Check out Sweetgreen’s first digital-only location

Customers can’t buy anything on-site at the new Sweetgreen.

The healthy-eating chain has opened its first digital-only location, in Washington, D.C.’s Mt. Vernon Square neighborhood. The new format comes as Sweetgreen’s digital business continues to grow, accounting for 67% of its total revenue in 2021.

The 2,190 sq. ft. space is dedicated to pick-up only, with no interior dining or front-service line. But it does have an outdoor patio for those who choose to stay and dine.

Customers place their orders via Sweetgreen's website, mobile app or participating third-party delivery services.  They can retrieve their orders from pick-up shelves inside the restaurant.

Other quick-serve restaurant chains that have opened digital-only formats, include  Taco Bell and Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Sweetgreen, which went public last November, expects to open at least 35 new restaurants in 2022. It is looking to double its footprint in the next three to five years, and sees the potential for 1,000 locations by the end of the decade.

For every bowl sold on opening day, Sweetgreen donated a bowl to Food Rescue US to nourish Washington DC's food insecure. Food Rescue US is a national, technology-driven nonprofit that reduces food waste and hunger in America by transferring excess fresh food from local businesses to social service agencies to serve the food insecure.