My undergraduate degree was in art history! Raising money for Chipotle was really my MBA. The money for my first restaurant came from my dad, the second from mostly cash flow. The third was an SBA loan. After my dad… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
You know, I hate to borrow Apple's tag, but think different. Really. From the very beginning. I didn't know what the fast-food rules were.… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
The economic model was formed by the constraints that I had: a small space, relatively inexpensive building materials, relatively inexpensive investment, a very efficient… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
When I started on the very first day with just one restaurant, we used to pick oregano off the stems and chop them. We… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
We have two day-parts, lunch and dinner. We don't have breakfast. We don't have drive-thru. We don't have late night. We don't have 24-hours. — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
If we really want to change the way Americans eat, we need to make delicious, sustainably-raised food accessible to everyone. Most people are not… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
Our investors are here for only one reason: great returns. They want to make money. — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
One of the pivotal moments for me was realizing that our 'food with integrity' approach at Chipotle was satisfying my passion. That's about bringing… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
When our folks focus on exactly what is needed to succeed in the restaurants, they should be able to lead themselves to restaurateur level. — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
I'm very much looking forward to relentlessly focusing on ensuring an excellent guest experience, removing unnecessary complexity from our operations, championing innovation, and pursuing… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
When our employees walk in in the morning, they see food. They have to cook. At the restaurants, we chop cilantro, onions, and limes… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
We want to show all of our customers that the industry standards that we had been employing before - which are considered great standards… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
The earliest recollection I have of being in the kitchen and cooking was in the third grade, and we lived in Germany. And I… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
We have a terrific team, and our managers are terrific managers, but we have made it too complicated for them and too complicated in… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
If food is processed - like canned or frozen - you can reduce the risks of pathogens. — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
