Black or Pinto?

Going to Chipotle for the first time can now be considered a pretty important life event, and even though I had my very first Chipotle burrito over 7 years ago, I still remember it as if it were yesterday. It was an abnormally cold and rainy summer day, a day ill-suited for a beach trip. Yet there I was, with my mom and my best friend Anastasiya, trying to brave the wind on the sands of Belmar Beach. We tried for a few minutes, until we wisely decided to call is quits and find something else to do to convince ourselves the hour drive down was worth it. Of course, we settled on shopping. A couple hours later and a few dollars shorter, we're all starving. The place we decided to eat? Why Chipotle, of course!

I remember walking in and being a little bit amazed, and very intimidated. I had never ordered food in such a way, and all of the choices were a little bit overwhelming. But the line wasn't long - a rarity nowadays  - and I got to take my time in deciding what I wanted. I eventually decided on a burrito with pinto beans, white rice, chicken, mild and medium salsa, and everything but the lettuce. Yes, I was okay that guac cost extra, and I'm still okay with it today.

I am Leo.
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So tonight, my future roommate and I decided to do spend quality time together and go for some late night Chipotle. Tonight, I had my nth burrito to date (I haven't really been keeping track, but I'm sure it's a lot). Maybe because it's blogging day, or maybe it's the first time I've really thought about this, but I started to wonder about the history of Chipotle.

There lives a man, his name is Steve Wells, and he has changed many lives by creating Chipotle. So Steve was kind of a delinquent in high school, but he straightened out in college and really discovered his love for cooking. Upon his graduation, him and his dad Bob Wells made a deal that if Steve spent a year working in some capacity in the food industry, he would pay for his culinary school education. 

In 1990, Steve finished his education at the Culinary Institute of America and moved to San Francisco, which is where he first fell in love with big, foil wrapped burritos. Three years later, with the help of his college buddies and his dad, he opened the very first Chipotle in Denver, Colorado. Back then, no one ever expected it to grow into the $20 billion burrito empire that it is today (Side note: It seems like many successful men are named Steve).

The first Chipotle in Denver.
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It started out very modest, with only one store bringing in a couple hundred dollars worth of sales each day. Wells even had the goal of opening a fine dining restaurant on his mind. But as people found out about Chipotle and grew accustomed to its unique style, reviews started to come in and popularity began to rise. Eventually, Steve decided to venture out and open a second store. Then another one, and another one, until he had 13 altogether. But in 1996, they realized that in order to grow even more, they needed investors.

After facing many rejections, Chipotle finally found its "rich uncle" - McDonald's. For a huge food joint like McDonald's, a $50 million investment was not that big of a deal. But for Chipotle, it gave them the money they needed to open over 1,000 stores and even expand abroad.  The partnership with McDonald's, however, was not beneficial in many other ways. McDonald's was very corporate, while Chipotle remained true to its roots, doing everything by hand. Because of reasons like this, Steve Wells and the people of McDonald's often clashed, and it made him an even firmer believer in his concept of "food with integrity." 

When the two companies finally split in 2006, McDonald's came away with a good sum of money, but they ultimately got the shorter end of the stick, as Chipotle flourished even more without them. The public began to love Chipotle for the style of eating, as well as the commitment to truly fresh produce that is questionable in many other fast food restaurants. Over two decades, Steve Wells and his team have built a true burrito empire that has no worthy rival. Their loyal customers will wait in lines snaking out the door, rain or shine, through bitter wind or snow, all to get to the front of the line, hear the words "guac is extra, is that okay?" and happily answer "Yes."

This ad had to retracted.
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