--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember looking to McDonald's, and, my…" description: "\"I remember looking to McDonald's, and, my God, they have 13,000 restaurants in the United States. Well, we have almost a couple thousand Chipotles. Wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/steve-ells-9755_food_i-remember-looking-to-mcdonald-s-and-my_3031761.png" --- # I remember looking to McDonald's, and, my God, they have… ![“I remember looking to McDonald's, and, my God, they have 13,000 restaurants in the United States. Well, we have almost a couple thousand Chipotles. What if Pizzeria Locale is a few thousand, and Shod. All of a sudden, we're bigger than McDonald's in the U.S. I mean, that's not an unreasonable way…” quote by Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/steve-ells-9755_food_i-remember-looking-to-mcdonald-s-and-my_3031761.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/steve-ells-9755_food_i-remember-looking-to-mcdonald-s-and-my_3031761.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86e/steve-ells-9755_food_i-remember-looking-to-mcdonald-s-and-my_3031761.png) > “I remember looking to McDonald's, and, my God, they have 13,000 restaurants in the United States. Well, we have almost a couple thousand Chipotles. What if Pizzeria Locale is a few thousand, and Shod. All of a sudden, we're bigger than McDonald's in the U.S. I mean, that's not an unreasonable way to think about this.” [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. Comparing restaurant chain counts illustrates how rapid growth can shift market perception, encouraging entrepreneurs to envision scaling beyond established giants. **In simple terms:** Seeing many outlets can make a smaller chain seem huge. Key Takeaway Think big and compare growth to industry leaders. Themes business growth competition vision Mood strategic optimistic Type motivational analytical When to use this quote - startup pitches - investment meetings - industry analysis Key Concepts scaling market perception entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - How can you sustain growth after scaling? - What risks arise from rapid expansion? A Different Perspective Numbers alone don’t guarantee success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) ## Related quotes > [What we've witnessed in the past 25 or 30 years is just incredible. We've birthed 30,000 or 40,000 restaurants. I used to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/what-we-ve-witnessed-in-the-past-25-or-30-years-is-just-incredible-we/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [Think about the systems at McDonald's. It's a very mechanized world, where you take out a highly processed patty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/think-about-the-systems-at-mcdonald-s-it-s-a-very-mechanized-world/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [If I had taken money from, say, venture capital, they would have wanted a certain return in a certain time period. McDonald's, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/if-i-had-taken-money-from-say-venture-capital-they-would-have-wanted/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [Ordering should be the most enjoyable experience, but at McDonald's, it can be one of the most stressful points in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-easterbrook/ordering-should-be-the-most-enjoyable-experience-but-at-mcdonald-s-it/) [Steve Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-easterbrook/) > [I quite clearly remember driving home at 9 a.m., after shooting all day, in a bathrobe, with bodypaint all over my face, and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/i-quite-clearly-remember-driving-home-at-9-a-m-after-shooting-all-day/) [Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/) > [I started taking part in college competitions... my first-ever performance with a band was in McDonald's, and I got Rs 500. I still have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atif-aslam/i-started-taking-part-in-college-competitions-my-first-ever/) [Atif Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atif-aslam/) > [Food should be cheap, and labor should be cheap, and everything should be the same no matter where you go; whether it's a McDonald's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-waters/food-should-be-cheap-and-labor-should-be-cheap-and-everything-should/) [Alice Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-waters/) > [I'd done my time in corporate America, from McDonald's making shakes to Morgan Stanley making deals and, yet, I felt awfully constrained by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-conley/i-d-done-my-time-in-corporate-america-from-mcdonald-s-making-shakes/) [Chip Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-conley/) > [My food hero has to be Auguste Escoffier. And the villain? The man who's been most responsible for the death of food in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-potts-dawson/my-food-hero-has-to-be-auguste-escoffier-and-the-villain-the-man-who/) [Arthur Potts Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-potts-dawson/) > [I've been married for 23 years to Jeff McDonald from Redd Kross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-caffey/i-ve-been-married-for-23-years-to-jeff-mcdonald-from-redd-kross/) [Charlotte Caffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-caffey/) > [I was such a scared cling-on-to-my-mum's-leg kind of girl, even when I was 15, 16. If I was in McDonald's and I needed ketchup,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perrie-edwards/i-was-such-a-scared-cling-on-to-my-mum-s-leg-kind-of-girl-even-when-i/) [Perrie Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perrie-edwards/) > [I haven't always hated McDonald's. When my kids were little and I lived in the U.S., they were as susceptible as anyone to Happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-haven-t-always-hated-mcdonald-s-when-my-kids-were-little-and-i/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [I can eat anything. After practice I can stop at McDonald's. I don't have a problem with gaining weight, thank God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-ovechkin/i-can-eat-anything-after-practice-i-can-stop-at-mcdonald-s-i-don-t/) [Alexander Ovechkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-ovechkin/) > [Sometimes when you're in different countries, everything has become so homogenised and there's a Starbucks and McDonald's everywhere, and you could feel like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-yun-lee/sometimes-when-you-re-in-different-countries-everything-has-become-so/) [Will Yun Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-yun-lee/) > [I used to sit in front of McDonald's and ask people for dollars to get me a cheeseburger. It was bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-pain/i-used-to-sit-in-front-of-mcdonald-s-and-ask-people-for-dollars-to/) [T-Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-pain/) ## 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 Food quotes > [On Sundays, that's my pig out day and I do the pizza and the beer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-silvstedt/on-sundays-that-s-my-pig-out-day-and-i-do-the-pizza-and-the-beer/) [Victoria Silvstedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-silvstedt/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“My God, Joseph, your toasted sandwiches are the fucking shit. You do know that right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ashworth/my-god-joseph-your-toasted-sandwiches-are-the-fucking-shit-you-do/) [Beth Ashworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ashworth/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [“Hungarian Proverb: A dish of cabbages can be heated when it grows cold, but it will never taste the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/hungarian-proverb-a-dish-of-cabbages-can-be-heated-when-it-grows-cold/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [“The phrase “low and slow” was coined to describe the relatively low temperatures used for smoking and the lengthy amount of time it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-reader/the-phrase-low-and-slow-was-coined-to-describe-the-relatively-low/) Ted Reader > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [“Live is like a box of chocolates, we are all just waiting for a hungry hand to come down and grab us and eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/live-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates-we-are-all-just-waiting-for-a-hungry/) [sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [“Pumpkin Flavor Latte Scrub   Ingredients 1 ½ cups of brown sugar 2 tablespoons of ground coffee 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin spice ¾ -1…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hilton/pumpkin-flavor-latte-scrub-ingredients-1-cups-of-brown-sugar-2/) Kate Hilton [Browse all 34,183 Food quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember looking to McDonald's, and, my God, they have 13,000 restaurants in the United States. 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