1164 Broadway between 27th Street and 28th Street (NoMad) • 646.449.8884

sweetgreen

Their Success… Rain or shine, sleet or snow, patrons are willing to form queues out the door for sweetgreen’s delicious and nutritious made-to-order salads and wraps. The food and interior design reflect sustainability. Sweetgreen’s fare is organic, local and sustainable, and any scraps are composted in the kitchen. Even the packaging and serviceware are 100% plant-based and compostable. Reclaimed materials comprise the store structure, and energy efficient LED and Fluorescent lights illuminate the space. Five core values, displayed on their site and in-store, echo sweetgreen’s “culture, spirit and dedication to doing what’s right.” These values speak to the importance of company-guest-community symbiosis, sustainability, authentic food and relationships, meaningful connections and making an impact. Sweetgreen, however, does not just talk about forging strong and persified community ties— they actually do it.

Sweetgreen introduced “sweetlife” in 2010, an original approach to unite fans with a meaningful cause. Sweetlife is an annual music and food festival hosted by sweetgreen that celebrates “flavorful music, wholesome food, and thoughtful living.” Sweetgreen donates all proceeds from sweetlife to “sweetgreen in schools.” “Sweetgreen in schools” is a collaborative initiative with DC Farm to School in which students learn about healthy habits, sustainability, local sourcing and food origins through an eight-lesson interactive program.

The successful salad chain lauds their local purveyors. Prominently displayed chalkboards that hang just above the communal seating pavilion illustrate the vinculum between ingredient, purveyor and region. The transparency in acknowledging those who have contributed to sweetgreen’s success through the supply of their produce resonates well with origin-concerned guests. Furthermore, the bold presentation promotes increased foot traffic and speedier lines by thwarting the “where does this ingredient come from?” dance with languid guests next-in-line.

Volunteerism and giving back to the community encompass key cornerstones in sweetgreen’s culture. Through mobile app payment, 1% of purchases are donated to City Harvest to support nutritional education and food rescue programs. The company’s internal volunteerism demonstrates an unwavering spirit. According to Head Coach Greg LaFauci, sweetgreen’s internal volunteer program with the Bowery Mission proved so successful that despite there only being a handful of spots available for staff to fill, literally dozens of employees volunteered to give up their Friday night plans without any incentives.

LaFauci said it best, “You can’t be successful in an unsuccessful community. Having staff aligned with the mission of giving back is tied in with their success”

Take Aways…Forging strong and diversified community ties extends beyond just an essential core value— it creates meaningful connections internally and externally.