Sweetgreen, Inc.
For the period ended Sep 28, 2025. Filed Nov 7, 2025.
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Sep 28, 2025 · Filed Nov 7, 2025
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Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
SWEETGREEN, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
- DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Sweetgreen, Inc., a Delaware corporation, together with its wholly owned subsidiaries (the “Company”), is a mission-driven, next generation restaurant and lifestyle brand that serves healthy food at scale. The Company’s bold vision is to be as ubiquitous as traditional fast food, but with the transparency and quality that consumers increasingly expect. As of September 28, 2025, the Company owned and operated 266 restaurants in 23 states and Washington, D.C. During the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025, the Company had 6 and 20 Net New Restaurant Openings, respectively.
The Company was founded in November 2006 and incorporated in the state of Delaware in October 2009 and currently is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The Company’s operations are conducted asone operating segment andone reportable segment. Additional details on the nature of the Company’s business and their reportable operating segment is included in Note 15, “Reportable Segment”.
The Company has prepared the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial statements and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments consisting of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position and results of operations. Interim results of operations are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full year. The financial statements and related notes do not include all information and footnotes required by GAAP for annual reports and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2024.
Principles of Consolidation—The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Fiscal Year—The Company’s fiscal year is a 52- or 53-week period that ends on the Sunday closest to the last day of December. Fiscal year 2025 is a 52-week period that ends December 28, 2025 and fiscal year 2024 was a 52-week period that ended December 29, 2024. In a 52-week fiscal year, each quarter includes 13 weeks of operations. In a 53-week fiscal year, the first, second and third quarters each include 13 weeks of operations, and the fourth quarter includes 14 weeks of operations.
Management’s Use of Estimates—The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company in accordance with GAAP and the rules and regulations of the SEC. The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant accounting estimates made by the Company include the income tax valuation allowance, impairment of long-lived assets and right-of-use assets, legal liabilities, valuation of the contingent consideration liability, lease accounting matters, and stock-based compensation. These estimates are based on information available as of the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements; therefore, actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents—The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents. Amounts receivable from credit card processors are converted to cash shortly after the related sales transaction and are considered to be cash equivalents because they are both short-term and highly liquid in nature. Amounts receivable from sales transactions as of September 28, 2025 and December 29, 2024, were $5.0 million and $2.3 million, respectively.
Restricted Cash—The Company’s restricted cash balance relates to certificates of deposit that are collateral for letters of credit to lease agreements entered into by the Company and letters of credit associated with the Company’s workers’ compensation insurance policy.
The reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash presented in the Company’s accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets to the total amount shown in its condensed consolidated statements of cash flows is as follows:
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | As of September 28,2025 | As of December 29,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash: | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $129,972 | $214,789 |
| Restricted cash, noncurrent | 4,135 | 2,640 |
| Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash shown on statement of cash flows | $134,107 | $217,429 |
Approximately $4.1 million of the restricted cash balance as of September 28, 2025 was associated with letters of credit required by the Company’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. The remaining balance was associated with letters of credit from lease agreements.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted— In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures.” The ASU includes amendments requiring enhanced income tax disclosures, primarily related to standardization and disaggregation of rate reconciliation categories and income taxes paid by jurisdiction. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted, and should be applied either prospectively or retrospectively. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this ASU on its disclosures.
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU No. 2024-03, "Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (Subtopic 220-40)." The ASU requires public entities to disaggregate, in a tabular presentation, certain income statement expenses into different categories, such as purchases of inventory, employee compensation, depreciation, and intangible asset amortization. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, with early adoption permitted, and may be applied retrospectively. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this ASU on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In September 2025, the FASB issued ASU 2025-06, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Internal-Use Software, which modernizes the accounting for internal-use software costs by removing all references to prescriptive and sequential software development stages. The new standard requires entities to consider whether significant development uncertainty has been resolved before starting to capitalize software costs and aligns disclosure requirements with ASC 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment. The guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027, and may be applied prospectively, retrospectively, or using a modified transition method, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impacts of adopting this ASU on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
The Company reviewed all other recently issued accounting pronouncements and concluded that they were either not applicable or not expected to have a significant impact to the condensed consolidated financial statements.
- REVENUE RECOGNITION
The following table presents the Company’s revenue for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024 disaggregated by significant revenue channel:
| Thirteen weeks ended | Thirty-nine weeks ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 |
| Owned Digital Channels | $60,805 | $50,561 | $175,842 | $158,727 |
| In-Store Channel (Non-Digital component) | 65,923 | 77,861 | 205,452 | 224,540 |
| Marketplace Channel | 45,665 | 45,009 | 142,986 | 132,655 |
| Total Revenue | $172,393 | $173,431 | $524,280 | $515,922 |
Gift Cards and SG Rewards
During the second quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company launched its new SG Rewards loyalty program nationwide. SG Rewards is the Company’s loyalty program through which customers can earn 10 loyalty points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases made through the mobile app or by using digital scan-to-earn and scan-to-redeem in-store. These loyalty points can be redeemed for free or discounted menu items in future transactions. All customers with a digital account are automatically enrolled in this free program. Points expire 180 days after they are issued to a customer’s account.
The Company records a liability and a corresponding reduction in revenue in periods when loyalty program rewards are earned by members. The Company recognizes revenue and a corresponding reduction to the liability in periods when loyalty program rewards are redeemed by members. The Company defers revenue based on the relative estimated standalone selling price of the loyalty points, which is estimated as the value of the loyalty reward, net of loyalty related purchases not expected to be redeemed. The Company estimates loyalty purchases not expected to be redeemed based on industry data and historical customer trends.
Gift card liability and loyalty liability within the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets was as follows:
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | As of September 28,2025 | As of December 29,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Gift Card Liability | $5,324 | $4,385 |
| Loyalty Liability | $2,540 | $— |
Revenue recognized from the redemption of gift cards and loyalty liability that was included in gift card and loyalty liability at the beginning of the year was as follows:
| Thirteen weeks ended | Thirty-nine weeks ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 |
| Revenue recognized from gift card liability balance at the beginning of the year | $73 | $64 | $623 | $700 |
| Revenue recognized from loyalty liability balance at the beginning of the year | $— | $— | $— | $— |
- FAIR VALUE
The following tables present information about the Company’s financial liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
| Fair Value Measurements as of September 28, 2025 | Fair Value Measurements as of December 29, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | |
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | ||||||||
| Contingent consideration | 5,908 | — | — | 5,908 | 14,974 | — | — | 14,974 |
The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined based on significant inputs not observable in the market.
In connection with the Company’s acquisition of Spyce on September 7, 2021, the former equity holders of Spyce may receive up to $20 million (in the form of up to 714,285 additional shares of Class A common stock, calculated based on the initial offering price of the Company’s Class A common stock of $28.00 per share sold in the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”) (the “Reference Price”)), contingent on the achievement of certain performance milestones between the closing date of the acquisition and June 30, 2026.
Additionally, as of the date of the achievement of any of thethree milestones, if the Volume-Weighted Average Price of the Company’s Class A common stock as of such milestone achievement date (“VWAP Price”) is less than the Reference Price, then the Company shall pay to each former equity holder of Spyce, in respect of each share of Class A common stock issued to such holder upon the achievement of such milestone, an amount in cash equal to the delta between the Reference Price and the VWAP Price. The contingent consideration payable upon the achievement of the three milestones, was valued using the Monte Carlo method. The analysis considered, among other items, the equity value, the contractual terms of the Spyce merger agreement, potential liquidity event scenarios (prior to the IPO), the Company’s credit-adjusted discount rate, equity volatility, risk-free rate, and the probability that milestone targets required for issuance of shares under the contingent consideration will be achieved. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, the first milestone was achieved, which resulted in former equity holders of Spyce being eligible to receive $6.0 million, which was paid during thethirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2024. Of this $6.0 million, based on a VWAP Price of $10.20, $2.1 million was issued in the form of Class A common stock, and $3.9 million was paid in cash to the former Spyce equity holders. During the second quarter of fiscal 2025, the second milestone was achieved, which resulted in the former equity holders of Spyce being eligible to receive $7.0 million and which was paid during thethirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025. Of this $7.0 million, based on a VWAP Price of $19.40, $4.7 million was issued in the form of Class A common stock, and $2.3 million was paid in cash to the former Spyce Equity holders.
The initial fair value of the contingent consideration at the acquisition date was$16.4 million. Since the acquisition date, the cumulative payments related to the contingent consideration were$23.4 million as of September 28, 2025, of which$6.8 million was issued in the form of Class A common stock and$16.6 million was issued in cash. Payments up to the initial fair value of the contingent consideration were included within financing activities within the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows if made in cash, or within non-cash financing activities if made in shares. The second milestone payment, as detailed above, increased the cumulative payments related to the contingent consideration liability above the initial fair value; as such, the cash component of the second milestone payment was included within operating activities within the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows duringthe thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025. Any future cash payments would be recognized within operating activities in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.
The fair value of the liability as of September 28, 2025 was $5.9 million, which was included inother current liabilities within the condensed consolidated balance sheets, as we expect to make the third and final milestone payment within one year from September 28, 2025. The contingent consideration as of December 29, 2024 was$15.0 million of which$9.7 million was included in other current liabilities and$5.3 million was included in contingent consideration liability within the consolidated balance sheets.
The following table provides a roll forward of the aggregate fair values of the Company’s contingent consideration, for which fair value is determined using Level 3 inputs.
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | Contingent Consideration |
|---|---|
| Balance—December 29, 2024 | $14,974 |
| Milestone payment | (7,000) |
| Change in fair value | (2,066) |
| Balance—September 28, 2025 | $5,908 |
The following non-financial instruments were measured at fair value, on a nonrecurring basis, as of and for thethirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024, reflecting certain property and equipment and operating leases for which an impairment loss was recognized during the corresponding periods within impairment and closure costs within the condensed consolidated statements of operations. For the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of$4.3 million associated with four store locations, which was recorded in impairment and closure costs within the condensed consolidated statements of operations. This entire$4.3 million impairment charge was related to property and equipment. For thethirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of$9.6 million associated with nine store locations, two of which were subsequently closed during July 2025, which was recorded in impairment and closure costs within the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Of the$9.6 million total non-cash impairment,$8.0 million was related to property and equipment, and$1.6 million was related to operating lease assets. During thethirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2024, the Company did not record any impairment charges.
| Fair Value Measurements as of Measurement Date · Thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025 · Thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total · Level 1 · Level 2 · Level 3 · Impairment Losses | ||||||
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | ||||||
| Property and equipment, net | — | — | — | — | 4,311 | 7,996 |
| Operating lease assets(1) | 2,697 | — | — | 2,697 | — | 1,594 |
(1) Pertains to certain operating lease assets for which an impairment loss of $1.6 million was recognized during the thirteen weeks ended June 28, 2025. To determine the fair value, the Company estimated the market rental values through the end of each lease and discounted such cash flows using a property specific discount rate of approximately 7.5% -9.5%.
The fair value of these assets represents a Level 3 fair value measurement. Unobservable inputs include the discount rate, projected restaurant revenues and expenses, and sublease income if the Company is closing the restaurant.
- PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET
Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the lease term or estimated useful life. A summary of property and equipment is as follows:
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | As of September 28,2025 | As of December 29,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Leasehold improvements | $326,919 | $303,035 |
| Kitchen equipment | 126,840 | 107,475 |
| Computers and other equipment | 48,036 | 44,295 |
| Furniture and fixtures | 47,153 | 43,045 |
| Assets not yet placed in service | 53,708 | 38,047 |
| Total property and equipment | 602,656 | 535,897 |
| Less: accumulated depreciation | (281,220) | (239,412) |
| Property and equipment, net | $321,436 | $296,485 |
Depreciation expense for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024 was $15.5 million and $14.1 million, respectively.
Depreciation expense for thethirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024 was $45.2 million and $41.8 million, respectively.
As of September 28, 2025, the Company had 23 facilities under construction due to open during fiscal years 2025 and 2026. As of December 29, 2024, the Company had 9 facilities under construction,8 of which opened in fiscal year 2025 to date. Depreciation commences after a store opens and the related assets are placed in service.
For the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $4.3 million and$8.0 million, respectively, related to property and equipment within impairment and closure costs, within the condensed consolidated statements of operations. The Company did not record any impairment charges for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2024.
- GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET
During the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025, there were no changes in the carrying amount of goodwill of $36.0 million.
The following table presents the Company’s intangible assets, net balances:
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | As of September 28,2025 | As of December 29,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Internal use software | $51,709 | $45,933 |
| Developed technology | 20,050 | 20,050 |
| Total intangible assets | 71,759 | 65,983 |
| Accumulated amortization | (50,165) | (41,943) |
| Intangible assets, net | $21,594 | $24,040 |
Developed technology intangible assets were recognized in conjunction with the Company’s acquisition of Spyce on September 7, 2021. The estimated useful life of developed technology isfive years.
Amortization expense for intangible assets was $2.8 million for both the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024.
Amortization expense for intangible assets was $8.2 million and $8.3 million for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024, respectively.
Estimated future amortization of internal use software and developed technology is as follows:
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,738 |
| 2026 | 9,589 |
| 2027 | 7,244 |
| 2028 | 2,023 |
| Total | $21,594 |
- ACCRUED EXPENSES
Accrued expenses consist of the following:
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | As of September 28,2025 | As of December 29,2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed asset accrual | 9,634 | 5,983 |
| Accrued general and sales tax | $6,416 | $4,625 |
| Accrued settlements and legal fees | 1,369 | 3,529 |
| Rent deferrals and accrued rent | 1,312 | 1,220 |
| Accrued delivery fee | 1,085 | 970 |
| Other accrued expenses | 13,440 | 10,237 |
| Total accrued expenses | $33,256 | $26,564 |
- DEBT
Credit Facility—During fiscal year 2024, the Company was party to a First Amended and Restated Revolving Credit, Delayed Draw Term Loan and Security Agreement (as amended, the “Credit Facility”) with EagleBank. The Credit Facility allowed the Company to borrow up to $45.0 million in the aggregate principal amount under a revolving facility, including the issuance of letters of credit up to $3.5 million. The Company did not renew the Credit Facility in 2024 and it expired pursuant to its terms on December 13, 2024.
- LEASES
The Company leases restaurants and corporate office space under various non-cancelable lease agreements that expire on various dates through 2038. Lease terms for restaurants generally include a base term of 10 years, with options to extend these leases for additional periods of 5 to 15 years.
The components of lease cost for thethirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024 were as follows:
| Thirteen weeks ended · Thirty-nine weeks ended | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | Classification | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 |
| Operating lease cost | Occupancy and related expenseGeneral and administrative expensePre-opening costs | $14,840 | $13,092 | $42,870 | $38,240 |
| Variable lease cost | Occupancy and related expenseGeneral and administrative expense | 3,454 | 3,204 | 10,207 | 9,480 |
| Short term lease cost | Occupancy and related expenseGeneral and administrative expense | 148 | 232 | 362 | 462 |
| Total lease cost | $18,442 | $16,528 | $53,439 | $48,182 | |
As of September 28, 2025, future minimum lease payments for operating leases consisted of the following:
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $9,840 |
| 2026 | 69,138 |
| 2027 | 67,237 |
| 2028 | 61,483 |
| 2029 | 59,752 |
| Thereafter | 197,188 |
| Total | $464,638 |
| Less: imputed interest | 108,230 |
| Total lease liabilities | $356,408 |
As of September 28, 2025 and December 29, 2024 the Company had additional operating lease commitments of $13.9 million and $27.5 million, respectively, for non-cancelable leases that have not yet commenced, which the Company anticipates will commence in the near future. The nature of such lease commitments is consistent with the nature of the leases that the Company has executed thus far.
A summary of lease terms and discount rates for operating leases as of September 28, 2025 and December 29, 2024 is as follows:
| September 28,2025 | December 29,2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted average remaining lease term (years): | ||
| Operating Leases | 7.29 | 7.32 |
| Weighted average discount rate: | ||
| Operating Leases | 6.86% | 6.75% |
During the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge related to operating lease assets of$1.6 million, which is recorded in impairment and closure costs within the condensed consolidated financial statements.
Supplemental cash flow information related to leases for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024:
| September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: | ||
| Operating cash flows from operating leases, net of lease incentives | $48,735 | $32,138 |
| Right of use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations: | ||
| Operating leases | $57,869 | $28,455 |
| Derecognition of operating lease assets due to termination or impairment | $1,594 | $— |
- COMMON STOCK
As of September 28, 2025 and December 29, 2024, the Company had reserved shares of common stock for issuance in conn ection with the following:
| As of September 28,2025 | As of December 29,2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Options outstanding under the 2009 Stock Plan, 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, Spyce Food Co. 2016 Stock Option Plan and Grant Plan and 2021 Equity Incentive Plan | 14,035,191 | 13,169,869 |
| Shares reserved for achievement of Spyce milestones | 250,000 | 500,000 |
| Shares reserved for employee stock purchase plan | 4,111,331 | 4,111,331 |
| RSUs and PSUs outstanding under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan and 2021 Equity Incentive Plan | 5,063,811 | 5,410,024 |
| Shares available for future issuance under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan | 6,993,044 | 8,516,216 |
| Total reserved shares of common stock | 30,453,377 | 31,707,440 |
- STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
2021 Equity Incentive Plan
During the fiscal year ended December 26, 2021, the Company adopted the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), which allows for issuance of stock options (including incentive stock options and non-qualified stock options), restricted stock units (“RSUs”), including performance-based awards, and other types of awards. The maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2021 Plan is 35,166,753, which is the sum of (i)11,500,000 new shares, plus (ii) an additional number of shares consisting of (a) shares that were available for the issuance of awards under any prior equity incentive plans in place (which shall include the Prior Stock Plans (as defined below)) prior to the time the Company’s 2021 Plan became effective and (b) any shares of the Company’s common stock subject to outstanding stock options or other stock awards granted under the Prior Stock Plans that on or after the Company’s 2021 Plan became effective, terminate or expire prior to the exercise or settlement; are not issued because the award is settled in cash; are forfeited because of the failure to vest; or are reacquired or withheld (or not issued) to satisfy a tax withholding obligation or the purchase or exercise price. Options granted during, or prior to, the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 generally have vesting terms between twelve months andfour years and have a contractual life of 10 years.
The Company issues shares of Class A common stock upon the vesting and settlement of RSUs and upon the exercises of stock options under the 2021 Plan. The 2021 Plan is administered by the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), or a duly authorized committee of the Board. Options granted to members of the Board generally vest immediately.
2009 Stock Plan and 2019 Equity Incentive Plan
Prior to the Company’s IPO, the Company granted stock options, RSUs and performance-based restricted stock awards (“PSUs”) to its employees, as well as non-employees (including directors and others who provide substantial services to the Company) under the Company’s 2009 Stock Plan and 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (collectively, the “Prior Stock Plans”). Under the Prior Stock Plans, the Company was permitted to grant incentive stock options to the Company’s employees and non-qualified stock options to the Company’s employees and non-employees, as well as stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards,
RSUs (including PSUs), and other forms of stock awards to the Company’s employees, directors and consultants and any of the Company’s affiliated employees and consultants.
Options granted in the fiscal year ended December 26, 2021 and prior generally have vesting terms betweenone year andfour years and have a contractual life of 10 years. No further stock awards will be granted under the Prior Stock Plans now that the 2021 Plan is effective; however, awards outstanding under the Prior Stock Plans continue to be governed by their existing terms.
Spyce Acquisition
In conjunction with the Company’s acquisition of Spyce in September 2021, the Company issued shares of restricted stock that were issued to certain Spyce employees. As the value is fixed, the grant date fair value of these shares represents the fair value of the shares on the acquisition date.
2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
In conjunction with the IPO, the Board adopted, and the Company’s stockholders approved, the Company’s 2021 employee stock purchase plan (the “ESPP”). The Company’s ESPP authorizes the issuance of 3,000,000 shares of common stock under purchase rights granted to the Company’s employees or to the employees of any of its designated affiliates. The number of shares of the Company’s common stock reserved for issuance will automatically increase on January 1 of each year for a period of 10 years, which began on January 1, 2023, by the lesser of (i)1% of the total number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding on December 31 of the immediately preceding year; and (ii)4,300,000 shares, except before the date of any such increase, the Board may determine that such increase will be less than the amount set forth in clauses (i) and (ii). On January 1, 2023, the ESPP authorized shares to be increased by 1,111,331 to 4,111,331 in accordance with the above. The Board delegated the authority to manage the ESPP to the Compensation Committee of the Board, which determined that there would be no increase in the share reserve under the ESPP in 2024 or 2025.
As of September 28, 2025, there had been no offering period or purchase period under the ESPP, and no such period will begin unless and until determined by the administrator.
Stock Options
The Company grants stock options to its employees, as well as nonemployees (including directors and others who provide substantial services to the Company) under the 2021 Plan.
The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024:
| (dollar amounts in thousands except per share amounts) | Number ofShares | WeightedAverageExercisePrice PerShare | Weighted-AverageRemainingContractual Term(In Years) | AggregateIntrinsicValue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance—December 29, 2024 | 13,169,869 | $9.88 | 6.04 | $297,037 |
| Options granted | 2,141,347 | 18.23 | ||
| Options exercised | (380,345) | 8.04 | ||
| Options forfeited | (834,943) | 18.77 | ||
| Options expired | (60,737) | 18.03 | ||
| Balance—September 28, 2025 | 14,035,191 | $10.65 | 5.65 | $18,446 |
| Exercisable—September 28, 2025 | 10,704,215 | $8.54 | 4.61 | $18,339 |
| Vested and expected to vest—September 28, 2025 | 14,035,191 | $10.65 | 5.65 | $18,446 |
| (dollar amounts in thousands except per share amounts) | Number ofShares | WeightedAverageExercisePrice PerShare | Weighted-AverageRemainingContractual Term(In Years) | AggregateIntrinsicValue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance—December 31, 2023 | 13,219,388 | $7.77 | 5.97 | $53,758 |
| Options granted | 2,256,183 | 19.02 | ||
| Options exercised | (1,507,226) | 6.44 | ||
| Options forfeited | (316,223) | 14.81 | ||
| Options expired | (44,574) | 18.16 | ||
| Balance—September 29, 2024 | 13,607,548 | $9.59 | 6.16 | $358,760 |
| Exercisable—September 29, 2024 | 10,041,326 | $7.46 | 5.20 | $286,048 |
| Vested and expected to vest—September 29, 2024 | 13,607,548 | $9.59 | 6.16 | $358,760 |
The weighted-average fair value of options granted during the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024 was$9.23 and$9.32, respectively.
The fair value of each option granted has been estimated as of the date of the grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Company has elected to account for forfeitures as they occur.
During thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, the Company approved a modification to certain stock option awards in connection with the transition of a former executive from an employee to a non-employee consultant. The modification provided for (i) accelerated vesting of unvested awards, (ii) continued vesting of certain awards during the consulting period, and (iii) an extension of the post-termination exercise period, pertaining to a total of 924,097 options. The incremental expense related to each modified option has been estimated as of the modification date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and will be recognized as additional stock-based compensation expense over the remaining requisite service period. For the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, the incremental expense was immaterial, and thus, no additional expense was recorded during the current quarter and the impact of the modification is not reflected in the tables presented above. The forfeiture of the old awards and concurrent grant of new awards is not reflected in the table above. These options have a weighted-average exercise price of $10.39. The Company expects to recognize the remaining incremental stock option expense of $1.8 million related to this modification across the six month consulting period.
As of September 28, 2025, there was $26.9 million in unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock-based compensation arrangements and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.12 years.
Restricted Stock Units and Performance Stock Units
Restricted stock units
The following table summarizes the Company’s RSU activity for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024:
| (dollar amounts in thousands except per share amounts) | Number of Shares | Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value |
|---|---|---|
| Balance—December 29, 2024 | 910,024 | $17.72 |
| Granted | 458,281 | 15.74 |
| Released | (639,522) | 19.21 |
| Forfeited | (164,972) | 17.22 |
| Balance—September 28, 2025 | 563,811 | 14.57 |
| (dollar amounts in thousands except per share amounts) | Number of Shares | Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value |
|---|---|---|
| Balance—December 31, 2023 | 951,517 | $17.41 |
| Granted | 518,177 | 20.36 |
| Released | (369,355) | 20.63 |
| Forfeited | (84,042) | 18.46 |
| Balance—September 29, 2024 | 1,016,297 | $17.67 |
During thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, the Company approved a modification to certain restricted stock units awards in connection with the transition of a former executive from an employee to a non-employee consultant. The modification provided for (i) continued vesting of certain awards during the consulting period and (ii) immediate vesting of any remaining unvested restricted stock units at the completion of the consulting period. The fair value of each modified RSU has been estimated using the current stock price as of the modification date. The incremental expense will be recognized as additional stock-based compensation expense over the remaining requisite service period. For the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, the incremental expense related to RSUs was immaterial, and thus, no additional expense was recorded during the current quarter. Accordingly, the impact of the modification is not reflected in the tables presented above. The Company expects to recognize the remaining incremental restricted stock unit expense of$0.1 million related to this modification across the six month consulting period.
The fair value of shares released as of the vesting date during the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 was $12.3 million. As of September 28, 2025, unrecognized compensation expense related to RSUs was $7.5 million and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.12 years.
Performance stock units
As of December 29, 2024, there were 4,500,000 performance stock units outstanding with a weighted-average grant date fair value of$15.62. There was no PSU activity during the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025.
In October 2021, the Company granted 2,100,000 PSUs to each founder (the “founder PSUs”) for a total of 6,300,000 PSUs, under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan. The founder PSUs vest upon the satisfaction of a service condition and the achievement of certain stock price goals. As of September 28, 2025, unrecognized compensation expense related to the founder PSUs was$1.9 million and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.32 years.
Subsequent to the Company’s IPO, the Company issued 321,428 PSUs to the Spyce founders (“Spyce PSUs”) based onthree separate performance-based milestone targets. During the thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2024, the Company modified the number of shares underlying these grants and the vesting terms to remove the performance-based component, resulting in the total number of shares decreasing to 85,395, all of which vested on March 15, 2025. The expense related to these RSUs is included within the RSU section above.
The following table summarizes the Company’s PSU activity for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2024:
| (dollar amounts in thousands except per share amounts) | Number of Shares | Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value |
|---|---|---|
| Balance—December 31, 2023 | 6,621,428 | $15.56 |
| Granted | — | — |
| Released | (900,000) | 18.55 |
| Forfeited | (321,428) | — |
| Balance—September 29, 2024 | 5,400,000 | $15.99 |
A summary of stock-based compensation expense recognized during the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024 is as follows:
| Thirteen weeks ended | Thirty-nine weeks ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 |
| Stock-options | $2,790 | $3,107 | $8,601 | $8,401 |
| Restricted stock units | 1,040 | 1,909 | 7,591 | 6,645 |
| Performance stock units | 1,981 | 4,669 | 7,840 | 15,168 |
| Total stock-based compensation | $5,811 | $9,685 | $24,032 | $30,214 |
- INCOME TAXES
The Company’s entire pretax loss for the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024 was from its U.S domestic operations. The Company’s tax provision for interim periods is determined using an estimate of its annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items arising during interim periods. For both the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 29, 2024, there were no significant discrete items recorded, and the Company recorded $0.1 million and $0.3 million in income tax expense, respectively.
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the CARES Act (as defined below). Intended to provide economic relief to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARES Act includes provisions, among others, to enhance business’ liquidity and provide for refundable employee retention tax credits (“ERC”), which could be used to offset payroll tax liabilities. On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”). The ARPA includes several provisions, such as measures that extend and expand the ERC, previously enacted under the CARES Act, through September 30, 2021. As there is no authoritative guidance under U.S. GAAP on accounting for government assistance to for-profit business entities, the Company accounts for the ERC by analogy to International Accounting Standard (“IAS”) 20, Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance. As of September 28, 2025, the Company has received $5.0 million in cash payments, reducing the ERC receivable within other current assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheets to $2.1 million.
- NET LOSS PER SHARE
During the thirteen and thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024, the rights, including the liquidation and dividend rights, of the holders of Class A and Class B common stock were identical, except with respect to voting. As the liquidation and dividend rights were identical, the undistributed earnings were allocated on a proportionate basis and the resulting net loss per share attributable to common stockholders were, therefore, the same for both Class A and Class B common stock on an individual or combined basis.
The following table sets forth the computation of net loss per common share:
| Thirteen weeks ended | Thirty-nine weeks ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | |
| (dollar amounts in thousands) | ||||
| Numerator: | ||||
| Net loss | $(36,146) | $(20,816) | $(84,343) | $(61,343) |
| Denominator: | ||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding—basic and diluted | 118,282,536 | 114,752,307 | 117,804,955 | 113,743,453 |
| Earnings per share—basic and diluted | $(0.31) | $(0.18) | $(0.72) | $(0.54) |
The Company’s potentially dilutive securities, which include time-based vesting restricted stock units, performance stock units, contingently issuable stock and options to purchase common stock, have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as the effect would be antidilutive. Therefore, the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding used to calculate both basic and diluted net loss per share is the same. The Company excluded the following potential common shares, presented based on amounts outstanding at each period end, from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the periods indicated because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:
| Thirteen weeks ended | Thirty-nine weeks ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | |
| Options to purchase common stock | 14,035,191 | 13,607,548 | 14,035,191 | 13,607,548 |
| Time-based vesting restricted stock units | 563,811 | 1,016,297 | 563,811 | 1,016,297 |
| Performance stock units | 4,500,000 | 5,400,000 | 4,500,000 | 5,400,000 |
| Contingently issuable stock | 250,000 | 506,243 | 250,000 | 506,243 |
| Total common stock equivalents | 19,349,002 | 20,530,088 | 19,349,002 | 20,530,088 |
- RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The Company’s founders and former Chief Financial Officer each hold an indirect minority passive interest in Luzzatto Opportunity Fund II, LLC, an entity which holds indirect equity interests in Welcome to the Dairy, LLC, which is the owner of the properties leased by the Company for the Company’s principal corporate headquarters. For both the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024, total payments to Welcome to the Dairy, LLC, totaled $1.0 million. For thethirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2024, total payments to Welcome to the Dairy, LLC, totaled $3.8 million and $3.1 million, respectively.
- COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Lease Commitments
The Company is obligated under various operating leases related to its office facilities, restaurant locations, and certain equipment under non-cancelable operating leases that expire on various dates. Under certain of these leases, the Company is liable for contingent rent based on a percentage of sales in excess of specified thresholds and typically responsible for its proportionate share of real estate taxes, common area maintenance charges and other occupancy costs. Refer to Note 8, Leases, for additional information.
Purchase Obligations
Purchase obligations include agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding on us and that specify all significant terms. The majority of the Company’s purchase obligations relate to amounts owed for supplies within its restaurants and are due within the next twelve months.
Legal Contingencies
The Company is subject to various claims, lawsuits, governmental investigations and administrative proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company does not believe that the ultimate resolution of any of these matters will have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, liquidity, or capital resources. However, an increase in the number of these claims, or one or more successful claims under which the Company incurs greater liabilities than the Company currently anticipates, could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.
- REPORTABLE SEGMENT
The Company’s operations are conducted asone operating segment andone reportable segment via revenue derived from retail sales of food and beverages by company-owned restaurants within the United States. The Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) is the chief executive officer. Segment information isprepared and managed on the same basis as described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2024. The Company’s assets are managed centrally and are reported internally in the same manner as the condensed consolidated financial statements, and thus, no additional information is disclosed herein.
Other than certain disaggregated expense information provided in relation to General and Administrative expense (“G&A”), significant expenses regularly provided to the CODM is presented on the face of the statement of operations. The CODM is also regularly provided disaggregated expense information for G&A, which is disaggregated between operating support center cost, stock-based compensation, all of which was included within G&A (see note 10), and other expenses, as shown below:
| Thirteen weeks ended | Thirty-nine weeks ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | September 28,2025 | September 29,2024 | |
| General and administrative | ||||
| Operating support center cost(1) | $24,089 | $26,372 | $77,972 | $81,422 |
| Stock-based compensation | 5,811 | 9,685 | 24,032 | 30,214 |
| Other expenses(2) | 1,000 | 720 | 1,738 | 1,208 |
| Total General and administrative | $30,900 | $36,777 | $103,742 | $112,844 |
(1)Operating support center costs consist primarily of operations, technology, finance, legal, human resources, administrative personnel, and other personnel costs that support restaurant development and operations, as well as brand-related marketing.
(2)Other expense typically includes expenses recorded for accruals related to legal settlements, one-time costs incurred to acquire Spyce, amortization costs associated with the implementation of the Company’s Enterprise Risk Management system, and a one-time write-off of specific materials associated with legacy marketing initiatives.
- SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On November 5, 2025, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to sell Spyce Food Co., our business unit responsible for developing the Infinite Kitchen units, and certain of our other assets related to the Infinite Kitchen technology and other related kitchen automation technology, to certain subsidiaries of Wonder Group, Inc. (“Wonder”) for total consideration of $186.4 million, made up of cash of $100 million and Series C preferred stock of Wonder with an implied value of $86.4 million. Under this agreement, Sweetgreen will continue to use and deploy Infinite Kitchen technology across our restaurants as part of an established licensing agreement. The transaction is expected to close in late 2025 or early 2026. The Company is evaluating the accounting implications of the planned sale, including the carrying value of the full disposal group and any resulting gain to be recognized upon completion of the transaction.
The Company evaluated the held for sale classification criteria as it pertains to the disposal group and determined it is not met as of the balance sheet date of September 28, 2025, and thus continues to classify related balances as held and used within the condensed consolidated financial statements.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.