Sweetgreen's new menu items go viral

When Sweetgreen launched its first location in 2007, its business model made sense: the company stuck to busy downtown areas, targeting white-collar workers who needed a quick, healthy meal, and its salads were relatively affordable at the time.

In 2026, that business model no longer makes quite as much sense. While many workers gradually returned to the office following the Covid pandemic, they certainly aren’t doing so in numbers that justify a fast food option focused primarily on serving their needs. And while a Sweetgreen salad might have been affordable at one time, consumers are less excited about paying a premium for a salad these days, and a lot more interested in protein than ever before.

In 2025, CEO and co-founder Jonathan Neman told the New York Times that consumers are concerned about the environmental costs of their food, not just the actual cost. That may be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that customer trends are shifting, leaving investors unhappy and the stock price down 62% over the last year.

Sweetgreen menu change aims to bring customers back with wraps

On May 6, Sweetgreen rolled out a menu of four chicken-based wraps nationwide following a market test in February. The key difference between wraps and the company’s previous offerings is portability; it’s not exactly feasible to eat a salad from your car while on the go, but wraps might prompt people to see Sweetgreen as a more compelling fast-food option than rivals.

Sweetgreen is using social media influencers to encourage fans to try the new menu. The company claims that videos about ita new wraps have accrued 20 million views and nearly 800,000 engagements on TikTok.

The company is leaning into social media with a campaign, “partnering with hundreds of micro and scaled creators who authentically represent a range of communities and passion point.”

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The company also hopes to capitalize on rising consumer interest in protein. Sweetgreen has always been focused on offering healthy options, but what exactly consumers think of when they hear the word “healthy” has been a moving target.

The majority of its new wraps have 40 or more grams of protein, which the company clearly hopes will be enticing.

Finally, and crucially, the wraps come at a lower price point, with the average price for a wrap around $12.50. That’s still not exactly cheap, but it’s an improvement over a $16 salad. Sweetgreen may not be in a position to convince people that it’s offering a great deal, but it can at least offer a decent deal.

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Sweetgreen has begun to turn its profits around

One day after launching the new wraps, Sweetgreen announced its newest quarterly earnings. It saw revenue decrease 2.9% year-over-year. However, while the company may have done less business overall, it also managed to turn a profit, making earnings per share of $1.06, versus a loss of 21 cents a year ago.

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After a string of poor performances, one good quarter isn’t necessarily a promise of a long-term turnaround, but it’s clear that Sweetgreen is invested in building new audiences that will hopefully find its meals compelling.

It remains to be seen whether wraps will truly be the game changer that the company hopes they’ll be, but if the company succeeds at convincing people that wraps are a healthier, faster, more portable meal at a price that isn’t too outrageous, then it could very well see a real turnaround.

Related: Cava protein strategy leaves Chipotle and Sweetgreen in the dust

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