Steve Ells on America's Next Great Restaurant: "I Was in Their Shoes 18 Years Ago — Most People Gave Me All the Reasons Why It Was the Wrong Thing to Do"
Steve Ells — founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Chipotle (over 1,000 U.S. locations) — joined Bobby Flay, Curtis Stone, and Lorena Garcia as an investor and mentor on NBC's new reality series America's Next Great Restaurant, premiering Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. ET. In our conversation, Ells explained what he looks for in a fast-casual restaurant concept, why watching contestants pitch their ideas took him back 18 years to describing the idea for Chipotle (when most people told him it was the wrong thing to do), and why the show's investor structure makes it fundamentally different from other restaurant competitions — the winner doesn't just get a prize, they get an ongoing business.
From the Vault · 2011
This is an archival piece from the Premier Guide Miami collection. The coverage, context, and details reflect the time it was originally published.
Steve Ells — founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Chipotle (over 1,000 U.S. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.
Steve Ells — founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Chipotle (over 1,000 U.S. locations) — joined Bobby Flay, Curtis Stone, and Lorena Garcia as an investor and mentor on NBC's new reality series America's Next Great Restaurant, premiering Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. ET. The show is produced by the Emmy Award-winning Magical Elves (Top Chef, Project Runway). The winning concept will open in three locations: Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York City.
On what makes a great fast-casual restaurant: "We're looking for a concept that elevates the typical fast food experience. At Chipotle we've elevated our offering in a couple of ways. First, we seek out the very best quality, sustainably raised ingredients — ingredients that are normally found in high-end restaurants — and make them available for everybody in a very convenient format. Secondly, we want to hire a staff that is empowered, one that will help develop a culture of high performance."
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On why he decided to back the show: "It's interesting — on the first episode, as the contestants were pitching their ideas, it took me back over 18 years ago as I was describing the idea for Chipotle. I was in their shoes over 18 years ago. I had this idea. And most people I talked to about this idea gave me all the reasons why it was the wrong thing to do. But I was very, very persistent. And I learned a lot over the years after opening the first restaurant. And now we have over 1,000 restaurants."
On what makes the show different: "I think that's part of the brilliance of the show. Because we are investors we have this vested interest in making sure that the person who wins really is going to be successful, as opposed to a reality show where there's a prize and then that's it. This is an ongoing prize. The winner wins more than just these three restaurants. They win the ability to continue to grow this business and turn it into something that could be quite large and quite valuable."
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