--- title: Taco Bell’s innovation team could probably solve all the world’s woes if we asked them to - The Hustle description: One doesn’t simply stumble into creating a Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1484428490-tacobell-static.webp --- # Taco Bell’s innovation team could probably solve all the world’s woes if we asked them to ![Ben Berkley](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Ben Berkley](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/ben-berkley) Published: April 19, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 Make a list of Earth’s most pressing challenges and the precise consistency of the cheese on a fast-food burrito probably doesn’t rank too high. ![Taco Bell sign](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1484428490-tacobell-static.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1484428490-tacobell-static.webp) But if [this](https://media.hubspot.com/e3t/Ctc/UB+113/d2q-Vf04/VXg8z53R6WmsW3bVDCG1jfKfTW4-ljtc4ZxyYvN2x86yr2-MKJV1-WJV7CgP48W2qrrhL9fMQkdVwZL2g3P3HXwN8JjR1Rms3nnW1kJgtY2gR1YdN4QTdxjzNCTqW29Gd7t37Wt09W2SXl4V7VfmKQW6HggR26FzW3VW1SfF3441b2chN12-8jYPjPYLW6XhGFy4Q14mVW5qkV9s8yQQhxW2RSwhG2MwFF-W1wFwrG4dYJZbW3vmkQt4WzYGgW6Md0nq8_nJJVW5ZffDm8g4N1QW8w5M_X8jk80TW2S1YQs7wx1FWW4z70Pg5Gn3fHW7PzqqN62gB4DW6qG2TX1VTDSRV1Wx189gNJMBW5d1TN3986hb237xB1) detailed *New Yorker* profile on Taco Bell’s Innovation Kitchen teaches us anything, it’s to never underestimate the 12 chef scientists and 60 food-innovation developers behind the chain’s menu magic. They take their work seriously — you have to if your output is a primary growth engine for a ~8.2k-location, $14.65B-in-annual-sales restaurant serving 42m people every week — and they regularly solve complex problems. #### **Why we’d elect them as our (Crunchwrap) Supreme Leaders** Whether you love or hate the food, the stream of additions to Taco Bell’s menu makes it one of food’s most compelling spaces. At its root is a legendary creative culture they’ve nurtured — one well worth learning from. Some key components: - **Iteration: **Taco Bell annually releases ~10 new products; to do so, their innovation team generates thousands of ideas and tests ~70 of them. - **Patience:** The idea for the Crunchwrap Supreme was tweaked in the lab for *13 years* until it made the cut. - **Practical constraints: **A creative process without limitations is often too blue-sky; the scale of Taco Bell’s business requires careful consideration of the cost, quantity, and preparation of each component, as well as speed — can it be prepared in ~1 minute? - **Attention to detail: **Scientific precision is lent to ingredients’ material properties — from bounce to juiciness, springback to spreadability. And every ratio is carefully considered, like how the balance of fats and acids impacts mouthfeel and brain chemistry. - **Breaking convention: **The team pushes past technical limits — famously [trying](https://media.hubspot.com/e3t/Ctc/UB+113/d2q-Vf04/VXg8z53R6WmsW3bVDCG1jfKfTW4-ljtc4ZxyYvN2x86xS2-MK5V1-WJV7CgLhyW2RKgS33m9p-xW3rgDhQ4qQtzrW6sJN9z7VMLrWW4jmgL-29R8pDW76q2L88FNhnKW6gxylG4Pw1DQW36QPCT7FP6mbW2vjLzD6r9G_DN28Bg2fFtVCcN4xnk5y9dNv0W4LMKRC45LR4nN2krkVkS1DQ7W1MN7fD8tQkTGW7wz_Qf2BYlCjW4wqCnr3jq-PCW9dkv7C7LKstMW41GmD13N7mPRW2yjssf8bLWS-W3-1TML1x7H10W5r66FV5FbXJT3mXK1) a paint-spray gun to try applying the correct amount of Doritos powder to their taco shells. - **Consumer focus:** Every successful creative product is evocative for its audience, even an oddball limited-edition Grilled Stuft Nacho. Per *The New Yorker*, “nostalgia” and “emotion” are frequently raised in their Innovation Kitchen. **BTW:** Taco Bell is a leader in generating flash-in-the-pan menu sensations, but it isn’t the only fast-food giant with an impressive experimentation outfit; we’ve been [inside Shake Shack’s innovation kitchen](https://media.hubspot.com/e3t/Ctc/UB+113/d2q-Vf04/VXg8z53R6WmsW3bVDCG1jfKfTW4-ljtc4ZxyYvN2x86xS2-MK5V1-WJV7CgVpgVM_wtp20R17XW5R1sV623qRfkW3R5hPz6mp4XqN79ZMGqFwTgWW4RMjyt4rNf2yW5Td3Z_6gDBYDW6-g8VZ6jd6LxW7bzz0x9jThd_W8Tf3Hk7g64CSVl-cy73QwB3_W5_r3wy8NrLH1W1YJHWf3Y4bKfW2tWgvb65c-sYW3LvNpn96CYngN7nrPBPrxVshW22Cjs34WVNrLW3GH61v1Ng59SW7PNTHg8fflBNW7l0dJv1GzgFxN2SBLn8VyY3q322b1). 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