40 responses to “Who is Steve Ells?”

1. 

   Zach Morgan February 4th, 2010 at 07:40

   I had never actually heard of the story behind Chipotle. I love the restaurant and it is great to hear how it all started with a gourmet chef. I am anxious to see if he will start the restaurant of his dreams.

2. 

   Ariana Zades February 4th, 2010 at 09:06

   When Chipotle came out and into the market, it was an instant hit. I didn’t know anything about the creator or how it got started. I was actually told that McDonalds owned it. Always was a mystery to me. I have a passion for food and cooking and want to open my own bakery or something like that. Hopefully my shop will take off like Chipotle has.

3. 

   Keith Carlos February 4th, 2010 at 09:21

   i never really cared for Chipotle their food isnt to my likings. lol but its pretty neat how their business launched.

4. 

   Zachary Mirsberger February 4th, 2010 at 09:31

   It’s very interesting about how Chipotle actually came to be. It just shows that if you have a good idea at the right time, whether you know it or not, it can become an instant success.

5. 

   Amanda Edmondson February 4th, 2010 at 10:20

   Wow, this was so interesting. I had no clue what so ever that McDonald’s owned Chipotle. When I think of fast food I think of McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, etc. But even thought Chipotle is in the fast food industry I never think of them as that because the experience is much more personal. You get to choose how your food is made, it’s very interactive. I also didn’t know how environmentally savvy Chipotle was. I think this aspect of the company, if advertised more, could increase revenue even more.

6. 

   Spencer Abrams February 4th, 2010 at 10:31

   It’s a very interesting concept to design a fast food restaurant that provides food that is not only high quality but very filling. I never pictured the founder to be a white table cloth chef, especially after watching the eating competitions at Mackey.

7. 

   Kelly Plantz February 4th, 2010 at 10:59

   Chipotle is one of my favorite fast food restaurants. However I have always heard that the burrito wrap alone hold almost 500 calories. Just a fact that its only 290 which is still a lot but okay to indulge in every once in a while

8. 

   Joseph Mecca February 4th, 2010 at 11:05

   Opportunity seems to present it’s self when we least expect it. It’s a lesson to all of us aspiring entrepresneurs to sieze oportunities as they come and take advantage of the chances we are given even if the choice to do so strays us from our initial plan or path we thought we should be following. Strike while the irons hot.

9. 

   Kyle Egbert February 4th, 2010 at 11:11

   I love chipotle and knew about its start from when the first restaurant opened in Carmel. I love their marketing/advertising technique where they go into schools/colleges or target people that pay taxes or just randomly mail people free burritos. I probably would have never gone to chipotle at first without the free burrito they gave to all the students of CHS. My parents received a free coupon for one in the mail and that’s when they got hooked. I believe their company is really simple and sells well because they keep it simple. Their menu has like 5 things on it, and they are all great food. As long as you make a great product and price it right, people will want it.

10. 

    Dan Wyss February 4th, 2010 at 11:24

    That’s a crazy story. Some people just have the luck or whatever you want to call it but Steve Ells has “it”. I wonder if he will ever try for his gourmet dreams?

11. 

    Craig Hasbargen February 4th, 2010 at 13:29

    I have never actually eaten at the original Chipotle but my brother lives right down the street from it. He has said time and time again that the original spot tastes much better than the other franchises. This is because there is no freezer at the original location, only a fridge which ensures only fresh products can be served.

    I would never have thought earning $5 million could “get in the way.”

12. 

    Michael Evans February 4th, 2010 at 14:05

    That’s a really interesting story. I never thought Chipotle would be a stepping stone. I never knew that for a while it was owned by McDonald’s. I never would have pictured those two together!

13. 

    Derrick February 4th, 2010 at 14:05

    I think the idea of using naturally raised animals is a great idea!
    I have heard that an industrial raised cow fed a poor corn diet which makes the cow sick is given almost twice the amount of antibiotics then humans! Cows get sick because they are fed corn but corn is readily available and cheap so they do it anyways. Think of all the antibiotics you are consuming from the meat you eat and build up a tolerance too.
    I think he’s got a great product but he should inform people where his food comes from and why it’s important.

14. 

    Ravi Mody February 4th, 2010 at 17:16

    This guy is amazing. Chipotle is so good. It’s really funny though how things worked out for him. Didn’t Wrigley gum originally come with a bar of soap which was Wrigley’s main product but then they realized that people bought the soap just for the gum! Now they don’t even sell soap. Funny how things work sometimes.

15. 

    loic mazet February 4th, 2010 at 17:24

    Waouhou, fast food and good food at the same time. I can’t believe it, I have never been to chipotle yiet, maybe tonight….

16. 

    Keegan Klauke February 4th, 2010 at 18:53

    to think that a fast food restaurant that was started so late, could already make a guest appearance on the hit show South Park. if you haven’t seen the episode where Michael Jackson Dies and so does Billy Maze, please for the love of chipotl-e-way see it, it will make you laugh. i guarantee it.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtZzyvuGy8E

17. 

    Matt Kompara February 4th, 2010 at 20:15

    Chipotle is really the only mexican fast food restaurant that is so wide spread (i would consider taco bell its own kind of food). Their portions are giant too.

18. 

    Stephanie Mellady February 4th, 2010 at 20:27

    I heard a rumor a few years ago that Chipotle was started by McDonalds and I never believed it, I guess it wasn’t a complete lie. I find it really interesting that McDonalds was a huge investor in it considering the chains are so different in many different aspects. I wonder what happened to cause McDonalds to break away from Chipotle?

19. 

    Spencer Childers February 4th, 2010 at 22:44

    Im not a huge fan of Chipotle but boy would i like to be steve ells right now with 5,000,000.

20. 

    Colby Beacham February 4th, 2010 at 23:00

    Im actually quite partial to Qdoba, but Chipotle is pretty good too, I hope Steve Ells gets to start up that restaurant of his one day, he’ll probably sell his company over to someone else, or just take on less responsibilities.

21. 

    Justin Riley February 4th, 2010 at 23:16

    I think its funny how he did not even mean to found Chipotle but yet somehow just by accident he did. I have never eaten there so I am not sure if I like their food or not. Like Colby said I hope that he can start the company he wanted to sooner or later. If not at least he has this big success.

22. 

    Curtis Brackett February 4th, 2010 at 23:19

    I would have never pictured the founder of Chipotle as being a gourmet chef trained in classical French cooking. I guess that just goes to show that anything can happen. I’m not a big fan of Mexican foods, but I do find a few of the dishes at Chipotle to be very good. I would love to see how good the food would be at one of his actual gourmet restaurants-if he ever opens one.

23. 

    Mahmood Alrawi February 4th, 2010 at 23:39

    i think everyone here needs to watch “food inc.” you’ll be disgusted to find out what kind of things are put in your food in the type of fast food productions such as McDonald, etc. I have so much respect for this guy and what he is doing, and now that I know that they are free of McDonald, i will def. come here a lot more often to support his cause.

24. 

    Jaideep Singh February 4th, 2010 at 23:50

    I like how chipotle seems different the moment you step into one of their restaurants. Its true that their burritos can be high in calories but the flavor is hard to beat. All this talk is making me hungry….

25. 

    Damon Ward February 4th, 2010 at 23:52

    Cool article, and cool business. I had never had Chipotle until I decided to go to the one on Chauncey Hill one day last semester. It was good food, and it was like the video said, fast.

26. 

    Harsh Sanghvi February 5th, 2010 at 00:26

    I have had chipotle so many times but I never knew it took so much to make a burrito.

27. 

    Jack Kennedy February 5th, 2010 at 09:07

    Mmmmm…. Chipotle.

    I didn’t realize there were so many Chipotle restaurants across the country, or that McDonald’s was a key investor for growth.
    However I can definitely understand why Chipotle became such a hit. The food is great, and it is true that they can spend hours in the kitchen cooking the meat the perfection, and then it only takes seconds to serve it. Fast food doesn’t have to sacrifice quality.

28. 

    George Petrov February 5th, 2010 at 11:02

    I feel that Chipotle is started to pull away from other Mexican restaurants. I do not eat there much, but when I do I am satisfied. It is good to see that they produce quality food. I tend to hear only the negative on food quality at other fast food restaurants. He had an idea, went with it, and now is doing well for himself.

29. 

    Misha Gray February 5th, 2010 at 11:50

    I have eaten at chipotle maybe five times, and I’ve been disappointed every time. Maybe I am not a Mexican food kind of person. But, this video shows that just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean other people don’t. Its actually making a profit without my money.!

30. 

    Sandino Cavallo February 5th, 2010 at 14:03

    Chipotle is one of my favorite places to eat on campus. I never knew that the creator was a gourmet chef. Whats even crazier is the fact that this was opened to fund his life goal.

31. 

    Molly Longest February 5th, 2010 at 15:07

    I find it ironic that he was trained in gourmet cooking. This is also ironic because I just had a rep from Chipotle come to a club meeting of mine to bring us free burritos and to talk about their company. Chipotle’s marketing strategy is also fascinating. I think it would make a great blog topic. The only advertising they do is give away free burritos, but I’m not complaining!

32. 

    Anna Govert February 7th, 2010 at 12:18

    This is a very refreshing story. It is good to know where my food is coming from on a “fast food” level. Steve Ellis is a respectable business owner and I hope Chipotle continues to be a success for him.

33. 

    Josh Graves February 7th, 2010 at 14:58

    good story, but chipotle sucks. qdoba is a FAR superior food business in my opinion. they have better meats, chips, and salsa. chipotle is just a high priced copycat competitor that needs to be shut down for lack of good food.

34. 

    Ziang Chen February 7th, 2010 at 18:31

    Chipotle > Qdoba. Chipotle makes everything simpler. The Qdoba menu is confusing just like a moes menu or jimmy johns. Id rather know what im getting instead of having to guess a little. Plus Chipotle allows beans and fajita where Qdoba likes to charge. And disagree on the chips. The lime salted Chiptole chips are a treat. I am a huge fan of chipotle. Its the new kind of business like these that will make revolutionize fast food business. I saw the growth from just Mcdonalds, Burger King, KFC… and such large “fast food chains” to now expanded gourmet versions like penn station, and others.

35. 

    Meiqi Zhao February 7th, 2010 at 18:48

    I do not know much about Chipotle. If I have a chance, I will try. It will be a good experience for me.
    I think the key to success of this story is the differentiation, which means the differences between Chipotle and other fast food restaurants.

36. 

    David Hyman February 8th, 2010 at 00:04

    I can’t get enough of chipotle! I don’t consider this any other fast food restaurant, because I feel they are using real ingredients, and REAL food. When i bite into a Mcdouble, its delicious don’t get me wrong, but is this actually real meat?

37. 

    Andrew Huff February 8th, 2010 at 14:33

    Making ‘fast food’ healthy is a fantastic idea. They are focusing in on a group of consumers, healthy eaters, who have traditionally been ignored by the fast food giants. They are not competing directly with other fast food chains because they are focusing on drawing new consumers into the fast food market.

38. 

    Blake Bronowicki February 9th, 2010 at 10:11

    I think the invention of Chipotle was a beautiful thing. Thank you Steve Ellis for setting up such a successful and tasty business that has caught my taste buds from since the day it opened. I am glad to know that all your hardwork has payed off and you set up such a great fast food business and it clearly has paid off for the very best. Chipotle is nation-wide and everyone is eating it these days. Its all about the Steak Burrito.

39. 

    Casey Piquette February 10th, 2010 at 16:05

    I actually had never known where Chipotle had started from. I think it is a great idea because you can take it on-the-go, or eat in the building and it is really fresh. I think in this big health push the US is facing, we will see more fast “fresh” food restaurants pop up all around.

    Not only are they a good place to eat, but they also seem to care about getting involved with communities. I have been to many events where Chipotle has sponsored and donated food. They even do that one day per semester where they give away free burritos. That is definitely the right way to get a bunch of college students on your side!

40. 

    Courtney M. Cronk February 10th, 2010 at 19:14

    It is a big deal that we know as customers, what type of food we are getting.

    I think its interesting that steve only opened chipotle to make a quick amount of money so he could open a restaurant he was really passionate about. Its very risky to do something like that, because if chipotle would have failed, both of his ideas would have gone down the tubes.

    I wonder why he hasn’t pursued his fine dining restaurant? If chipotle is so successful, how amazing would the restaurant be if he was passionate about it, even more so than chipotle?