I was so terrified that the business would not do well and that there would be no way that I would be… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
The idea for Chipotle is a sort of combination of food borrowed from Stars and sort of a technique and a service… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
When I graduated from cooking school, I went to work at Stars, which was one of my favorite restaurants in the country… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
Stars was really good training. You know, we would come in at noon, and, you know, we would learn at that time… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
After a two-year stint at Stars, I wanted to start my own full-service restaurant, but I didn't have the funds to do… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
When I told my friends and family that I was leaving Stars to open a burrito shop in Denver, they thought I… — Steve Ells Copy Share Image
Chipotle was going to incorporate all the things I had learned at the Culinary Institute and Stars and really elevate typical fast… — 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
