This is an outside sales position responsible for promoting the company's products and services and for building relationships with new and existing accounts. The main focus is to help Sysco customers succeed while achieving sales and profit goals established by the company. This position may require working some non-traditional hours (evening, weekends, and holidays) to successfully meet customers' needs.
Responsibilities
- Develop new business, penetrate existing accounts, and minimize lost business to achieve profitable sales growth and special objectives within assigned territory.
- Seek and qualify prospects following company account stratification goals.
- Research customer business needs and develops a mix of products and service to meet needs.
- Evaluate market trends and recommend products to customers, based on business needs and goals.
- Be informed of market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales; share information with customers as part of value-added services provided.
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, and product use.
- Provide product information and practical training to customer personnel.
- Drive personal vehicle to customer accounts, conventions, company meetings, etc.
- Communicate and collect accounts receivable as necessary, working with the credit department and client; collect all balances due based on approved credit terms.
- Manage deliveries to the routing schedule published by the transportation department; troubleshoot any problems that occur during the order process (for example, out of stock items, special order items, low inventory, etc.).
- Participate in company functions, promotions, customer visits, and customer events.
- Attend and participate in general sales and district meetings.
- Engage in ongoing training sessions.
- Assist with the training of new employees as requested.
- Review and analyze daily and weekly reports such as special-order requests, customer bid files, and sales/gross profit margin data.
- Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, maintaining sales records, processing credits, and pick-up requests, preparing sales quotes and menu suggestions, and filing reports.
- Other duties may be assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required Education/Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, Hospitality, Culinary Arts or related discipline OR HSD/GED and 3 years Restaurant Management, B2B or outside sales experience, or equivalent relatable experience including completion of the Sysco Sales Internship.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bi-Lingual
- Restaurant Management, Foodservice Outside Sales, Chef Experience preferred
Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations
- Valid driver’s license with a driving record that meets company insurability standards.
- Current automobile insurance with the following limits of liability: Bodily injury - $100,000 each person and $300,000 each accident; property damage - $100,000 is required
Requirement
- Pass employment testing
- Must sign Sysco Protective Covenants Agreement.
- Reside or willing to relocate to the geographical vicinity of territory.
Professional Skills
- Basic PC skills and proficiency with MS Office.
- Ability to read, write, speak English.
Competencies
- Building Trust
- Building Customer Loyalty
- Follow-up
- Sales Ability / Persuasiveness
- Managing Work
- Adaptability
- Communication
OPT Food & Beverage Job Roles in Louisiana
See all Food & Beverage OPT Jobs in Louisiana
Sign up for free to filter by visa type, set job alerts, and find employers with verified sponsorship history.
Search Food & Beverage Jobs in LouisianaFood & Beverage OPT Sponsorship Jobs in Louisiana: Frequently Asked Questions
Which food and beverage companies sponsor F-1 OPT visas in Louisiana?
Louisiana-based food and beverage employers with histories of sponsoring international workers include McIlhenny Company (Tabasco), Zatarain's, and Borden Dairy. Large hospitality and restaurant groups operating in New Orleans, such as Emeril's Restaurants and corporate hotel food service divisions, have also hired OPT workers. National food manufacturers with Louisiana production facilities, including ConAgra and TreeHouse Foods, are additional employers worth researching through OFLC disclosure data.
Which cities in Louisiana have the most food and beverage F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs?
New Orleans concentrates the largest share of food and beverage OPT opportunities, driven by its hospitality industry, restaurant groups, and food distribution companies. Baton Rouge follows, with food processing facilities and agribusiness operations along the Mississippi River corridor. Lafayette and Lake Charles also offer roles tied to regional food manufacturing and packaging, particularly in the Cajun food production sector.
What types of food and beverage roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT sponsorship?
Roles that commonly align with OPT work authorization in food and beverage include food scientist, quality assurance analyst, process engineer, R&D technologist, supply chain coordinator, and food safety specialist. These positions generally require a degree in food science, chemical engineering, biology, or a related field. Hospitality management graduates may also qualify for operations or management training roles within hotel food service divisions.
How do I find food and beverage F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in Louisiana?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international students on F-1 OPT, filtering food and beverage jobs in Louisiana by employers that have sponsored work visas before. Rather than sorting through thousands of postings manually, Migrate Mate surfaces roles where sponsorship is a realistic possibility. You can filter by state and industry to focus entirely on Louisiana food and beverage openings relevant to your OPT timeline.
Are there any Louisiana-specific considerations for F-1 OPT in the food and beverage industry?
Louisiana's food and beverage sector leans heavily on seasonal production cycles tied to seafood, sugarcane, and Mardi Gras hospitality demand, which can affect hiring timelines. OPT authorization must be in place before starting work, and STEM OPT extensions apply only if your degree qualifies under the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. Food science and engineering degrees commonly qualify for STEM OPT, but hospitality and culinary management degrees generally do not.