Co-Founder/CEO of Sweetgreen, Jonathan Neman: Bringing Real Food Back to Fast Food

In this episode of Rooted, I interviewed Jonathan Neman, the Co-Founder and CEO of Sweetgreen, a nationwide fast-casual restaurant chain that serves healthy, seasonal food, known for their commitment to sustainability, using local, unprocessed ingredients. This conversation is exactly why I started the Rooted podcast—getting to sit down with founders who are not only passionate about what they do but are also creating businesses that truly make a positive difference. I absolutely love every single thing about the concept of Sweetgreen and as a huge fan, speaking with Jonathan was especially exciting. The success of Sweetgreen is also not surprising because of how warm and personable he is. In this inspiring discussion, we covered so much, including:How Jonathan was inspired by his time abroad in college in Sydney, Australia and seeing the culture differences around all day cafes and fast foodThe “Sweetlife” How the three founders of Sweetgreen started such a capital intensive business straight after graduating collegeAll three founders having immigrant parents that built businesses Making an impact through business and at the cash register How Sweetgreen has formed, maintained, and created relationships with the farmers they partner withWhy Sweetgreen is helping with the systemic issues with our food systemHow Sweetgreen balances the art and science of expanding the businessSweetgreen’s value of really listening to the consumer (including grass-fed steak, eliminating seed oils, etc)A lot more!To see a full list of Sweetgreen locations, head to this link!I hope everyone enjoys!