Chipotle's early expansion (1993-2000)
Chipotle opened its first restaurant in Denver in 1993. Over the next seven years, it expanded to about 14 locations, each requiring local health and business permits.
Each new location needed individual approvals from local health departments before serving food.
The chain's growth showed how a single license record is one step in a longer process of opening a restaurant.
A single license record for Los Panchitos is similarly one step; it doesn't confirm the restaurant is open or operating.
