Sweetgreen Salad Chain Coming to Harvard Square

Sweetgreen, an east coast-based salad chain, plans to open a new location this summer in Harvard Square.

The company, which specializes in salads based on local and organic ingredients, was founded in 2007 and boasts locations throughout the east coast and California, including three in the Boston area. This will be the company’s first Cambridge restaurant.

Sweetgreen Spokesperson Amy Clark wrote in an email that the company is still planning the new eatery in preparation for an opening towards the end of the summer.

Sweetgreen will occupy the building at 39 JFK St., which formerly housed an American Express, and was recently bought by Hong Kong billionaire and Harvard donor Gerald Chan.

Sweetgreen’s permit application was unanimously approved the Harvard Square Advisory Committee, which reviews applications for permits within Harvard Square, on Feb. 22. In the application, the restaurant was listed as having seating for 36 customers at a size of around 4,000 square feet.

Many Harvard Square restaurant staples have closed over the past year, including Yogurtland, Panera Bread, and Yenching, and students said they were excited to hear about Sweetgreen’s planned opening.

Jenny Li ’19 said Sweetgreen is quite popular in Washington D.C., where she and Sweetgreen are both originally from. She said she’s a fan of Sweetgreen because of the chain’s commitment to sustainability and “yummy” salads.

“Before I got on campus, I actually looked up where the closest Sweetgreen from Harvard was, so I could satisfy my craving here in college,” Li said.

Upon arriving in Cambridge, Li was disappointed to find out the nearest Sweetgreen was more than two miles away.

Erin E. Masatsugu ’17 said she was “stoked” to hear about Sweetgreen’s plans to come to Cambridge, and said she felt a salad chain is a much needed option in the Square.

“I love Sweetgreen and it'll be nice to have a place to get good, fast salads, and bowls, and fresh produce and stuff which I think a lot of students are into but the Square lacks currently,” Masatsugu said.

Other students echoed Masatsugu, and credited Sweetgreen for an astute business move.

“There's really no other restaurants dedicated to salad,” said Lola G. Agabalogun ’17. “I think Harvard Square is the perfect market for Sweetgreen to enter.”

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