Sweetgreen in University City closed for renovations on Jan. 4, reopening with new decor, new menu options and a revamped seating area that have encouraged customers, old and new, to frequent the restaurant this semester.
The main change noticed by customers following the renovations is greater seating space.
Some students said the arrangement of the new seating contributes to a more community-like atmosphere.
“There are more seats and they are arranged now in little alcoves, which is cute,” Wharton freshman Jessica Le said.
Students also noted that the renovations have allowed Sweetgreen to improve its service to its customers. Engineering junior Ankit Das said that the increased seating capacity allowed for changed the formation of the checkout line.
“It’s no longer a straight line, which is more intuitive,” Das said. “It now curves from the ordering station to the wall and then back out the door.”
Many noted that the restaurant changed its image considerably, with a more minimalist interior aesthetic and brighter colors that many students said improve the ambience.
“Before it was like any old place,” Wharton freshman Jessica Nguyen said. “It now seems more inviting and very urban.”
College junior Malia Mandl said that Sweetgreen also better facilitates the process of picking up food ordered online. To the left of the seating area are rows of shelves on which salads and bowls that are ordered online can be picked up at a time of the customer’s convenience.
“The area to pick up the food you’ve ordered is more spacious. And it’s nicer, because a lot of people order online,” Mandl said.
As part of the renovations, Sweetgreen also added outlets underneath tables, allowing customers to use computers or charge their phones while dining. This subtler change went unnoticed by many, and despite the potential for longer stays to get work done with the new outlets, students said this change would not encourage them to consider Sweetgreen as a potential new study spot.
“I personally wouldn’t study there because when it’s rush hour, there’s so many people and it’s loud and cramped,” Le said.
Students felt that the atmosphere at Sweetgreen was more social and therefore not conducive to studying.
“I feel like it’s too poppin’,” Wharton freshman Nicole Vaiani said.
However, it’s the revamped social atmosphere at Sweetgreen that many said will ensure that it remains a popular restaurant on campus.
“Sweetgreen is getting better and better and is definitely going to be sucking my wallet dry,” Le said.
Sweetgreen has not yet responded to requests for comment.
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