Steve Ells
Co-founder 1993Background
Steve Ells was the primary founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill, opening the first restaurant in San Francisco in 1993 with an $80,000 loan from his father. His defining founding philosophy was 'Food with Integrity,' a radical belief that fast food could be made with high-quality, sustainably sourced ingredients rather than frozen, pre-processed commodities, a stance that initially caused severe supply chain bottlenecks and near-bankruptcy before securing a $50 million investment from McDonald's in 1998.
Role at Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Steve Ells (born 1965) is a classically trained chef and the founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill, widely considered the pioneer of the fast-casual dining segment. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Chicago, Ells attended the Culinary Institute of America and later worked at the renowned Stars restaurant in San Francisco under chef Jeremiah Tower. In 1993, Ells opened the first Chipotle restaurant in San Francisco with an $80,000 loan from his father, intending to create a restaurant that served high-quality, freshly prepared food in a fast-food format. Ells' radical 'Food with Integrity' philosophy, which required sourcing antibiotic-free meat and non-GMO produce, was financially disastrous in the short term, pushing the company to the brink of bankruptcy by 1995. However, his unwavering commitment to culinary standards caught the attention of McDonald's Corporation, which made a minority investment in 1998, eventually providing over $50 million in capital that allowed Ells to scale the concept. Ells served as CEO until 2018, stepping down to focus on food innovation and supply chain sustainability, but his legacy as the creator of the fast-casual segment and the 'Food with Integrity' movement is secure, having fundamentally changed the American consumer's expectations for fast food.