From our friends at sweetgreen...
sweetgreen to Open 20th DMV-Area Location in Navy Yard, Near Yards Park on Thursday, June 19th
Guests “Pay What You Want” on Wednesday, June 18th, from 11am to 4pm... with 100% of Proceeds Benefitting FRESHFARM Markets
sweetgreen, the collection of much-loved, organic, farm-to-table kitchens with 26 locations along the East Coast, will open its twentieth DMV-area location in Navy Yard on Thursday, June 19th. To celebrate the opening, sweetgreen will soft-open on Wednesday, June 18th, inviting guests to "Pay What You Want" from 11am to 4pm with 100% of proceeds benefitting FRESHFARM Markets. The new sweetgreen will be located at 1212 4th Street SE in The Yards, just blocks from Nationals baseball stadium and surrounded by top restaurants, retailers, and the riverfront Yards Park. Located in a new mixed-use apartment building, the space features an open kitchen and two large pieces of slate surrounded by a white oak wall to showcase local purveyors, as well as generous seating inside and patio dining among herb-filled planters available seasonally. On Thursday, sweetgreen will begin normal hours, 10:30 AM to 10 PM daily.
Proceeds from Wednesday’s “Pay What You Want" will benefit FRESHFARM Markets, a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to build and strengthen the local, sustainable food movement in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. They achieve this by operating producer-only farmers markets that provide vital economic opportunities for local farmers and artisanal producers and through innovative outreach programs that educate the public about food and related environmental issues - a vision that aligns with that of the sweetgreen in schools initiative, founded in 2010. Through this program, sweetgreen has focused its philanthropic efforts on healthy eating in schools, introducing kids to the benefits of nutritious eating and teaching them the larger impact of the food choices they make.
Set in the recently opened Twelve12 complex in The Yards development, sweetgreen will be within walking distance of Nationals baseball stadium, Nationals Park, and surrounded by top neighborhood destinations like Bluejacket Brewery, BUZZ Bakery, Harris Teeter, as well as the riverfront Yards Park and Riverwalk Trail and the future home of VIDA Fitness. Developed by real estate company Forest City Washington, The Yards is a 42-acre urban, mixed-use waterfront project located between Nationals Park and the Washington Navy Yard. At completion, The Yards will include 2,800 residential units, 1.8 million square feet of office space, and up to 400,000 square feet of retail and dining space, as well as the already completed five-and-a-half acre riverfront public park. The multi-phased project is expected to total 25-30 buildings.
“We are thrilled to open sweetgreen in the Capitol Riverfront district, a historic neighborhood that has seen tremendous change, and we’re proud to take part in the growth of this vibrant community” said co-founders Nicolas Jammet, Jonathan Neman and Nathaniel Ru. “With its exciting residential, business, retail and dining scene, The Yards is the ideal next home for sweetgreen.”
sweetgreen prides itself on scratch cooking (made on location, not from a commissary), using ingredients from local farms. The menu includes eight signature salads, such as Guacamole Greens, Spicy Sabzi, and Kale Caesar, and guests can also design their own with ingredients of their choosing. For those looking for a heartier meal, grain bowls featuring quinoa, farro, and wild rice are a perfect option. The featured June seasonal for the D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Philadelphia sweetgreen locations includes organic mesclun and shredded kale with local roasted vegetables (asparagus, yellow squash, and zucchini), roasted chicken, fresh organic basil, carrots, parmesan crisp, and topped with house-made pesto vinaigrette. Summer menu offerings such as Gazpacho (classic or topped with avocado or seasonal fruit) and blueberry basil lemonade are also available starting this month.
Ever since opening, sweetgreen has been dedicated to working with and sourcing its ingredients from local farmers and purveyors. Each store features a chalkboard “Local List” showcasing the nearby farms and ingredients featured on the menu. The opening menu at sweetgreen Navy Yard will include kale from Parker Farms (VA); asparagus from Godfrey’s Farm (MD); strawberries from Shlagel Farms (MD), and bread from Bakery de France (MD). A wall made of reclaimed white oak cladding reminiscent of farmhouses surrounds a raw slate board highlighting the hand-written local list.
The 1,813-square-foot space features an open kitchen to showcase sweetgreen’s in-house preparation of fresh ingredients, beverages, and dressings, as well as a dedicated online ordering station at a central island to expedite take-out during rush hours. Custom L-shaped banquettes, a window bench, and a communal table seat 30 inside, and a 22-seat patio provides al fresco dining among umbrellas and herb-filled planters.
Like its predecessors, sweetgreen’s new home will be beautifully designed using green practices to minimize its environmental footprint. The new store will be open, modern, and clean featuring By using compostable packaging, design details and furniture made from reclaimed materials, LED light fixtures, and wind energy offset credits to power the stores, sweetgreen continually aims to raise the bar in sustainable business practices.
Committed to its community, sweetgreen recently announced its partnership with FoodCorps, a national organization that connects children in underserved communities to real food. As sweetgreen’s official charity partner, FoodCorps receives 1% of all qualifying purchases made with the sweetgreen rewards app, as well as a portion of proceeds from the annual sweetlife music + food festival. Additionally, FoodCorps will be helping expand sweetgreen in schools, by connecting sweetgreen to local partners like The Food Project.
sweetgreen also launched sweetgreen passport to connect guests with free fitness classes in their community. sweetgreen passport members have exclusive access to everything from yoga to spinning to running workshops, made possible with like-minded partners such as VIDA Fitness and DC Dragon Boat Club. Click here for a list of upcoming classes.
About sweetgreen:
Founded in 2007 by Georgetown University graduates Nicolas Jammet, Jonathan Neman, and Nathaniel Ru, sweetgreen has become a favorite not only for its delicious and healthy food, but also for its commitment to local farmers, the community, sustainability, and outstanding company culture. sweetgreen was born from the belief that the community would benefit from a healthy, delicious, and eco-friendly dining option. The founders passionately believed it was possible to create “food that fits” - your values, your budget, your tastes, your imagination, and your community. They believe that food can be both healthy and delicious, high-quality and affordable; that experiences can be both meaningful and fun, hip, and wholesome; and that business practices can combine style and substance while being mutually beneficial to the company and community they serve. The founders opened the first location in Georgetown in August 2007 - just three months out of college. The shop quickly grew a cult-like following and, over the next seven years, the threesome went on to open 26 additional locations throughout Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia. sweetgreen’s next NYC location will open in Williamsburg this fall, followed by the first West Coast locale in L.A. in 2015. Committed to its community, sweetgreen recently announced its partnership with FoodCorps, a national organization that connects children in underserved communities to real food.
