The fast food darling of American culture has been stumbling for months amid E. coli outbreaks and Norovirus-related health scares. But Chipotle's climb to success had humble beginnings: one store in Colorado shooting for a daily sales goal of 114 "mission-style" burritos — packed until bursting with beans, rice, and other locally sourced ingredients.
Burrito-based success came quickly to its founder, Steve Ells, who went on to secure investors (like McDonald's) and open 500 restaurants across the country by 2005. The GMO-free chain made a split with McDonald's in 2006 and went public, starting at $22 and eventually reaching its highest-ever point in June 2015: a whopping $742.
Bloomberg's graphic depictions of Chipotle's financial history paint an optimistic picture of steady growth and expansion, but with a recent stock drop-off of more than 30 percent and a sales decrease to the tune of 36 percent, the "food with integrity" company has some steady work ahead to eat the losses and redeem its shiny reputation.
