Steve Ells

Steve Ells – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Discover the life of Steve Ells — founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill. From chef training to fast-casual pioneer, his business philosophy, controversies, key milestones, quotes, and the lessons from his journey.

Introduction

Steve Ells is an American businessman and restaurateur best known as the founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill, a chain that helped define the “fast casual” restaurant model. He built Chipotle from a single store into a multi-billion dollar brand that emphasizes quality ingredients, customization, and “Food With Integrity.” His journey blends culinary training, entrepreneurial risk, ethics, controversy, and reinvention.

Early Life and Background

Steve Ells was born on September 12, 1965 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Ells attended Boulder High School in Colorado (after relocating) and later enrolled at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art History. Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, graduating in 1990.

His time at CIA played a central role in honing his culinary technique, discipline, and appreciation for ingredient quality.

Career and Achievements

Early Culinary Work & Inspiration

After graduating from the Culinary Institute, Ells worked as a sous chef under Jeremiah Tower at the acclaimed restaurant Stars in San Francisco.

Founding Chipotle & Growth

In 1993, Ells used an $85,000 loan (from his family and friends) to open the first Chipotle Mexican Grill near the University of Denver campus, in a former ice cream shop.

In its first month, that first restaurant sold over 1,000 burritos per day, far exceeding Ells’ projections.

In 1998, McDonald’s invested in Chipotle, helping fuel rapid expansion. over 500 locations.

Ells originally shared co-CEO responsibilities with Monty Moran starting around 2009.

In November 2017, Ells announced he would step down as CEO (retaining a role as executive chairman during transition). March 2020, severing formal ties with the company he founded.

By 2025, Ells had become a billionaire, according to Forbes, nearly 32 years after founding Chipotle.

“Food With Integrity” & Philosophy

A central tenet of Ells’ mission was his “Food With Integrity” initiative, launched around 2001, which committed Chipotle to sourcing naturally raised meats (no antibiotics or added hormones when possible), more organic produce, and practicing sustainable farming.

Ells resisted many conventional fast-food temptations (drive-thrus, highly expanded menus) in order to keep the brand’s focus tight and maintain food quality.

He also served on the board of the Land Institute, a non-profit focused on sustainable agriculture, aligning with his food values.

Controversies & Criticism

Despite his successes, Steve Ells and Chipotle have faced controversies:

• Executive compensation: In 2013, reports revealed Ells earned about $25.1 million in a single year, significantly higher than comparable executives in other industries.

• Pay equity and shareholder pushback: Proposals to further increase executive salaries were met with shareholder resistance.

• Food safety crises: Chipotle faced serious foodborne illness outbreaks (e.g., E. coli, norovirus) in the mid-2010s, which damaged brand reputation and financially stressed the company.

• Departure and leadership transition: Some critics argue the timing of Ells’ stepping down was linked to the need for turnaround leadership amid challenges.

These issues illustrate the challenges of scaling a mission-driven food business in a highly competitive and regulated industry.

Legacy and Influence

Steve Ells’ impact goes beyond the burrito:

• He helped define the “fast casual” model, showing that consumers would pay a premium for higher-quality, customizable, fresher food.

• His “Food With Integrity” commitment has pushed other restaurant brands to improve ingredient sourcing, transparency, and sustainability.

• Chipotle became a benchmark: a large brand that maintained a more artisanal feel, focusing on customization, open kitchens, and fewer menu items.

• His career is often studied in business schools as a case of balancing ethics, growth, branding, and operational challenges.

• Though he left Chipotle formally, his vision continues to influence its culture, marketing, and identity.

In later years, Ells also explored new restaurant concepts. For example, he launched Kernel, a tech-forward, robot-assisted vegan restaurant, and later pivoted to a more conventional concept called Counter Service.

Personality and Skills

Ells is often described as:

• Visionary yet culinary grounded: He combined chef sensibility with business ambition.

• Risk-willing but values-driven: He took bold moves (e.g., rejecting drive-thrus, emphasizing ingredient standards) that many in fast-food would eschew.

• Persistent and adaptive: He weathered crises, transitions, and competition by adjusting leadership and direction.

• Thoughtful about legacy and sustainability: His devotion to ingredient integrity and his involvement in sustainable agriculture reflect deeper convictions beyond pure profit.

Notable Quotes

Here are several quotes attributed to Steve Ells that reflect his philosophy:

• “It’s important to keep the menu focused, because if you just do a few things, you can ensure that you do them better than anybody else.”

• (From his CIA alumni bio) “My time at CIA provided a great foundation and taught me many lessons that are still valuable today.”

• On Chipotle’s philosophy: “Food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience.”

• In an interview (via news) discussing his failed Kernel experiment: “Al público no le gusta ver robots cerca cuando se trata de comer” (i.e. “The public does not like to see robots near when it comes to eating”).

These lines capture his balance between operational discipline, culinary roots, and willingness to experiment (even at risk).

Lessons from Steve Ells

1. Start small, refine, then scale. Ells began with one store, refined his model, and then expanded methodically.

2. Stay mission-anchored. His emphasis on ingredient integrity and sustainability differentiated Chipotle in a crowded field.

3. Focus is a strength. By limiting menu items and resisting distractions (like drive-thrus), he preserved operational excellence.

4. Adapt leadership to company’s stage. Ells recognized when the company needed different leadership (e.g. turnaround expertise) and allowed transition.

5. Innovation comes with risk. His experiment with robotics (Kernel) illustrates that not all bold moves pay off—but they force learning.

6. Legacy matters. His involvement in sustainable agriculture and external boards show a desire for impact beyond profit.

Conclusion

Steve Ells’ journey from culinary student to founder of one of America’s most influential restaurant brands is a compelling story of vision, discipline, passion, and adaptation. He showed that fast food could be better—more transparent, more ethical, more responsive to ingredients and customers.

While his tenure at Chipotle included both peaks and crises, his imprint on the food industry remains strong. His story offers lessons to entrepreneurs: build from craftsmanship, stay true to mission, but also be ready to evolve.