Eighteen years ago, Sweetgreen co-founder Nicolas Jammet set out to “rethink” the fast-food experience, aiming to build a premium-yet-accessible chain focused on high-quality ingredient sourcing. He asked himself why “the most craveable” food couldn’t be healthy, too, and found out that customers were indeed hungry for better options.
Now, with over 250 restaurants in 22 states, the salad chain has everything from viral merch to celebrity fans (who could forget Paul Mescal in his color-coordinated post-gym outfit?). As the brand continues to evolve, it has been embracing certain items that weren’t originally on the menu for health or environmental reasons. In 2024, that item was grass-fed steak. 2025 is its Year of the Fry.
“We wanted to embrace this idea of reevaluating and redefining fast food, and for us, there’s nothing more fast food than the french fry. Plus, we felt like we really needed a signature side dish that you could give to kids or share at dinner,” Jammet tells TODAY.com in an exclusive interview.
“That said, our kitchen and operation is pretty constrained by the fact that we do so much (from-)scratch cooking every day here, and we don’t have deep fryers. So how could we put the Sweetgreen twist on a typical fry– but make sure it still feels delicious and hearty?” he asks. “It was about creating this product that scratched your itch without being, like, a cheat. French fries that are not deep-fried are almost impossible to find. I think air-frying them in avocado oil and having it be an interesting shape felt like something we could own.”
The culinary team played around with shape options, wanting something that was easy to dip and grab, and suitable for snacking on the go. The winner? A crinkled cottage chip. Without the option of deep-frying, the extra surface area helped maximize crispiness, while the ridges served both to bring golden color and act as a vehicle for dipping sauces.
“We really obsessed over thickness,” Jammet says. “If you go too thin, it’s chips. Too thick, it’s roasted potatoes. Eventually we found the ultimate ratio of (exterior) crispiness to (inner) fluff.”
Served with a choice of garlic aioli or pickle ketchup, Sweetgreen’s new five-ingredient Ripple Fries are house-made daily.
How do Sweetgreen’s fries taste?
I jumped at the chance to be the first journalist in New York to try them while they were still in the testing phase. Admittedly, I’m not usually optimizing for health when I order fries — I gravitate towards the very crispiest shapes, like a shoestring. But the cottage chips strike a nice balance for all types of fry lovers. I fished around the box to dig out the crunchiest little bits, while the larger ones had a nice chew to them.
The dipping sauces were flavorful, but I foresee many people choosing their favorite salad dressing instead. For instance, Sweetgreen’s new All About Ranch menu highlights America’s favorite dressing — which also happens to make a delicious pairing for the potatoes.
Ready to dunk? Sweetgreen’s Ripple Fries launch on menus nationwide on March 4.
