Steve Ells, the visionary founder of Chipotle and Kernel, discusses his journey from revolutionizing fast casual dining to launching a highly automated vegan restaurant concept. He shares insights on how climate change informs his new venture and his belief that robots can enhance the dining experience for everyone. Ells explores the balance between technology and human touch in restaurants, the rise of plant-based options, and the importance of innovation and leadership in reshaping the food industry.
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Chipotle's Foodborne Illness Crisis
Chipotle faced a major crisis due to foodborne illness outbreaks, impacting customer trust and sales.
Steve Ells prioritized solving the problem and ensuring Chipotle's safety, eventually stepping down as CEO.
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Stepping Down from Chipotle
Steve Ells stepped down as CEO of Chipotle in 2017 and transitioned to executive chairman, eventually retiring in 2020.
Ells describes these transitions as difficult but also a relief, allowing him to explore new ventures.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Inspiration for Kernel
Inspired by Bill Gates' book on climate change, Ells decided to create a plant-based restaurant chain.
He believes that a large-scale adoption of this model could positively impact the environment.
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The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
Bill Gates
In 'How to Avoid a Climate Disaster,' Bill Gates presents a detailed plan for eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, drawing from over a decade of his research and investment in climate change solutions. The book is organized into five parts, starting with the necessity of achieving zero emissions rather than just reducing them. Gates discusses the challenges in achieving this goal, provides practical questions to evaluate climate change conversations, and analyzes current and future technologies that can help mitigate climate change. He advocates for increased innovation in clean energy, including nuclear power, and emphasizes the importance of reducing the 'green premium' – the additional cost of green energy. The book also outlines specific steps for governments, market participants, and individuals to take in order to collectively avoid a climate disaster[2][3][4].
Steve Ells changed the restaurant industry once when he founded Chipotle in 1993. His idea for fast, freshly prepared food became the model for today’s “fast casual” format. It’s a story he told when he was first on the show back in 2017. Now, he hopes to revolutionize the industry again with a new chain of small, highly automated, vegan restaurants called Kernel.
This week on How I Built This Lab, Steve Ells returns to reflect on stepping away from the company he spent decades building and how his concern for climate change inspired his new restaurant concept. Plus, how he thinks that robotic restaurants could be good for workers, customers, owners and the environment.
This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei.
It was edited by John Isabella with research by Casey Herman. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch.
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