Sweetgreen has named Chris Carr the fast-casual salad brand’s chief operations officer, the company announced Wednesday. Carr most recently served as executive vice president and chief procurement officer at Starbucks, where he worked for over 12 years.
At Starbucks, Carr was responsible for strategic planning, annual operations, market planning and sales for 6,500 licensed stores.
“Chris’ values and leadership skills will make for an exceptional addition to the Sweetgreen team,” said co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman in a company release. “With his experience in delivering sustainable growth in retail and supply chain, we’re looking forward to Chris furthering his impact on the future of real food and amplifying our growth ahead.”
And Sweetgreen already has those supply chain elements in the works.
In September 2019, the company invested $150 million in technology to expand its outpost locations and add native delivery. At the time, Neman said in a statement, “We’re building a new type of food company and a sustainable supply chain to challenge how we think about real food, explore innovative new retail formats, and elevate the consumer experience.”
“Joining a brand like Sweetgreen, who over the past 13 years has changed the food landscape, is an honor,” said Chris Carr, left, in a company release. “I’m thrilled to join the Sweetgreen family at such a pivotal time in the company’s trajectory.”
The Los Angeles-based chain recently returned its $10 million loan from the Paycheck Protection Program after finding out that they were approved while “so many small businesses and friends in the industry who needed it most did not receive any funds,” said Neman and his co-founders Nathaniel Ru and Nicolas Jammet in a Medium post on April 22.
Sweetgreen has over 97 company stores. The brand has not released information on furloughs, store closures or sales relating to the coronavirus pandemic.
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