- Brian Paquette develops new menu items as the director of culinary at Chili’s.
- Paquette owned a catering company before leading culinary innovation at Chili’s.
- He told us his favorite menu item and his secret ordering hack .
To many, coming up with new chain restaurant menu items might sound like a dream job.
For Brian Paquette, the director of culinary at Chili’s , it’s a reality.
Business Insider interviewed Paquette while visiting Chili’s headquarters in Dallas. We were able to work alongside him in the company’s test kitchen, where his ideas for new Chili’s menu items go from simple ideas to full-fledged menu items.
He revealed how he comes up with menu ideas, shared the biggest challenges of the job, and gave us his best ordering hacks.
Before Chili’s, Brian Paquette ran his own catering company.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
Paquette ran a catering business for five years before becoming a managing partner at Chili’s in 2007.