February 5, 2019
The decade I spent with Chipotle (‘02-‘12) was absolutely amazing. During the pre-IPO years where we were trying to figure out who we were and making it up as we went along were a blast. Post-IPO where we saw accelerated growth, but also recognized that we needed to build a strong people culture to make it all happen, was incredibly inspiring.
June 29, 2018
When a brand loses what made it special, that loss is always rooted in losing the culture that made the company what it was. While brands certainly need to reinvent themselves along the way and revise the brand narrative, changing the DNA of the brand should not be part of the equation. Are you listening Chipotle?
April 26, 2018
...I latched onto that vision and along with so many thousands of other people, we believed. We believed that food with integrity was the key to accomplishing that vision. We told the story on a shoestring marketing budget. We hit the streets. We did events. We did fundraisers to support local organizations. We bought lunches for guests when they brought new people in. We believed. We saw people camping out on sidewalks for new restaurant openings when we went to new cities and states. We saw lives change, both in our employees and in our guests. We made the world a better place by supporting our local farmers and by standing up to industrial farming. We believed.
February 21, 2018
Every restaurant company knows that people are the most important part of the equation, but not every restaurant company is willing to make the investment.
