Sweetgreen Debuts 2-Tier Loyalty Program That Challenges Customers

What's better than a Sweetgreen salad? A free Sweetgreen salad. And salads on the house are exactly what customers may be able to get as part of the chain's new two-tier loyalty program that debuted today. Called "Rewards + Challenges," the program challenges customers to buy specific products, spend a set amount of money, or buy items at a certain frequency to receive rewards. In order to get started, customers need to sign up for a Sweetgreen account through the app or on the website.

The program is available at two different loyalty levels. The free version, called Sweetpass, grants you access to rewards, challenges, a birthday gift, merchandise drops, and Sweetpass exclusives, which are menu items that are only accessible through the app or website. However, true Sweetgreen devotees can sign up for the Sweetpass+ program. For $10 per month, you'll get all the perks of the base loyalty program in addition to $0 delivery fees, a daily $3 off any order greater than $9.95, and a donation of half your first membership fee to a carbon reduction organization that you can help pick. You'll also get access to Sweetgreen's customer service team and become part of the Sweetgreen Insiders club, in which the company may ask your opinions to help it "shape the future of food," Sweetgreen says.

Sweetgreen began testing Sweetpass as early as January 2022, although its first-ever loyalty program was introduced over five years ago. The original version gave customers $9 back in store credit for every $99 they spent. But as Daniel Shlossman, senior vice president of digital and growth, told Forbes, "We sunsetted that program because it was more of a one-size-fits-all approach. We want to iterate our loyalty program to better understand what customers want and what the future of loyalty looks like." After trying out the new subscriptions, the chain found that customers wanted rewards in the form of discounts and lifestyle perks that brought them closer to the company. With only a $10 monthly fee, Shlossman told Forbes he believes the programs will appeal to new and current customers alike.

Sweetgreen is also emphasizing promoting a healthy lifestyle as part of the new membership plans, in line with the organization's mission, "Building healthier communities by connecting people to real food." Merchandise will be released through an online store called "The Market," which program members will get access to before the rest of the world. And the brand plans to expand on its history of partnering with celebrities for limited edition menu items, and social media influencers to promote the new loyalty programs. Given that Sweetgreen sells "food that is healthy, that is naturally habitual," as CEO Jonathan Neman said on a recent earnings call, the brand is confident the subscriptions will be successful.