--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From the very beginning. I didn't know…" description: "\"From the very beginning. I didn't know what the fast-food rules were.\" — Steve Ells" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/steve-ells-9755_beginning_from-the-very-beginning-i-didn-t-know-wh_2894565.png" --- # From the very beginning. I didn't know what the fast-food… ![“From the very beginning. I didn't know what the fast-food rules were.” quote by Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/steve-ells-9755_beginning_from-the-very-beginning-i-didn-t-know-wh_2894565.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/steve-ells-9755_beginning_from-the-very-beginning-i-didn-t-know-wh_2894565.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/steve-ells-9755_beginning_from-the-very-beginning-i-didn-t-know-wh_2894565.png) > “From the very beginning. I didn't know what the fast-food rules were.” [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He was unfamiliar with standard fast‑food practices when he started his venture. **In simple terms:** He didn’t know the usual fast‑food rules at first. Key Takeaway Learn the basics before innovating. Themes entrepreneurship learning industry knowledge Mood curious determined Type advice reflective When to use this quote - starting a restaurant - product development - market entry - training staff Key Concepts business strategy food service innovation Questions to Reflect On - What industry norms did you discover? - How did you adapt to them? A Different Perspective Lack of knowledge can lead to costly mistakes if not addressed quickly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Fast food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fast-food/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) ## Related quotes > [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.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/you-know-i-hate-to-borrow-apple-s-tag-but-think-different-really-from/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [Food rules. Little rivals the pleasure of tearing into a glistening burger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-h-k-choi/food-rules-little-rivals-the-pleasure-of-tearing-into-a-glistening/) [Mary H.K. Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-h-k-choi/) > [In the beginning, I didn't even know if I could support myself as a fighter, if I could make a living out of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-pereira/in-the-beginning-i-didn-t-even-know-if-i-could-support-myself-as-a/) [Alex Pereira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-pereira/) > [Right at the beginning, I didn't know if Miffy was a boy or girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bruna/right-at-the-beginning-i-didn-t-know-if-miffy-was-a-boy-or-girl/) [Dick Bruna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bruna/) > [“At the red light, I looked around. Some guy in the next car had his window down and was giving me the once-over. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lili-wright/at-the-red-light-i-looked-around-some-guy-in-the-next-car-had-his/) Lili Wright > [“All of it felt like stolen time, an end rather than a beginning. But he didn’t know why, and he didn’t know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruthie-knox/all-of-it-felt-like-stolen-time-an-end-rather-than-a-beginning-but-he/) [Ruthie Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruthie-knox/) > [In the beginning, I didn't dance that much and stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namie-amuro/in-the-beginning-i-didn-t-dance-that-much-and-stuff/) [Namie Amuro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namie-amuro/) > [At the beginning, I didn't see what Givenchy could give my career. It was like, "Okay, I'll do it for the money for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riccardo-tisci/at-the-beginning-i-didn-t-see-what-givenchy-could-give-my-career-it/) [Riccardo Tisci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riccardo-tisci/) > [I made that a point when I was creating my sound from the beginning, I didn't want to sound like anybody. Once I kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dababy/i-made-that-a-point-when-i-was-creating-my-sound-from-the-beginning-i/) [DaBaby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dababy/) > [We began to do little things, have little scenes where we just talked about things that had nothing to do with the plot. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-knotts/we-began-to-do-little-things-have-little-scenes-where-we-just-talked/) [Don Knotts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-knotts/) > [The first period of getting famous was incredibly strange to me and really fun at the beginning because you didn't realise the consequences of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/the-first-period-of-getting-famous-was-incredibly-strange-to-me-and/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [“Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop. The line from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland drifted through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/begin-at-the-beginning-and-go-on-till-you-come-to-the-end-then-stop/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [We're not best in the world at burritos and tacos. What we're best in the world at is building a people culture, sourcing really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/we-re-not-best-in-the-world-at-burritos-and-tacos-what-we-re-best-in/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [The traditional fast food model is built on buying the cheapest ingredients - and that usually means poor-quality, heavily processed foods. But you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/the-traditional-fast-food-model-is-built-on-buying-the-cheapest/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [Chipotle is really showing that there's a better way to do fast food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/chipotle-is-really-showing-that-there-s-a-better-way-to-do-fast-food/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) ## More by Steve Ells > [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.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/you-know-i-hate-to-borrow-apple-s-tag-but-think-different-really-from/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [The economic model was formed by the constraints that I had: a small space, relatively inexpensive building materials, relatively inexpensive investment, a very efficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/the-economic-model-was-formed-by-the-constraints-that-i-had-a-small/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [When I started on the very first day with just one restaurant, we used to pick oregano off the stems and chop them. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/when-i-started-on-the-very-first-day-with-just-one-restaurant-we-used/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/we-have-two-day-parts-lunch-and-dinner-we-don-t-have-breakfast-we-don/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/if-we-really-want-to-change-the-way-americans-eat-we-need-to-make/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [Our investors are here for only one reason: great returns. They want to make money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/our-investors-are-here-for-only-one-reason-great-returns-they-want-to/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/one-of-the-pivotal-moments-for-me-was-realizing-that-our-food-with/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [When our folks focus on exactly what is needed to succeed in the restaurants, they should be able to lead themselves to restaurateur level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/when-our-folks-focus-on-exactly-what-is-needed-to-succeed-in-the/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/i-m-very-much-looking-forward-to-relentlessly-focusing-on-ensuring-an/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [When our employees walk in in the morning, they see food. They have to cook. At the restaurants, we chop cilantro, onions, and limes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/when-our-employees-walk-in-in-the-morning-they-see-food-they-have-to/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [We want to show all of our customers that the industry standards that we had been employing before - which are considered great standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/we-want-to-show-all-of-our-customers-that-the-industry-standards-that/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [The earliest recollection I have of being in the kitchen and cooking was in the third grade, and we lived in Germany. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/the-earliest-recollection-i-have-of-being-in-the-kitchen-and-cooking/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [We aspire to make artisanal tortillas on an industrial scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/we-aspire-to-make-artisanal-tortillas-on-an-industrial-scale/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [We have a terrific team, and our managers are terrific managers, but we have made it too complicated for them and too complicated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/we-have-a-terrific-team-and-our-managers-are-terrific-managers-but-we/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [If food is processed - like canned or frozen - you can reduce the risks of pathogens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/if-food-is-processed-like-canned-or-frozen-you-can-reduce-the-risks/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) [Explore all 70 Steve Ells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) ## More Beginning quotes > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) Adam Imad > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/) [Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/) > [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/) Manae Poet Of Carisis > [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/) [Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/) > [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/) Jacklyn H Lucas [Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "From the very beginning. 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