McDonald’s Chicken Farm: Chipotle Founder Says It Was ‘Absolutely The Most Disgusting Thing’ He’d Ever Seen
A McDonald’s chicken farm received an inspection from the founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill once. What CEO Steve Ells found repulsed him.
McDonald’s and Chipotle had practically been partner businesses for years, starting in 1998 when it helped the Mexican food chain grow from just 14 locations. By 2005, it had grown to 460 restaurants with the help of the fast food burger chain, and soon became independent.
You couldn’t tell that by the way they prepare their food, though, claims Bloomberg, as the two restaurants are about as different as they’re likely to get. For health-conscious consumers, this may be an indication that McDonald’s should be avoided.
Chipotle CEO called McDonald’s chicken farm in Arkansas ‘absolutely the most disgusting thing’ when he visited it… http://t.co/6mrRAxbFsb
— News This Second (@NewsThisSecond) February 4, 2015
The publication claims that Chipotle hand prepares their food every day and puts a lot of money into the process, and the success of the chain indicates that consumers are more than grateful. McDonald’s is one of many fast food chains which allegedly buys questionable food products, such as for their McRib, and uses microwaves to cook or re-heat a lot of things.
In 2005, the fast food chain invited the founder of Chipotle to visit a McDonald’s chicken farm, and his reaction was not kind. Bob Ells told the press his son “came back and said it was absolutely the most disgusting thing he’d ever seen in his life.”
“What we found at the end of the day was that culturally we’re very different. There are two big things that we do differently. One is the way we approach food, and the other is the way we approach our people culture. It’s the combination of those things that I think make us successful.”
Chipotle had resisted many of McDonald’s early suggestions, and according to the public view of both franchises, they rocketed past their mentor. McDonald’s is now seeing one of its greatest business losses in years.
Chipotle chief operations officer Gretchen Selfridge told the press that the fast food chain certainly had the best intentions.
“Bless their hearts, McDonald’s had a lot of great suggestions, and we were always polite about it. They really wanted us to do drive-thrus. They really wanted us to do breakfast. But we just really didn’t do any of that.”
After the founder visited the McDonald’s chicken farm, Chipotle founder Steve Ells’ comment may have led to the fast food chain cutting them off. Even some of McDonald’s former leaders have allegedly left for the Mexican grill. Sadly, that may have been a favor considering what the burger chain’s reputation these days has become, as previously reported by the Inquisitr.
Does Chipotle founder Steve Ells’ statement about the McDonald’s chicken farm in Arkansas surprise you?
[Image via Black Doctor]
