Checkpoints

"I can't believe that we would lie in our graves, dreaming of things that we might have been..."



The Regional Director made his surprise visit today. He spent most of the day with the crew and interviewed them one by one. It was an emotional day to say the least, but we made the "Now" list. There's a lot of passion and love in that building, and it feels amazing to be a part of it.

The road to Restaurateur continues...

Fast Food Nation

Let me start off by saying,

I LOVE MY JOB!

Perhaps I'm still high off of the trip that was Las Vegas, but I had an absolute blast. The city itself was pretty insane, and the conference was extremely inspirational. Being in a room with 2,000 other people that feel just as passionate about this as I do was awesome.



(As some of you know), I could go on and on about my love for this company. I'm finally starting to realize what it is I love, and it's more then just burritos. Steve has created a culture of people that is unique to Chipotle, and something that is unmatched by any other.

As much as I love this company, for awhile now I've felt like I took the 'easy route'. I graduated from some prestigious school, and decided to throw all my money into fast food. The term fast food usually makes my nose turn away, and I've actually felt embarrassed telling people I work in a fast food industry. I wanted to believe Chipotle wasn't fast food, because I always thought we were 'better' then the rest. This past weekend I realized, we may be 'better' then the rest, but that doesn't mean it's not fast food.

But...just because it's fast, doesn't make it bad. Like Steve has said, just because it was served quickly, doesn't mean a lot of time effort wasn't put into producing the item.

Over the next 20 years or so, I strongly believe Steve Ells and Chipotle are going to change the way the world thinks about fast food. We are currently buying more naturally raised meats then any other restaurant company in the world, while also buying more local produce then any other company in the world. As people become more aware of the food that goes into their body, they are going to have to start making more educated decisions. If the integrity of the food and the people are kept to high standards, great thing are going to happen, and I'll be proud to say I was a part of it.

The Journey to R+ continues

Secret of the week:

The Big O

I showed up to Needham St. on day 1 of hiring on April 5th. Outside waiting for me was a man named O. I reached my hand out to him, we shook, and I introduced myself as Nick the Apprentice. It wasn't long after that I found out he was a service manager from Manhattan. He had been with the company for 2 years, and had worked his way up in a very busy restaurant. For days O and I joked around about opening up a restaurant without a GM. I assumed that one would eventually show up, but with every passing day, I became less and less optimistic. Towards the end of the 2 week hiring period, he joked that they would put me in charge.

We both laughed it off, not really thinking anything of it. Me? I had never even run a shift before. My six weeks of training was rolling burritos and cutting green peppers for hours at a time.

We already know how the story goes..but they eventually bumped me to GM the night before we opened.

I was terrified going into this, but O was there to calm my nerves. Like me, he was there day in and day out. Already a Chipotle "vetern", he knew anything there was to know about the company. Although I'm his "boss", it's felt like more of a partnership then anything since the beginning. Anything/everything I've ever learned about Chipotle, or how one should be run, has come from inside his head. He's taught me to become a better leader, and has trained my eye for detail.

At the end of May he was eventually promoted to Apprentice, officially making him my right hand man. Like me, he is also there 55-60 hours a week. It's been a tag-team since the beginning, and I couldn't begin to thank him enough. He's the only person that I've talked to almost every single day since the very beginning. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that communication is very important. Even on our days off, we are calling/texting, filling each other in on people's success's and failures. We are both in the loop on what needs to be done, and the goals that have been accomplished for the day. We agree on almost everything, and our employees know what to expect from the both of us.

Thanks O.

Secret of the Week:

I don't know what to do, about this dream and you. I wish this dream comes true"~ [Digital Love]