While nearly everything gets more expensive, Sweetgreen CEO defends $16 salads, imploring customers to think about the long-term cost of their health

Sweetgreen CEO Jonathan Neman (Credit: Getty Images—Michael Nagle/Bloomberg)

• Sweetgreen is undoubtedly one of the healthier fast-food options in the U.S., but it’s also one of the most expensive. Salads cost about $16 on average, but the company’s CEO encourages customers to think beyond today’s price of a meal and instead consider the long-term impacts of what you eat.

Consumer confidence is plummeting—and for good reason. Since 2020, prices on goods have jumped more than 23%, and there’s fear surrounding President Donald Trump’s new tariff policies as well as inflation.