Hey there, welcome to Takeaway with Sam Ocas, a podcast from Nation's Restaurant News.

I'm Sam Ocas, editor-in-chief here at NRN, and this is the show where I give you an all-access pass to the restaurant industry's most influential decision-makers.

This week, I'm talking with the Director of Culinary at Chili's, Brian Paquette, as well as the Director of Culinary Innovation at Wendy's, Becky Davis.

Chili's and Wendy's were each winners at the 2025 Menu Masters Awards,

which we hosted in partnership with Ventura Foods and presented during a special gala

at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.

Brian and Becky were both on hand in Chicago to win their awards, and the next day

I sat down with each of them separately at the show to find out more about their menu development

process and the keys to developing items that really resonate on social media, items like

Chili's Nashville Hot Mozilla Sticks and Wendy's saucy nugs, the winning items for each of their

brands. In this interview, you will learn more about why you should continuously explore ways

to make your existing menu better, why social media must be a filter through which

chefs look at new menu items, and why brand partnerships bring menu items to life and tap

into consumer passion. Before we jump into the interview,

I am excited to share that we have just announced

our keynoteer for this year's Create event

for emerging restaurateurs,

The Bacon Brothers featuring Kevin Bacon.

Yes, that Kevin Bacon.

Kevin and his brother Michael will be joining me

on stage at Create to talk about their creative process

and what keeps them inspired decades into their careers. And then they will be playing a couple

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