The Los Angeles-based fast-casual salad chain, Sweetgreen, is set to open a Hyde Park restaurant on Tuesday, August 3. Located at 1500 E. 53rd Street, it is the company’s tenth restaurant in the greater Chicago area, and the first on the city’s South Side.
Sweetgreen was founded in 2007 in Washington, DC by three friends from Georgetown University, and has since expanded to 129 locations in more than a dozen states. A recent New York Times article mentioned that the company has “has cultivated a loyal following thanks to its fresh ingredients, digital savvy and sharp branding, which extends to the design of its stores and celebrity partnerships with the likes of the tennis star Naomi Osaka.”
Meal options are divided into categories including warm bowls, salads, plates, local bowls, and sides. Some of the most popular choices include the Harvest Bowl, Kale Caesar Salad, Guacamole Greens, and the Hot Honey Chicken Plate. Sweetgreen’s menu changes seasonally, based on what is available locally in each restaurant’s region.
Sweetgreen is hosting two pre-opening preview events with complimentary meals on Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31. Guests must RSVP (limited to one preview per guest), and may choose time slots between 12-2 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. The events are designed for employees to put their training into practice before the official opening the following week.
There are two options for the preview events:
Option 1 – guests may select a ticket in 15-minute time blocks to see the restaurant and order a complimentary bowl from the menu in-store. Guests must download the sweetgreen app as the entry ticket to the preview event.
Option 2 – guests may select a $5 credit to be used during the restaurant’s opening week when you order on the app.
For every bowl sold on opening day, sweetgreen will donate a bowl to Lakeview Pantry’s Online Market for low-income families across Chicago.
