Deep Ellum News
Healthy restaurant bows out of Dallas' Deep Ellum just as New Year hits
These bowls and salads are no longer served in Deep Ellum.
In a fatal stroke for New Year's resolutions, a healthy restaurant has closed in Dallas' Deep Ellum: Sweetgreen, the California-based fast-casual restaurant concept with salads and bowls, shuttered its location at 2614 Main St.
According to a representative from the very tight-lipped very-corporate chain, the restaurant closed in December — less than a year after its opening in February 2022.
This was the second Sweetgreen in the DFW area. The first debuted in the West Village in November 2021. They've since added outlets in Lakewood, Fort Worth, and Southlake, which opened in mid-December.
Sweetgreen was founded in 2007 by three college students, with a philosophy that healthy food should be convenient and accessible to everyone in a fast-food setting. There are more than 200 locations, with big concentrations on the East Coast and West, and more than a dozen locations in Texas including Houston and Austin.
Signature dishes include Kale Caesar, Guacamole Greens, Crispy Chicken Salad, and Miso Bowl. They also rotate in seasonal offerings — currently Curry Cauliflower Bowl, a Buffalo Cauliflower side, and Chicken + Brussels sprouts.
The company representative offered no explanation for the shutter, but since they did just open that location in Southlake, the closure would appear to be not a Sweetgreen problem but instead a location problem.
Their Deep Ellum location was a brick storefront that at one time had been law offices but had been vacant for a while. The space was small, with seating for 22 inside and 32 on the patio, plus an outdoor zone with pickup window.
Unfortunately, that storefront has zero parking in front, not even metered spaces. The limited parking was a recurring complaint from customers who wanted to support the place but couldn't find parking nearby.
The ideal Sweetgreen location would be one with foot traffic or a brisk lunch crowd, but this has neither — things an out-of-town company might not have known.
The news comes on the heels of the January 3 closure of vegan restaurant Tiki Loco. Harrowing times right now for Deep Ellum dwellers trying to eat healthy in the New Year.
Guests at the West Village grand opening could meet founder Susie Sarich. Photo courtesy of SusieCakes