25 Steve Ells Quotes for You to Enjoy

Steve Ells

American Businessman

Born: Sep 12, 1966

Cooking Food Great People Stars You

Related authors: Bill Gates Henry Ford Jim Rohn Les Brown Peter Drucker Stephen Covey Steve Jobs Warren Buffett

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

Food Day Morning Walk Three Employees Our Restaurants See Onions Make Fresh Times Cook Chop Two

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

Food Experience Innovation People Better Looking Our Guest Ensuring Relentlessly Complexity Focusing Unnecessary More More People Excellent Pursuing Mission Removing Looking Forward Operations Accessible Making Very Much Forward Championing

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

Business Pay Stars Think Back Way Would Would-Be Hour Well Terrified Making Line Cook Dad Incomprehensible Position

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. Steve Ells

Food You People Single Our System Costs Economic Through Invest Menu Make Go Line Very Efficient Model Board Customers Cluttered Us Who Disproportionate Serve Amount

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 so, so I got a modest loan from my parents and opened Chipotle with the goal of having it fund that restaurant. Steve Ells

Loan Parents Own Stars Two-Year Restaurant My Own Having Opened Got Goal Wanted After Modest Fund Start Funds

We can teach people how to run a Chipotle. Steve Ells

People Run How Teach

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

Me You Business People Kinds About Bother Invest Put Like Were Off Questions Just Want Asking Initially

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

Time Money Passion Other Say Would About Seemed Had Taken Period Venture Return Venture Capital Hand Time Period Trusted Very Brand Did Wanted McDonald Interested Them Capital Really Certain Creating Interfere

Chipotle was wildly successful, and I thought, 'Well, let me open one more.' Steve Ells

Me Thought Wildly More Open Well Successful

Chipotle is based on a very simple idea: We start with great ingredients, prepare them using classic cooking techniques, and serve them in a way that allows people to get exactly what they want. Steve Ells

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

Food Better Way Better Way Really Showing Fast Fast Food

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

Quality Simple High Rather High-Quality Menu Make Fresh Fresh Ingredients Salads Than Site Ingredients Cooked Using Prepared Keep Actually

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

Art Time Great History College No Idea Had Studied Idea Great Time Sort Art History Any Wanted Aspirations Certainly Career

I was always interested in cooking; it was always a hobby of mine. Steve Ells

Cooking Mine Always Hobby Interested

We want to show all of our customers that the industry standards that we had been employing before - which are considered great standards - were not good enough. Steve Ells

Good Great Before Not Good Enough Enough Our Considered Had Employing Industry Were Been Want Which Customers Show Standards

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

After operating in three diverse markets, we have determined ShopHouse hasn't demonstrated an attractive unit economic model. Steve Ells

Three Markets Determined Diverse Economic Attractive Operating Model After Unit

We have a terrific team, and our managers are terrific managers, but we have made it too complicated for them and too complicated in a way that they just can't do an excellent job in many cases when it comes to the customer experience. Steve Ells

Experience Complicated Job Made Too Our Way Cases Excellent Terrific Managers Just Customer Them Team Many

Our commitment to serving produce from local farms and other sustainable sources is one of the ways we are changing the way people think about and eat fast food. Steve Ells

Food Commitment People Think Other Changing Local Our Way Ways Eat About Sources Sustainable Produce Farms Fast Fast Food Serving

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

Value Despite Terms Also Frequent Dollar Offering Poorly Many Chains

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