Steve Ells opened the first Chipotle in July 1993 at a former Dolly Madison ice cream location in Denver, CO. A chef himself, Steve’s vision was to build a place where people could eat delicious food, made of the finest ingredients, quickly and affordably. A simple idea, although rarely followed through on, people loved the idea and Chipotle began to grow and expand. “Food with Integrity” is Chipotle’s commitment; to always look closer, dig deeper, and work harder. Chipotle promises to run their business in a way that doesn’t exploit animals, people, or the environment. It is this philosophy that guides every decision made at Chipotle.
History
1993: Chipotle opened, only 880 sq feet, and is the smallest Chipotle in the world.
1995: The 2nd and 3rd locations were opened.
1996: Five more restaurants were opened in the Denver area
1999: The first Chipotles opened outside of Colorado: Minneapolis, MN and Columbus, OH
1999: Steve Ells learns about the way most pork is raised in the US and decides to do things differently
2000: Chipotle started serving naturally raised pork. The price of carnitas increased $1 but sales increased as well. As of 2010, 100% of pork served is naturally raised.
2002: Chipotle started serving naturally raised chicken as well, and 100% of chicken served is naturally raised
2002: The first green Chipotle opened in Austin, Texas
2004: Chipotle starts using zero trans fat frying oil.
2006: Chipotle goes public on the NYSE
2007: Chipotle started serving naturally raised beef, and 100% of beef served in naturally raised
2007: All cheese and sour cream used at Chipotle is rBGH free
2008: Begins using certified organic black beans and as of 2010, 40% of black beans served are organic
Celebration
Chipotle is celebrating their 20th anniversary with the Adventurrito- 20th Anniversary Treasure Hunt
Participants in the contest must pre-register at www.adventurrito.com
The treasure hunt starts on July 13th and lasts for 20 days.
Each day Chipotle will release a new puzzle to complete and Chipotle will select 20 players at random (19 days, 20 winners per day, equals 380 happy people) to receive free burritos for a year!
The players that correctly solve the first 19 puzzles get a shot at the grand prize on the 20th day. The first 20 people with the highest scores on the 20th puzzle win!
The grand prize is 20 years of free burritos! Yes, that’s a lot of burritos–1040 to be exact! The grand prize winners will receive 52 free burrito cards per year- one burrito per week- for 20 years.
Join us in congratulating Chipotle on their 20th anniversary!