20

Nicolas Jammet

Greens to Greatness



Henry Ford famously said, If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse. When sweetgreen was founded in 2007, nobody was asking for a chain of fast casual salad restaurants. But sweetgreen reframes the question - how do you make healthy food convenient and cool?

My guest today is Nicolas Jammet, one of the three co-founders of Sweetgreen, and the one most responsible for its food. sweetgreen is one of the great brands built by our generation that's found itself woven into the fabric of cosmopolitan culture. Now after 17 years from opening the doors of its first location, Sweetgreen has over 250 restaurants and is valued at the time of this recording at nearly $5B dollars as a public company.

I have known Nic for over 10 years, and sweetgreen has been a fantastic partner to Sir Kensington's, having used a number of our condiments over the years including our mayonnaise in the dressing of their famous Kale Caesar.

In this conversation, we'll talk about what it takes to stick together as a trio of co-founders through thick and thin, the value of leadership coaching, how he approaches culinary innovation without alienating their audience, and how automation surprisingly helps hospitality rather than hinders it.

Please enjoy my conversation with the sultan of salad, Nicolas Jammet.

Listen : Spotify | Apple | YouTube


“If you do everything the customer tells you, you’ll just look like everyone else.” 


           


Show Index

  • 02:57 - The Origins of sweetgreen
  • 11:36 - The Challenges of Sourcing the Best Produce
  • 18:16 - Dan Barber’s Custom Squash for sweetgreen
  • 26:00 - Maintaining Co-Founder Relationships
  • 31:46 - How sweetgreen Serves Its Employees
  • 35:25 - Automation at sweetgreen
  • 38:06 - sweetgreen Goes Public
  • 45:10 - Snaxshot Reader’s Questions
  • 47:04 - CPG Shoutouts & Obsessions
  • 49:12 - Special Announcement
  • 50:20 - At Large & Off The Cuff


Show Notes


Ep. 24 — Eric Wareheim

Acquired Tastes


Ep. 23 — Sophia Amoruso

Sauce Boss Meets Girlboss


Ep. 22 — Daniel Goldhaber

Movies by Any Means Necessary


Ep. 21 — Dinara Kasko

Have Your Cake and Tweet It Too


Ep. 20 — Nicolas Jammet

Greens to Greatness


Ep. 19 — Thomas Kemeny

Writing Your Way Ahead


Ep. 18 — Clare Vivier

Liberté, Intégrité, Simplicité


Ep. 17 — Alex Bogusky

Peace, Love, and Advertising


Ep. 16 — Alexis Gay

The Unprofessional Professional


Ep. 15 — Seth Godin

Idea Virus Patient Zero


Ep. 14 — Nicholas Coleman

Chasing Liquid Gold


Ep. 13 — Gabe Whaley

Making MSCHF


Ep. 12 — Kareem Rahma

Internet Funnyman


Ep. 11 — Amanda Hesser

Building a Digital Hearth


Ep. 10 — Shane Heath

No Mud, No Lotus


Ep. 9 — Michael Dubin

You Can’t Just Switch It Off


Ep. 8 — Scott Norton

Purpose & Play


Ep. 7 — Chris Nee

Creative Courage and Talking Stuffed Animals


Ep. 6 — Fabien Riggall

Silencing the Discursive Mind


Ep. 5 — Danielle Baskin

Striking Internet Gold


Ep. 4 — Alexander Gilkes

Givers Are Getters


Ep. 3 — Susan MacTavish Best

Hosting a Rave for the Intellect


Ep. 2 — John Fiorentino

The Hunt for Big Ideas


Ep. 1 — Eric Ryan

Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal



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Not investment advice. Read important disclosures.