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 other hand, seemed very interested in my passion about creating this brand. I trusted them, and they did not really interfere with the brand.

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 two or three times a day. We make guacamole from fresh avocados.

Steve Ells

I use a lot of citrus for seasoning. There's lemon or lime juice in just about everything, and that balances with salt very nicely. Things like toasted cumin seeds for the beans. The use of fresh herbs like oregano and cilantro.

Steve Ells

When I told my friends and family that I was leaving Stars to open a burrito shop in Denver, they thought I was crazy, but not long after the success of the first Chipotle, I knew I had to open just one more, so I opened a second one on Colorado Boulevard, which turned out to be even busier than the first.

Steve Ells

To eat chicken that was raised with antibiotics is safe, right? But long-term, relying on antibiotics as part of our livestock production is probably not the right thing to do. To not serve chicken means that there's not an economic engine that's making it possible to build up a supply of antibiotic-free meat.

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 our mission of making better food accessible to more people.

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 still do that.

Steve Ells

It is impossible to insure that there is a zero percent chance of any kind of foodborne illness anytime anyone eats anywhere.

Steve Ells

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

Steve Ells

Chipotle is really showing that there's a better way to do fast food.

Steve Ells

The gimmicks that have driven the fast food sector for years - dollar menus, limited time offers, and merchandising partnerships - are not producing results like they used to, as consumers simply want better tasting, nutritious food and a more compelling experience, not gimmicks.

Steve Ells

Certainly, in college, I had no idea what I wanted to do, I studied art history and had a great time, but I didn't have any sort of career aspirations.

Steve Ells

Stars was really good training. You know, we would come in at noon, and, you know, we would learn at that time what we were going to cook that evening. And, you know, there wasn't a set menu per se.

Steve Ells

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.

Steve Ells

The first Chipotle was intended to be my source of funding for a full-scale restaurant, a means to an end. But it turned out to be more successful than I ever imagined.

Steve Ells

Despite offering dollar menus and frequent discounts, many of these chains also scored poorly in terms of value.

Steve Ells

My father is very supportive of anything that his kids want to do.

Steve Ells

So much of today's food is based on the exploitation of animals and the environment. Yes, it's cheap, but at what cost?

Steve Ells

We keep the menu of burritos, tacos, and salads simple so we can make it using high quality fresh ingredients that are actually prepared and cooked on site rather than re-heated.

Steve Ells

People were asking me all kinds of questions about the business, and I was initially put off. I was like, 'Just invest if you want to invest. Don't bother me.'

Steve Ells

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

Steve Ells