Disclosure certainty 4/5 debate potential 2/5

Steve Ells: Kernel will offer restaurant workers stock options and full benefits

Steve Ells · When a robot cooks your lunch with Steve Ells of Chipotle and Kernel · Nov 9, 2023 · at 31:08

Chipotle founder Steve Ells explains how Kernel's automated, small-team model enables the restaurant chain to offer equity and benefits to frontline workers.

0:00 / 0:34exact quote · 35.0s
720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark
“And since we only have three people we'll be able to afford those higher wages. Plus I think our Purpose is bigger than our product. Being able to address global warming, being able to address some of the inequality with pay for folks in, in, in the world of fast food and restaurants in general, to be able to pay them much higher wages and give them full benefits, give them vacation time, give them predictable schedules, give them a stock option program so that they can Participate in the upside of the venture.”

quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →

More from Steve Ells

Prediction Not checkable as stated
Steve Ells: Robots will not displace restaurant cooking anytime soon
“And so the, your question, will robots displace that? I mean, maybe someday, but certainly not Not anywhere in the near future.”
Steve Ells Apr 9, 2026 ▶ 4:56 Advice Line with Steve Ells of Chipotle
Disclosure
Ells: Kernel needs only three peak-period workers versus twelve at typical restaurants
“And so where a typical fast casual restaurant might have, you know, a dozen folks at peak period Colonel would have three.”
Steve Ells Nov 9, 2023 ▶ 17:25 When a robot cooks your lunch with Steve Ells of Chipotle and Kernel
Insight
Ells: Restaurant models reliant on large, high-turnover staffs are unsustainable
“I know for sure that continuing to operate these systems that's heavy, heavy, heavy on, on numbers of employees who turn over very frequently is not sustainable.”
Steve Ells Nov 9, 2023 ▶ 34:35 When a robot cooks your lunch with Steve Ells of Chipotle and Kernel
Disclosure
Steve Ells shut down both Kernel restaurants after less than a year
“So we closed down the two Kernel restaurants after less than a year spent a couple of months you know, retooling, and opened counter service”
Steve Ells Apr 9, 2026 ▶ 2:10 Advice Line with Steve Ells of Chipotle
Insight
Ells: Fast food wages stay low because restaurant margins cannot afford raises
“I think you see depressed wages because margins are so tight, right? It's, and I think these operators would love to pay their folks more, but the model just can't afford to do it.”
Steve Ells Nov 9, 2023 ▶ 33:19 When a robot cooks your lunch with Steve Ells of Chipotle and Kernel
Insight
Ells: Fast-casual hospitality does not require face-to-face interaction
“While hospitality may not be face to face, With the customers, it's providing a really good experience through the app. It's providing reliability on service times. It's making sure that everything that we serve is delicious.”
Steve Ells Nov 9, 2023 ▶ 38:23 When a robot cooks your lunch with Steve Ells of Chipotle and Kernel
Made with StarZero

Turn any episode into a week of clips.

This entire site, over 800 episodes transcribed, diarized, checked and made playable, runs on the StarZero media pipeline. Drop in your own episode and the podcast clipper finds the moments worth sharing, cuts them, captions them, and reframes them for every feed.