NEW HAVEN — A key downtown corner in the Broadway district that has been vacant for more than two years will be the latest outpost of Sweetgreen, a Los Angeles-based chain that specializes in healthy eats and aims to “reimagine fast food.”
Sweetgreen, whose menu features salads, warm grain bowls, and protein plates with organic and locally and sustainably sourced ingredients, will open at Broadway and York Street in 2025, according to Yale officials.
The Shops at Yale location will be Sweetgreen’s fifth Connecticut restaurant. The fast-casual chain currently has three restaurants in Fairfield County and one slated to open in the coming months in the Farmington Valley.
“I’m excited,” said Alexandra Daum, Yale University associate vice president for New Haven Affairs and University Properties. “Sweetgreen is a really popular, really successful national brand, and they’re very excited to be in New Haven,” said Daum, who pointed out that Yale’s University Properties aims to strike a balance between independent, locally owned businesses and “high-quality national brands.”
David DelVecchio, director of real estate asset management for Yale’s University Properties, said Sweetgreen’s goal is to open during the first half of 2025.
“We’re thrilled to join the New Haven community in 2025,” said Sweetgreen co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman. “Sweetgreen has a strong connection to Connecticut, and expanding to New Haven — where students, faculty, and locals come together — feels like the perfect fit for us to bring more fresh, delicious food options to the neighborhood.”
Sweetgreen’s arrival “is driven by strong community demand,” University Properties said in a news release.
Daum and DelVecchio said the restaurant has consistently ranked at the top of the list of establishments that respondents would like to see in the area in The Shops at Yale marketing surveys.
“Sweetgreen has been one of the most frequently requested restaurants by both students and residents in our marketing surveys,” said Daum. “That feedback prompted us to initiate conversations with Sweetgreen, and we’re thrilled with the result.”
Its presence at 1 Broadway “will serve as a beacon, drawing folks into downtown New Haven,” Daum said in the release. “Sweetgreen’s entrance into our city is yet another indicator that the New Haven retail market is strong and attractive to chains and independent operators alike.”
Daum said Sweetgreen will have a seasonal patio with tables outside in addition to indoor seating. The outdoor seating is expected to complement outdoor seating on the island in the center of Broadway, she said.
Sweetgreen currently has restaurants in Westport, which opened July 30, Darien, which opened in 2023, and Greenwich, which opened in 2021.
It also has announced plans to open in 2025 in The Shops at Farmington Valley in Canton.
The future New Haven location most recently was a Patagonia store from 2017 to 2022. It was an Au Bon Pain restaurant from 1994 to 2013. Some might also remember it as Demery’s, a popular college bar in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The former Demery’s drew notoriety as recently as 2018 when it came out during the confirmation proceedings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh that Kavanaugh was questioned by New Haven police — but never charged — for allegedly throwing ice at another patron during a fight at the bar in 1985.
Yale University Properties and The Shops at Yale include businesses along Chapel Street and Broadway in downtown New Haven. The retailers and restaurants range from the Apple store, lululemon, Warby Parker, J.Crew, Derek Simpson Goldsmith, Villa Lulu, More Amour Boutique, Shake Shack, Raggs, idiom Boutique, and others.
University Properties manages Yale University’s commercial properties, including retail stores, office spaces and residential units in New Haven.
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By , Staff Writer
