Steve Ells Manager Profile

Steve Ells is the founder, Co-CEO, and chairman of Chipotle Mexican Grill. Steve Ells is not your typical CEO; in fact he rarely will be seen in a suit. Steve is a passionate, energetic, hands-on CEO, who was first a chef. Steve Ells attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, majoring in Art History and then he went on to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Afterward he was a line cook for Jeremiah Tower at his favorite restaurant, Stars in San Francisco. His life long dream however, was to open his very own fine dining restaurant. In order to do so he had to generate enough money to turn his dream into a reality. That is when Chipotle came about. Chipotle at first was only a small eatery, a means to an end, Steve Ells never predicted just how internationally successful it would become.
Steve Ells got his inspiration to create Chipotle from Mexican Taqueria’s in San Francisco. He loved the authentic and spicy flavors of their tacos and burritos, and he was amazed by the popularity they attracted. He thought how he would love to create similar simple Mexican food, while adding his own personal twist to it. By combining Steve’s inspiration from the Taqueria’s with his experience at Stars restaurant he opened his very first Chipotle Mexican Grill in 1993 in Denver, Colorado. His first Chipotle attracted so many customers and popularity that they ended up opening a second one a few years later. Now in 2014 there is close to 1500 Chipotle’s across the United States, Canada, England, and France.
Chipotle Mexican Grill mission statement is Food with Integrity. This mission statement not only demonstrates Chipotle’s core values, but also Steve Ells values. From the start Steve knew he wanted to only use organic ingredients, even though that would reduce his earnings. Since then Chipotle has only used naturally raised meat, organic produce, and dairy without added hormones. Steve’s passion of using sustainable food has been positively accepted and encouraged by Chipotle’s customers. Customers love knowing that they are apart of the story of being involved in sustainable food. Chipotle is actually the number one restaurant in America to buy the most sustainable food. Steve Ells stated, “He does not want any suffering associated with his restaurant.” Steve Ells’ core beliefs have set him apart from many other comparable Mexican fast-casual restaurants. I believe a major strength for Steve is his consciousness to sustainable and organic food, which is such a popular preference today. Many fast food chains lack this quality, which is why I believe Chipotle stands out amongst the rest, thanks to Steve.
Steve Ells goes the extra mile in his managerial position. He does not oversee everything from a lofty desk in the city. Instead, he is out at the thousands of Chipotle Restaurants overseeing and taking the initiative to talk with all of his employees. Steve is an involved hands-on manager with his: menu items and ingredients, store managers and employees, and customer servic