The restaurant chain is losing its original fan base, prompting CEO and founder Jonathan Neman to aggressively pursue the health-conscious Silicon Valley demographic.
In a bid for survival, Sweetgreen, Inc. co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman has recently shifted focus beyond the chopped romaine and maple-roasted squash that initially won the company a loyal following among white-collar lunch crowds in Washington, New York, and Los Angeles.
As high-income young adults who once frequented Sweetgreen visit less often, Neman is diverting attention to attracting a different type of customer: health-obsessed, protein-focused tech workers who track their macronutrient intake as meticulously as they monitor their sleep. This group has shown enthusiasm for new items on Sweetgreen's menu, such as the Hot Honey Chicken Plate (49g protein), Chicken Salad Bacon Club Wrap (42g protein), and Honey Crisp Steak Bowl (33g protein).
Neman stated, "We have a very loyal customer base that leans more towards the longevity-focused biohacker crowd."
Undoubtedly, the star of the recent menu is the Protein Power Max Bowl—featuring four servings of grilled chicken, double quinoa, and broccoli, totaling a substantial 106 grams of protein.
On the day of its launch, Jacob Posell, an AI contractor at Google, saw images of the bowl on Twitter and immediately placed an order. Posell expressed his eagerness to try it, noting that he always pays close attention to the protein-to-calorie ratio.
While Posell enjoyed his meal, Neman was promoting the product on the tech news interview show TBPN, discussing the dangers of seed oils—a favorite topic among Silicon Valley's wellness circles.
Neman explained that many people perceive Sweetgreen as just a salad or vegetarian restaurant, but the company aims to emphasize that high-protein meals are also available.
This strategy marks a significant departure from Sweetgreen's earlier days, which featured items like lentil and chickpea soup and spicy Sabzi salad.
However, the 19-year-old company is currently facing a critical shortage of customer traffic. Same-store sales, a key metric for chain restaurants, fell 7.9% last year, while net revenue remained largely flat.
To win over Silicon Valley, Neman is betting on capturing the young, influential demographic that shapes brand perception online and builds cultural clout through digital platforms. This reflects a broader shift in the perception of tech professionals: from unassuming nerds to genuine trendsetters. The transformation is remarkable, considering that a decade ago, Silicon Valley's dietary obsession was largely centered around meal replacement drinks like Soylent.
Few other restaurant CEOs are as overt as Neman in courting protein-hungry tech men. But Sweetgreen is not alone in emphasizing healthy meals and adding high-protein options—especially with the growing popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, which carry a risk of muscle loss and have further increased demand for protein.
Neman faces stiff competition. Chipotle introduced a dedicated high-protein menu last December, and even Buffalo Wild Wings launched an Espresso Protein Cocktail containing 10 grams of protein.
Sean Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital and Neman's in-law, believes Sweetgreen is on the right track. Maguire praised the company's innovative approach to linking food with health and performance long before such discussions became mainstream.
Beyond its high-protein menu, Sweetgreen is enhancing its appeal in tech circles through other initiatives. Seven months ago, the company appointed Zipora Allen, former executive at fitness-tracking app Strava, as Chief Commercial Officer.
Allen remarked that cultural trends inevitably arrive, and the company must actively participate.
Whereas menus previously displayed only total calories, each meal now shows full macronutrient breakdowns, similar to diet-tracking apps. In January, Sweetgreen announced a partnership with longevity tech startup Function Health, which offers subscription-based blood tests to track metabolic health, iron levels, and other metrics. Function helped design several nutrient-focused dishes, such as the Omega Salad (miso salmon with avocado) and the Iron Power Bowl (steak with almonds).
Neman also serves as an advisor to Function and its competitor, Superpower. He views the new menu and the push to attract the tech wellness crowd as steps toward his long-term vision for the company.
Neman's dream is for the Sweetgreen app to evolve into a highly personalized platform, which he compares to "the Spotify of food."
Ultimately, he hopes the app will recommend customized meals based on user preferences, allergies, and health data from devices like Apple Watch and Whoop bands—much like Spotify generates personalized playlists.
However, some of Sweetgreen's past tech ventures have not gone smoothly. In 2021, the company acquired kitchen robotics startup Spyce, aiming to reduce labor costs and boost profits through automation. But the system proved expensive to install and operate. Last December, Sweetgreen sold Spyce to Marc Lore's Wonder company for $186 million.
Some industry observers question whether Sweetgreen's tech obsession and current focus on biohackers are distracting the company from other core challenges.
J.P. Morgan analyst Rahul Krotthapalli noted that since its founding in 2007, Sweetgreen has struggled to expand beyond high-income niche markets, primarily due to pricing and location. Most of the salad chain's 281 outlets are concentrated in affluent areas like New York and Los Angeles. Biohackers and wellness enthusiasts, he suggested, represent just another niche, high-spending demographic.
Neman affirmed that Sweetgreen's vision is not to remain a niche brand solely serving affluent biohackers, although he acknowledged they would be a valuable customer segment.
Even loyal fans like Los Angeles angel investor Ben Pradia have their limits. Pradia orders from Sweetgreen at least once a week but sometimes questions whether the expense is justified.
He admitted that looking at the meal, one might think, "I'm spending $20 on a salad—maybe I could just make this at home."
Meanwhile, the Sweetgreen team continues to monitor health trends, searching for the next wave that could captivate tech circles and the broader public. New Chief Commercial Officer Allen has already made a prediction.
She said, "The next big thing will be fiber."
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