They Just Wanted To Sell Better Food. Now Sweetgreen is Trading on the NYSE and Booking Music Stars.

Nicolas Jammet is a co-founder of Sweetgreen, the fast-casual brand that grew from college startup into a publicly traded company. From last-minute recipe rewrites to festival stages, Jammet helped shape Sweetgreen into a brand defined by thoughtful food, and tech-driven innovation.

Watch now to learn how three college friends built a big brand, why technology is at the heart of hospitality, and how a salad company ended up sharing a stage with The Weeknd.

Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

• NEXT INSURANCE: See why 600,000+ U.S. businesses trust NEXT for insurance. http://www.nextinsurance.com/calibbq

Chapters:
[02:46] - Birth of the Ripple Fry
[07:30] - Sidewalk Samples
[16:48] - Sweetgreen’s IPO Day
[22:11] - Early Tech Moves
[24:54] - The Infinite Kitchen

SPONSORS:

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —
Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

• Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Episode Links:

Nicolas Jammet LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-jammet-5b9b878/

Nicolas Jammet Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolasjammet/?hl=en

Sweetgreen Online: https://www.sweetgreen.com/

Sweetgreen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweetgreen/

Sweetgreen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetgreen/

Sweetgreen Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/1224421164

Sweetgreen Twitter/X: https://x.com/sweetgreen

Key Takeaways:
From Samples to Stadium: Sweetgreen’s early hustle, including sidewalk DJ sets and handing out salad samples, wasn’t just noise. It laid the foundation for Sweetlife, a music festival that grew from a parking lot pop-up to a full-scale cultural event featuring Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and even a surprise visit from Taylor Swift.
Tech First, Guest Focused: While other chains scrambled to catch up to digital trends, Sweetgreen quietly built a tech-forward operation from the ground up. They introduced app ordering, self-serve pickup, and now robot-powered Infinite Kitchens that prioritize speed without losing soul.
Still That College Startup at Heart: Sweetgreen may be publicly traded now, but its origin story of three college kids pulling an all-nighter after their only laptop was stolen is more than just folklore. It’s the mindset that still drives the company: build fast, adapt constantly, and always bet on the long game.

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ABOUT NICOLAS JAMMET —
Nicolas Jammet is the Co-Founder & Chief Concept Officer of Sweetgreen, the mission driven restaurant brand that serves healthy food at scale. Nicolas and his co-founders started Sweetgreen in 2007, opening their first location in Georgetown, DC, just three months out of college. Their vision is to be as ubiquitous as traditional fast-food, but far more transparent and honest. Nicolas has been recognized as a key innovator in food and business, named to Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business,” Inc.’s “30 Under 30”, Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and Food & Wine’s “40 Big Food Thinkers 40 and Under.”

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —
Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.

Published by Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com
Produced by Cali BBQ Media - https://betheshow.media