I was so terrified that the business would not do well and that there would be no way that I would be in a position to pay my dad back this $80,000. At Stars, as a line cook, I think that I was making $10 or $12 an hour. So $80,000 - to have to pay that back was incomprehensible.

Steve Ells

Categorized in : Think Business Stars Dad

Just because food is served fast doesn't mean it has to be made with cheap raw ingredients, highly processed with preservatives and fillers and stabilizers and artificial colors and flavors.

flavor color mean

Focus on just a few things, and do them better than anybody else. by Steve Ells

Focus on just a few things, and do them better than anybody else.

focus

When I created Chipotle in 1993, I had a very simple idea: Offer a simple menu of great food prepared fresh each day, using many of the same cooking techniques as gourmet restaurants. Then serve the food quickly, in a cool atmosphere. It was food that I wanted, and thought others would like too. We've never strayed from that original idea. The critics raved and customers began lining up at my tiny burrito joint. Since then, we've opened a few more.

cooking simple ideas

I'm always tweaking, always trying to make it better, constantly... by Steve Ells

I'm always tweaking, always trying to make it better, constantly moving the levers and dials.

levers always-trying moving

We decided long ago that we didn't want Chipotle's success to be tied to the exploitation of animals, farmers, or the environment, but the engagement of our customers.

engagement long-ago animal

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. I got my training at the Culinary Institute Of America, and then I opened up a fast food place according to fine dining rules.

apples hate thinking

We aspire to make artisanal tortillas on an industrial scale. by Steve Ells

We aspire to make artisanal tortillas on an industrial scale.

tortillas aspire scales

Committed to make sure it won't happen again. by Steve Ells

Committed to make sure it won't happen again.

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The bottom line - customers want delicious food served quickly in an interactive format, and they are increasingly unwilling to compromise.

delicious-food compromise want food

When our employees walk in in the morning, they see food. They have to cook. At the restaurants, we chop cilantro, onions, and limes two or three times a day. We make guacamole from fresh avocados.

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The traditional fast food model is built on buying the cheapest ingredients - and that usually means poor-quality, heavily processed foods. But you can use quality ingredients, cook food using classic cooking techniques, and still serve something that's fast and inexpensive.

you quality cooking food

When I started Chipotle, I didn't know the fast-food rules. People told us the food was too expensive and the menu was too limited. Neither turned out to be true.

true know food people

Having never taken a business class, the economics of restaurants scared me. I opened Chipotle with the idea that I could step away from it and use it to support my full-scale restaurant.

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I thought we were going to get customers excited by telling them there were no antibiotics in our meat or no growth hormones used to raise the animals or no RBGH in our cheese or sour cream. Well, that's not a very appetizing message.

animals thought growth meat

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 our mission of making better food accessible to more people.

innovation experience food people

For too long, great food has really only been available in high-end restaurants and specialty food markets, but Chipotle is making the same gourmet quality food available and affordable so everyone can eat better.

great quality food long

Looking inward and understanding where you made mistakes in the p... by Steve Ells

Looking inward and understanding where you made mistakes in the past helps you set up for change.

looking you change past

You cannot take shortcuts. We've shown that we can spend more on ingredients, not less, and charge a fair price.

price cannot more you

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 the best quality, sustainably-raised ingredients to everyone: chicken without antibiotics; beef without hormones. These ingredients were only available in high-end restaurants, not mainstream places.

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Our economic model allows us to invest a disproportionate amount in our food costs. We have a very efficient system: customers go through a single line, the people who serve you are the ones who make the food, and our menu board is not cluttered.

go you food people