SweetGreen’s “Overpriced Salad Cult” Clinches Worst Quarter Ever (Shares Plunge -10%)

Imagine thinking Americans want to treat their bodies like a temple in 2025… LOL

Sweetgreen just had its worst quarter ever, and honestly… good. The “temple of health” crowd finally ran out of disciples as the overpriced salad cult cut its full-year outlook after realizing no one wants to pay $17 to feel hungry and morally superior. 

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In short, the quarter was a bloodbath: same-store sales down 9.5%, revenue guidance trimmed to $682–688 million, and management is still using words like “transformation” and “brand relevance” as if they mean anything. Then we have the Sweet Growth Transformation Plan which promises “digital personalization” and “operational excellence”... but in reality just means “we don’t know what to do.” 

(Source: TipRanks) 

Case in point: Everything Sweetgreen touched has melted. The “healthy fries” experiment lasted five months, portion sizes were bumped 25% and still couldn’t get any action… oh, and their AI-kitchen subsidiary Spyce (read: once the big tech hope) got sold off for $186 million just to scrape together liquidity. Additionally, adjusted  EBITDA flipped from +$6.8 million to –$4.4 million. Ooof.

Of course, the company blamed weaker spending among 25- to 35-year-olds… a.k.a. Their entire brand identity, which fell 15%. It turns out people who can’t afford housing also can’t afford $17 arugula. Who knew. They also called out rising protein and packaging costs, as if that’s what’s killing them. It’s not. What’s killing them is vibe inflation. Sweetgreen sells virtue. Virtue doesn’t scale when everyone’s eating gas-station burritos on the way to their second job just to keep food on the table.

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Meanwhile, Chipotle and Cava are at least pretending to grow. McDonald’s is running record traffic. And Sweetgreen’s biggest strategic move is doubling down on “personalized digital experiences.” Translation: The company built on guilt is now choking on its own margins. Because right now, in this economic climate… if it’s bougie food, we don’t want it. Of course, there is some hope on the horizon. Should Americans even get a sniff of Trump’s dividends… Sweetgreen could benefit. But until then, Sweetgreen is forced to be another example of how dead the wellness economy is right now. Meaning, keep your eyes on this story and place your bets accordingly, friends. Until next time… 

At the time of publishing, Stocks.News holds positions in McDonalds as mentioned in the article.