How Much Has Colorado’s Chipotle Brand Grown Over the Years?

A lot of brands that have become household names have roots in Colorado. For example, some of the things that originated in the Centennial State include Otterbox, Crocs, and Chipotle, all of which are instantly recognizable beyond the state.

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Of course, every big brand has to start somewhere and the meteoric rise of Chipotle Mexican Grill has its own humble beginnings like the rest.

Colorado's Chipotle Mexican Grill's Early Days

Inspired by similar establishments in San Francisco, Steve Ells opened the first Chipotle Mexican Grill at 1644 East Evans near Denver University in 1993.

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The first restaurant was funded by a loan from Ells's father and while the original goal was to sell just over 100 burritos per day to remain profitable, the first Chipotle was selling roughly 1,000 per day after only a month.

It would only be two years later that Ells would open Colorado's second store and by 1998 there would be a total of 16 Chipotle restaurants serving up the massive burritos with a focus on top-notch ingredients, all of which were located in the Centennial State.

Colorado's Chipotle Mexican Grill Goes Nationwide

Upon noticing Chipotle's meteoric rise, the McDonald's Corporation invested heavily into the brand which saw the number of stores increase from 16 only in Colorado in 1998 to over 500 stores nationwide by 2005.

McDonald's even approached Ells with ideas that would make the chain similar to the burger giant, but Chipotle's founder refused and the Mexican grill brand has stayed largely the same all these years later.

Today, Chipotle has expanded to Canada and sells a whopping 750,000 of its signature burritos each day.