Sweetgreen adds four lower-priced wraps to win back diners
Sweetgreen has launched four lower-priced wraps nationwide in an effort to improve its value image and bring customers back after several quarters of falling sales. The move broadens the menu beyond salads and gives price-conscious diners an option below the chain’s usual perceived price point.
The company spent nearly two years developing the recipes, first testing them in eight Los Angeles restaurants and then in 70 more locations before the national launch in May. The wraps cost around $11, or roughly $13 with extras; a third of first-time customers reportedly ordered one, while social media complaints about prices fell to about 1.5 per cent in the third quarter from 4 to 5 per cent early in the year. Sweetgreen is also changing how it presents custom bowl prices, though it still expects same-store sales to fall 7 to 8 per cent for the year.
- Sweetgreen launched four nationwide wraps priced below $15.
- A third of first-time customers reportedly chose a wrap.
- The chain still expects same-store sales to fall 7 to 8 per cent.
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Sweetgreen is a US fast-casual restaurant chain best known for salads and customisable bowls. Customers choose ingredients such as vegetables, grains and proteins, and extras can add to the price.
The chain is trying to appeal to diners who see its food as expensive. Its new wraps offer another menu choice at a lower starting price, while changes to how bowl prices are shown may also affect how customers judge the cost.
The effort comes as Sweetgreen has faced several quarters of falling sales. How well the new choices attract customers matters to the company’s ability to improve sales and compete for diners watching their spending.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The wraps give diners a lower-priced way to try Sweetgreen and respond to concerns about affordability, while expanding the menu beyond salads. Their testing and reported uptake suggest the company is making a considered effort to meet changing customer needs and recover sales.
The case against
At around $11 before extras, the wraps may still feel expensive to price-conscious diners, and reduced complaints do not show that customers are returning or that sales will recover. Focusing on a new menu item and price presentation could also leave the underlying affordability concerns unresolved, especially as the company still expects same-store sales to fall.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Ailing salad chain Sweetgreen unveils line of cut-price wraps to try and tempt back customers”.