Head of Culinary

Sweetgreen is a national restaurant brand dedicated to building healthier communities by connecting people to real food. Established in 2007, Sweetgreen has revolutionized the fast food industry by focusing on fresh, flavorful meals made from scratch using high-quality, seasonal produce sourced directly from local farmers. With over 280 locations and a team of 5,000 team members, Sweetgreen fosters a culture of health, transparency, and sustainability. Their mission is to make real food convenient and accessible, ensuring that every customer experiences food that not only delights the palate but also nourishes the body and supports local communities. Sweetgreen continuously invests in its people—both in-store and at its corporate support center—to nurture talent and create meaningful career opportunities which contribute to a larger movement for healthier living and environmental responsibility.

As the Head of Culinary at Sweetgreen, you will play a pivotal role as a senior leader within the Commercial Leadership Team. This position is responsible for shaping and executing the brand’s overall culinary strategy across all aspects of menu innovation, commercialization, and quality assurance. The Head of Culinary is charged with ensuring that all menu items maintain the highest standards of quality and consistently reflect Sweetgreen’s core values and food ethos. This role demands strategic vision and deep knowledge of culinary trends to fuel creativity and growth that keeps Sweetgreen at the forefront of the fast-casual food landscape.

Key responsibilities of this position include driving menu innovation by developing new, chef-crafted items that highlight Sweetgreen’s unique approach to seasonal and fresh food, and overseeing the testing of these items to guarantee quality, taste, and consistency. The individual in this role will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams such as marketing, operations, procurement, and vendor partners to commercialize culinary concepts that can be effectively executed at scale across all locations. Leading a talented culinary team, the Head of Culinary will cultivate a culture of creativity, problem-solving, and continuous improvement to accelerate speed to market.

In addition, the position involves ongoing management and refinement of Sweetgreen’s core menu offerings by leveraging consumer data, customer behavior insights, and food science principles to ensure the brand delivers exceptional food experiences consistently. As the face of Sweetgreen’s culinary presence, this leader will represent the brand’s food philosophy to external stakeholders and internal leadership, providing regular updates and collaborating on content creation and community programming that reinforce brand messaging.

This role requires a passionate food professional obsessed with food culture and industry innovation, possessing strong attention to detail and proven success in leading culinary operations in a multi-unit restaurant environment. Candidates should have a collaborative leadership style capable of navigating matrixed organizations and a willingness to relocate to the Greater Los Angeles area. Sweetgreen offers highly competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package and opportunities for personal and professional growth within a values-driven, purpose-oriented company committed to making a real impact in communities and the food industry.