Sweetgreen is an American fast-food chain that specializes in salads. The restaurant was founded in August 2007 by Jonathan Neman, Nicolas Jammet, and Nathaniel Ru. The eatery is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
While Sweetgreen is a non-vegan chain, vegans can find suitable food at the restaurant.
Salad is the safest option for vegans at a non-vegan restaurant because it is easy to customize it.
Before we go any further, let’s discuss the story of Sweetgreen.
Table of Contents
Sweetgreen – The Story
Three college graduates founded Sweetgreen. When Jonathan, Nathaniel, and Nicolas were in school, they had two options:
- Expensive food
- Food that was unhealthy and cheap
The three college graduates decided to open a restaurant where quality is never compromised. On 1st August 2007 in Washington DC, Sweetgreen served the customers for the first time, with a vision to innovate fast food.
Mission
The core values established by the restaurant help empower the staff, customers, and partners, so there is a positive impact. Sweetgreen is building a transparent supply network; the restaurant cooks everything from scratch and is building a community of people that believe in the power of authentic food.
Sustainability
Climate change threatens farmers, so there is a need for regenerative food systems. Sweetgreen is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2027, and the plant-based menu of the eatery is 30% less carbon-intensive than other menus.
Food Sourcing
The restaurant collaborates with its suppliers to come up with carbon minimization tactics. The goal of Sweetgreen is to empower producers and farmers into regenerative practices.
Development Of The Menu
The restaurant calculates the carbon footprint for every item on the menu. Sweetgreen conducts carbon assessments of all its suppliers. These assessments illustrate the amount of carbon the suppliers are emitting at each stage of the business. The data is used to adjust the menu accordingly.
Restaurants
The building material of the restaurants is optimized. Sweetgreen invests in clean energy, and the restaurants are designed to contribute to a sustainable future.
What’s Vegan At Sweetgreen?
Bowls
Sunchokes Miso Bowl (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Miso Root Vegetables (Sunchokes Mix)
- Blackened Chicken
- Basil
- Roasted Almonds
- Shredded Cabbage
- Shredded Kale
- Wild Rice
- Sesame Ginger Dressing
Beets Miso Bowl (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Miso Root Vegetables (Beets Mix)
- Blackened Chicken
- Basil
- Roasted Almonds
- Shredded Cabbage
- Shredded Kale
- Wild Rice
- Sesame Ginger Dressing
Shroomami Bowl (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Cucumbers
- Basil
- Wild Rice
- Shredded Kale
- Miso Sesame Ginger Dressing (vegan-friendly)
- Spicy Sunflower Seeds
- Roasted Sesame Tofu
- Warm Portobello Mix
- Raw Beets
Harvest Bowl (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Shredded Kale
- Wild Rice
- Goat Cheese
- Roasted Almonds
- Apples
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Chicken
Fish Taco Bowl (No Fish and Dairy Ingredients)
- Lime Cilantro Jalapeno Vinaigrette
- Arugula
- Sweetgreen Hot Sauce
- Tortilla Chips
- Avocado
- Shredded Cabbage
- Roasted Steelhead
- Warm Quinoa
Crispy Rice Bowl (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Spicy Cashew Dressing
- Lime Squeeze
- Arugula
- Wild Rice
- Crispy Rice
- Cilantro
- Roasted Almonds
- Cucumbers
- Shredded Cabbage
- Blackened Chicken
- Raw Carrots
Chicken Pesto Parm Bowl (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Pesto Vinaigrette
- Sweetgreen Hot Sauce
- Warm Quinoa
- Baby Spinach
- Za’atar Breadcrumbs
- Tomatoes
- Spicy Broccoli
- Shaved Parmesan
- Roasted Chicken
Chicken Tostada Bowl (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Lime Cilantro Jalapeno Vinaigrette
- Sweetgreen Hot Sauce
- Warm Quinoa
- Baby Spinach
- Tortilla Chips
- Goat Cheese
- Raw Carrots
- Cilantro
- Tomatoes
- Blackened Chicken
Salads
Crispy Chicken Salad (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Remoulade Dressing
- Chopped Romaine
- Baby Spinach
- Crispy Rice
- Raw Carrots
- Shredded Cabbage
- Tomatoes
- Blackened Chicken
- Chopped Pickles
Potato Salad Salad (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Green Goddess Ranch
- Lemon Squeeze
- Roasted Almonds
- Baby Spinach
- Arugula
- Shredded Cabbage
- Basil
- Red Onions
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Chopped Pickles
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Steelhead Remoulade Salad (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Remoulade Dressing
- Shredded Kale
- Lemon Squeeze
- Spicy Sunflower Seeds
- Chopped Romaine
- Roasted Steelhead
- Tomatoes
- Shredded Cabbage
- Chopped Romaine
Kale Caesar Salad (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Caesar Dressing
- Tomatoes
- Shaved Parmesan Crisps
- Chopped Romaine
- Shredded Kale
- Roasted Chicken
Guacamole Green Salad (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Lime Cilantro Jalapeno Vinaigrette
- Lime Squeeze
- Chopped Romaine
- Spring Mix
- Tortilla Chips
- Red Onions
- Shredded Cabbage
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Roasted Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Bowl Salad (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Pickled Carrots + Celery
- Caesar Dressing
- Sweetgreen Hot Sauce
- Breadcrumbs
- Shredded Kale
- Chopped Romaine
- Za’atar
- Blue Cheese
- Cilantro
- Tomatoes
- Blackened Chicken
Farmhouse Caesar Salad (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Caesar Dressing
- Lime Squeeze
- Raw Carrots
- Spicy Broccoli
- Black Lentils
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Chickpeas
- Shredded Kale
- Green Goddess Ranch
- Baby Spinach
- Roasted Almonds
- Shredded Cabbage
Garden Cobb Salad (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Spring Mix
- Chopped Romaine
- Roasted Almonds
- Blue Cheese
- Tomatoes
- Red Onions
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Avocado
Plates
Hot Honey Chicken Plate (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Hot Honey Mustard Sauce
- Blackened Chicken
- Roasted Almonds
- Kale-Cabbage Slaw
- Hot Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Warm Quinoa
Local Bowls
Shrimp Remoulade Bowl (No Shrimps and Dairy Ingredients)/Miami, Florida
- Remoulade Dressing
- Roasted Shrimp
- Tomatoes
- Red Onions
- Shredded Cabbage
- Spicy Sunflower Seeds
- Shredded Kale
- Lemon Squeeze
- Chopped Romaine
Catfish Remoulade Bowl (No Fish and Dairy Ingredients)/Atlanta
- Remoulade Dressing
- Lemon Squeeze
- Shredded Kale
- Spicy Sunflower Seeds
- Red Onions
- Chopped Romaine
- Tomatoes
- Shredded Cabbage
- Blackened Catfish
Blackened Catfish Remoulade Bowl (No Fish and Dairy Ingredients)/Atlanta
- Green Goddess Ranch
- Lemon Squeeze
- Shredded Kale
- Spicy Sunflower Seeds
- Red Onions
- Chopped Romaine
- Tomatoes
- Shredded Cabbage
- Blackened Catfish
- Baby Spinach
- Wild Rice
- Raw Carrots
Garlic Chili Shrimp Bowl (No Shrimp and Dairy Ingredients)/Houston, Texas
- Ceviche Dressing
- Baby Spinach
- Warm Quinoa
- Tortilla Chips
- Cilantro
- Shredded Cabbage
- Tomatoes
- Red Onions
- Roasted Shrimp
- Avocado
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Harvest Bowl (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)/Houston, Texas
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Wild Rice
- Shredded Kale
- Raw Pecans
- Goat Cheese
- Apples
- Roasted Chicken
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sides
Sunchokes Miso Roasted Veggies (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Miso Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Miso Root Vegetables (Sunchokes Mix)
- Hot Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Beets Miso Roasted Veggies (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Miso Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Hot Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Miso Root Vegetables (Beets Mix)
Roasted Sweet Potatoes (No Meat and Dairy Ingredients)
- Green Goddess Ranch
- Hot Honey Mustard Ranch
- Hot Roasted Sweet Potatoes
How Should Vegans Order Food At Sweetgreen?
The good news for vegan dieters is that Sweetgreen offers a wide array of vegan-friendly food. However, vegans must be careful; the food is not 100 % vegan, so they must customize their order.
While almost all the items on the menu have veggies in them, they also contain dairy ingredients such as meat, cheese, and butter. This short guide will help vegans order food at the restaurant:
Go Through The Menu
Before placing the order, you need to go through the menu thoroughly. This will give you a sense of the items available at the restaurant and their ingredients. Once you read the information in the menu, you will be aware of your options.
Inquire About The Ingredients
Now that you have read the menu, you might be confused about a few ingredients. However, you can ask the server for guidance. If possible, get in touch with the chef directly to have a clear idea about the ingredients. If you are not satisfied with the ingredients of a particular item, then do not order it.
Check Out The Salad
While you can eat the bowls at Sweetgreen because they are easy to customize, the best option is the salad. Also, since vegans have salad almost all the time, they are of the vegan and non-vegan components of the dish.
However, you will need to ensure that the salad you get is 100 % vegan, so discuss the dish with the server before ordering it.
Ask About The Cooking Methods
This is a tricky question to ask, but you will need to ask it to ensure that you get vegan-friendly food. Ask the restaurant if they cook vegan and non-vegan food separately. Suppose they don’t request them to make an exception and cook your food separately.
If the restaurant rejects your request, there is nothing more you can do other than go to a different restaurant that offers vegan food.
Ask Around
Before you even step foot in a Sweetgreen restaurant, ask about the food chain in your social circle. If you have vegans in your social circle, they might have visited the restaurant before. Doing this will get clarity, and you will be aware of the food you can order.
Do Some Research
If there aren’t vegans in your social circle or it is difficult to interact with them, you should research the internet. Read all the available information, and then decide whether it is worth visiting the restaurant or not.
If there is doubt in your mind, please don’t visit Sweetgreen, as things will get complicated for you, and you won’t be able to order food.
Conclusion
In this guide, we have thoroughly discussed the menu of Sweetgreen. There are dozens of items on the menu that vegans can eat; however, they will need to customize their order.
Towards the end of the article, a brief section contains several tips for vegans. These tips will help vegan dieters order food at Sweetgreen.
