{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-14/sweetgreen-de-stemmed-kale-wraps","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-14/sweetgreen-de-stemmed-kale-wraps.md","title":"Sweetgreen Adds De-Stemmed Kale to Speed Up Service","headline":"Sweetgreen Deploys De-Stemmed Kale and Cheaper Wraps as Same-Store Sales Slide","description":"Sweetgreen is using de-stemmed kale to cut salad wait times and has added wraps priced from around $13.","section":"Product Launches","published_at":"2026-10-14T16:44:42+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-14T16:44:42+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Sweetgreen is using de-stemmed kale to shave seconds off salad wait times, with each store spending two to three hours de-stemming the product by hand.","The chain added slightly cheaper salad wraps, with the cheapest wrap in New York City around $13 and the lowest salad $13.50.","Sweetgreen expects same-store sales to fall between 7% and 8% for the year."],"companies":[{"name":"Sweetgreen","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00000a9/sweetgreen","website":"http://sweetgreen.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"New York Post","title":"Sweetgreen tries to speed up menu with de-stemmed kale as CEO admits to hating the veggie","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/10/14/business/sweetgreen-tries-to-speed-up-menu-with-de-stemmed-kale-ceo-admits-to-hating-veggie/"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Product Launches","Sweetgreen"],"body_markdown":"[Sweetgreen](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00000a9/sweetgreen) is using de-stemmed kale to speed up salad service and has added slightly cheaper wraps, as the chain expects same-store sales to fall between 7% and 8% this year. The [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/10/14/business/sweetgreen-tries-to-speed-up-menu-with-de-stemmed-kale-ceo-admits-to-hating-veggie/) reported the menu changes on October 14, 2026.\n\n## Sweetgreen's De-Stemmed Kale and Wrap Rollout\n\nSweetgreen is starting to use de-stemmed kale to shave seconds off salad wait times for time-crunched customers. Workers previously de-stemmed kale by hand, and the average store spends two to three hours de-stemming the product, CEO Jonathan Neman said on an episode of the \"Being Jewish with Jonah Platt\" podcast published October 14, 2026.\n\n\"I really don't like kale. I'm not a huge fan. People don't realize how labor intensive it is for the store. It has to be washed, chopped and messaged,\" Neman said. He said he prefers arugula and would probably banish kale from his stores if it were not in the harvest bowl, Sweetgreen's most popular item.\n\nCFO Jaimie McConnell told the Wall Street Journal that workers struggled to roll the new wraps fast enough, and now one skilled person is on wrapping duty during peak hours. \"If you can go into a restaurant, be in and out with your salad in under five minutes, that would be the goal,\" McConnell said.\n\nSweetgreen has about 880 stores across the country. The cheapest wrap in New York City is around $13 and the lowest salad is $13.50. Competitor Cava also has a $13 wrap. Sweetgreen said this past spring that more than half of the people who tried wraps returned within the same month.\n\n## Sweetgreen's Earlier Menu and Expansion Moves\n\nSweetgreen rolled out wraps nationwide on May 6, 2026 as its biggest menu category expansion beyond signature bowls and salads, priced starting at $10.95 with 40 or more grams of protein on a new olive oil tortilla, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The same records show Sweetgreen announced its first Nashville location in the Gulch neighborhood on June 30, 2026, its debut in Tennessee.\n\n## How Sweetgreen Reached This Menu Change\n\nSweetgreen added lower-cost wraps to its menu to counter its high-price reputation, and sales picked up, though food-safety scares involving lettuce and jalapeños reduced demand, the Wall Street Journal reported in October 2026. The chain opened six new restaurants in roughly 60 days, including its first East Coast Sweetlane drive-thru and a grab-and-go location, with same-store sales down 6.2% in the second quarter, QSR Magazine reported in October 2026. Sweetgreen's wrap launch in May improved second-quarter comparable sales by 500 basis points, reversing a 6.2% same-store sales decline, Restaurant Dive reported in September 2026.\n\n## Sweetgreen's Next Leadership Step\n\nSweetgreen appointed Lauren Crowley as Chief People Officer, effective October 26, 2026, reporting to CEO Jonathan Neman, Stock Titan reported in October 2026.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}