Sweetgreen (NYSE: SG), the mission-driven restaurant brand serving healthy food at scale, today announced its new Head Coach Incentive Plan, a redesigned compensation model that rewards restaurant managers for tenure, restaurant scale, and performance. Through the plan, top-performing Head Coaches with three or more years of tenure who lead the highest-volume restaurants can earn over $200,000 in total compensation through a higher base salary, a new revenue-share bonus based on sales upside and equity in the company.

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The Head Coach Incentive Plan is part of sweetgreen’s broader commitment to investing in restaurant teams’ careers, not just jobs. In tandem, the company is rebuilding training, accelerating leadership development, creating paths from restaurants into Support Center roles, and introducing annual merit increases for eligible Team Members. These updates all reflect a simple idea: the longer someone grows with sweetgreen and the stronger their restaurant performs, the more they should earn. The Head Coach Incentive Plan takes effect in the first quarter of fiscal 2027.

“The restaurant industry has always been one of the great engines of opportunity, and we want to make that real for thousands of people,” said Jonathan Neman, Co-Founder and CEO of sweetgreen. “At sweetgreen, a Team Member can grow into a Head Coach running a multimillion-dollar business, earning a six-figure income and owning equity in a public company. Great leaders build great teams, and great teams build a great business. As we approach 300 restaurants, we’re betting big on our Head Coaches.”

The Head Coach Incentive Plan

The plan recognizes three distinct elements: the size of the restaurant a Head Coach runs, how much it grows and how long they’ve been with sweetgreen. The result is pay that moves with performance: the more a Head Coach grows their restaurant, the more they can earn. Top-performing Head Coaches with three or more years of tenure leading sweetgreen’s highest-volume restaurants can earn over $200,000 in total compensation through:

  • Higher base pay for bigger restaurants. Top-performing Head Coaches will move into higher salary tiers as their restaurant volume increases.
  • A share of the upside. The new revenue-share bonus directly rewards Head Coaches when their restaurant outperforms its sales goals, giving them a financial stake in the growth they contribute to that increases with tenure.
  • Ownership. Head Coaches are eligible for equity based on performance, giving them a direct stake in the company’s growth.

The Head Coach Restaurateur Program

Restaurateurs are top Head Coaches, nominated by Regional General Managers and interviewed by sweetgreen’s CEO and COO. They get custom training and year-round mentorship from senior leaders, and earn a higher base salary and a $10,000 bonus for every Team Member they develop into a Head Coach, with no cap.

“We want our Head Coaches to think and act like owners, building strong teams, delivering great restaurant hospitality, earning customer loyalty and growing a profitable business,” said Jason Cochran, Chief Operating Officer of sweetgreen. “By tying their compensation directly to performance, we give them a real stake in the results they drive. We believe this creates a compelling reason for great leaders to join sweetgreen, stay with us and drive performance. It also gives our Team Members something meaningful to work toward as they develop into future Head Coaches.”

The Head Coach Incentive Plan together with the Restaurateur Program builds on a year of investment in sweetgreen’s restaurants, from a focus on the One Best Way operating model, to faster service at its busiest locations and an investment in training for every Team Member. It all adds up to more great leaders in sweetgreen restaurants and kitchens and a better experience for every customer who walks through the door.

About sweetgreen

Sweetgreen (NYSE: SG) believes good taste starts long before the first bite. Since 2007, the brand has been on a mission to create healthy communities by connecting people to real food. Its longstanding relationships with farmers bring seasonal ingredients to its kitchens, where teams cook from scratch every day. The result is a fresh, flavorful approach to fast casual that makes eating well something to look forward to. Today, sweetgreen offers its farm-sourced, chef-crafted menus at 289 locations across the country. To learn more about sweetgreen, its menu, and its loyalty program, visit www.sweetgreen.com. Follow @sweetgreen on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X.

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