Sweetgreen’s turnaround strategy includes 25% bigger portions of chicken and tofu, recipe upgrades for proteins like chicken and salmon, and member deals on salads as cheap as $13. The decision follows months of disappointing sales: Same-store sales have dropped by as much as 7.6% this summer, with a reported 10.1% plunge in customer traffic. Sweetgreen also cut its annual outlook for the second quarter in a row as it struggles to keep budget-strained diners interested in salads averaging $16 a bowl.
Still, the street remains skeptical. Sweetgreen’s stumbles have reinforced doubts about whether premium salad chains can thrive in today’s value-conscious dining environment, especially as hybrid work saps the desk-lunch crowd and consumers search for more affordable options.
