The Dave Chang Show Food Innovation With Taco Bell's Brett Pluskalowski
Nov 24, 2025
Brett Pluskalowski, Senior Manager of Food Innovation at Taco Bell, joins Dave for a deliciously insightful chat. With a background in culinary arts and food science, Brett discusses the innovative spirits driving Taco Bell's menu. They dive into the 'four equities' guiding dish success and Brett shares the story behind the viral Cheez-It Crunchwrap collaboration. Dave also experiments with a Crunchwrap-style burger, exploring its potential to be a menu item. The conversation highlights creativity within constraints and the unique challenges of scaling food ideas.
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Four Core Equities Define Success
- Taco Bell evaluates new items by four core equities: cheesy, saucy, spicy, and crunchy.
- Hitting at least three of these predicts likely success for a menu item.
Study Food Science Basics
- Learn food science fundamentals to design shelf-stable, scalable products.
- Study PH, leavening, and preservation to predict how ingredients behave at scale.
Cheez-It Crunchwrap Test Success
- Brett describes turning Cheez-It into a giant Crunchwrap center that sold 1,000 a day in test.
- The mashup used shared nostalgia and texture to create massive demand.
