Food & Drink
Sweetgreen Opens First Seattle-Area Location
Popular and fast-growing healthy food chain plans more Seattle outlets
By Rob Smith January 9, 2024
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of Seattle magazine.
Seattle just landed another fast-casual, healthy eating option.
Fast-growing Los Angeles-based chain Sweetgreen will open its first Seattle-area location in The Village at Totem Lake in Kirkland. Another location on South Lake Union may open as soon as this spring, followed by a third on Capitol Hill.
The mission-driven, fast-casual restaurant serves chef-crafted healthy meals, including salads, warm bowls, and numerous protein-packed meals. The 2,315-square-foot Totem Lake space can accommodate up to 20 diners inside, and an additional 16 on the patio.
Sweetgreen’s Seattle-area suppliers include Macrina Bakery and Vashon Island’s Island Spring Organics, which produces millions of pounds of organic tofu annually. Sweetgreen has also established a partnership with Northwest Harvest, a nonprofit that supports food banks throughout Washington state.
Sweetgreen was founded in Washington, D.C., in 2006 by three recent graduates of Georgetown University. It now operates more than 220 stores across the United States.
Fast Company named Sweetgreen one of its most innovative companies in 2019 and 2020. The company recently launched a new branding campaign, “New Year, Full You,” to emphasize its healthy offerings.