Sweetgreen was founded in 2007 with a mission to be a healthy, fresh alternative to traditional fast-food fare. From the start, the brand offered a build-your-own menu of produce-centric salads and bowls with speedy service.
Back then, steak didn’t really jive with healthy eating—or Sweetgreen’s menu.
Fast-forward to May, and the Los Angeles-based fast casual launched Caramelized Garlic Steak nationwide on its permanent menu. It’s now available right next to the tofu, grilled chicken and salmon as a protein option.
Sweetgreen’s Caramelized Garlic Steak features grass-fed beef from the leaner tri-tip cut. | Photo courtesy of Sweetgreen.
Rival Cava, a fast casual built on the principles of the healthy Mediterranean diet, also introduced steak to its menu last month. And Noodles & Company brought back its Steak Stroganoff as demand snowballed among fans on social channels.
Why steak and why now?
Consumers are on a quest for protein. Health perceptions have changed, and red meat—packed with protein—is seen by many as a nutritious source of energy rather than an artery-clogging villain. Many fast casuals are also specifying leaner cuts with healthier nutrition profiles.
“We kept hearing from customers that they want to get more protein into meals,” said Chad Brauze, head of culinary for 221-unit Sweetgreen. “We use nutrient-dense tri-tip steak, which is lean and comes out tender when cooked correctly.”
Technomic data backs up the high demand for protein.
Like Brauze, the chefs who head these fast-casual kitchens are working their magic cooking leaner cuts with elevated techniques and flavors. And they’re often sourcing meat from producers who raise their animals ethically and sustainably.
What’s more, steak is also a bit of a status symbol, long associated with high-end dining, a selling point in the fast-casual space. Even though beef costs are on the rise, these operators are finding ways to keep the price point in the fast-casual range by specifying certain cuts.
From salad to steak
Sweetgreen sources pasture-raised, grass-fed beef for its Caramelized Garlic Steak, to “align with our dedication to regenerative agriculture, promoting environmental benefits such as enhanced land management and carbon sequestration,” the chain’s co-founder and chief concept officer Nicolas Jammet wrote in a LinkedIn post. That mission meant it took some time to secure suppliers and spec the cut that would work best.
“We tried lots of different cuts, including sirloin, New York Strip and ribeye,” said Brauze. “The tri-tip is lean and has the right combination of toothiness and beef flavor.”
Brauze comes from a fine-dining background and treats the steak to fine-dining techniques. Every Sweetgreen location is equipped with a combi oven, sometimes two, to roast the salmon, sweet potatoes and other menu staples. The chef uses the same equipment for the steak, slow roasting the meat to get it up to temperature, then raising the heat to caramelize the exterior.
After the test in Boston this past February, Brauze talked to the teams and changed the recipe a bit for the national rollout. “We were looking for more garlic flavor, so we’re now applying a dry rub of garlic, onion salt and black pepper to the steak before cooking,” he said. Previously, it was tossed with house-roasted garlic and onions but “this is a simpler preparation. We listened to customers and moved away from the large garlic and onion pieces.”
Nevertheless, it took some “shoulder-to-shoulder training” to teach the back-of-house teams to prep, cook and slice the steak before the national launch, Brauze added.
Caramelized Garlic Steak can be ordered with any custom bowl or salad, but Brauze’s three chef-curated items highlight the protein. The Steak Kale Caesar Salad features an anchovy-forward dressing that goes well with steak, while the Steakhouse Chopped Bowl features romaine and blue cheese, a classic steakhouse pairing. The Caramelized Garlic Steak Protein Plate is a heartier meal flavored with a pesto vinaigrette “almost like a chimichurri,” that also complements steak. About 100 grams of steak or 3.5 ounces go into each item, a nice portion size. The items run in the $16-$17 range.
“Steak puts us in the mindset of customers who wouldn’t come in before because there wasn’t beef on the menu,” said Brauze.
Sweetgreen CEO Jonathan Neman has the numbers to back that up. At the William Blair Growth Stock Conference earlier this month, he said “adding meat [steak] to the menu for the first time showed ‘amazing’ adoption during the [Boston] test. We’re seeing similar results as we’ve rolled it out in a lot of these newer markets. We’re seeing over 30% of sales being driven by steak.”
He also noted that Sweetgreen has long leaned toward female guests, but the steak is bringing in more men and helping grow the dinner business “pretty significantly.”
Steak the Mediterranean way
Steak is not typically a big part of the Mediterranean diet, admitted Andy Rebhun, chief experience officer at Cava. That eating style focuses on vegetables, fruits, beans, grains and seafood but it allows 18 ounces of red meat a week.
“We do a lot of social listening and have long heard requests for steak on Cava’s menu,” he said. “We’re doing steak the ‘Mediterranean’ way, serving a 4-ounce portion surrounded by fresh ingredients.”
Washington, D.C.-based Cava sources a combination of three or four different lean cuts of grass-fed beef. The fast-casual’s supplier sous vides the steak and when it comes into each location, it’s seasoned with sun-dried tomato powder, smoky Aleppo pepper, Mediterranean spices and olive oil. The back-of-house team at each of Cava’s 309 locations then fire-grills the meat to give it a barbecued flavor, said Rebhun. “We use the same grilling equipment as we do for our chicken, but trained the teams specifically for cooking steak,” he added.
Coincidentally, Cava also tested steak in the Boston market, introducing it in a Steak Mezze Salad. In addition to grilled steak, the chef-curated bowl features creamy feta, tzatziki, fire-roasted corn, pickled onions, red pepper hummus, arugula, baby spinach and Greek vinaigrette—all cross-utilized from existing ingredients. The new protein is also available in a Steak + Feta Pita, the fast casual’s take on a cheesesteak. It includes grilled steak, the brand’s signature Crazy Feta, red pepper hummus, pickles, garlic dressing, Greek vinaigrette and romaine.
“We conducted rigorous consumer testing, trying a couple of different versions of each, before launching the steak on our permanent menu,” said Rebhun. Guests can also add grilled steak to any bowl or pita for a $3 upcharge, same as for Cava’s meatball and lamb protein options.
For Cava’s Steak Mezze Salad and Steak & Feta Pita, grilled steak is combined with feta cheese, red pepper hummus and a variety of vegetables to fit with the fast casual’s Mediterranean eating style.| Photo courtesy of Cava.
Grilled steak is the first premium protein the fast casual has debuted in five years, but it’s been in the works for two years. It took that long to perfect the flavor profile, portioning, training and operations, Rebhun said. So far, the feedback and comments on social channels have been very positive and it’s selling well throughout the day.
“As a salad, it’s light enough for lunch, and at dinner, guests can add more ‘oomph’ by ordering steak in a grain bowl,” said Rebhun.
From Zoodles to Stroganoff
Five years ago, “healthy” was the menu-development goal at Noodles & Company, said Danielle Moore, director of communications and field marketing for the chain. Low-carb Zoodles, a.k.a zucchini noodles, and high-protein LEANguini came out of the R&D pipeline and remain on the menu.
“Around 25% of our sales are mac and cheese, so now we’re leaning into comfort food to offer more options,” she added.
In tracking orders, the Broomfield, Colorado-based fast casual also noticed that customers were often asking for double protein with their orders.
Strong consumer demand brought Steak Stroganoff back to the menu at Noodles & Company. | Photo courtesy of Noodles & Company.
Steak Stroganoff, a dish that had been on the menu in the past with slightly different ingredients, checked the protein and comfort food boxes. Plus, there was a loud group of online fans requesting that Noodles bring it back, said Moore. The chain returned Steak Stroganoff to the menu as a limited-time offer on April 10, upgrading the beef quality and selling more than 110,000 bowls in the first two weeks.
“We had to take it off and restock,” said Moore. Noodles then brought it back for a second time in May, running it “until supplies last.”
Calling it “Steak Stroganoff” instead of the more common “Beef Stroganoff” most probably added to the item’s craveability. And although the dish is made with a somewhat rich mushroom-sherry cream sauce, it uses a leaner cut of steak shoulder near the “lifter cut” and is calorically in line with chicken, said Tina Massey, director of culinary R&D for the chain. Plus, each serving is a portion-controlled 2.75 ounces of steak, rounded out with roasted mushrooms, wavy egg noodles, Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. It’s selling for $10.95
Massey explained that the brand’s supplier marinates the steak in neutral oil with a little soy sauce, onion and garlic powder, sears the beef, then cooks it sous vide-style and cuts it into bite-size pieces. To order, the kitchen team portions the steak into a wok-style saute pan heated to 30,000 BTUs to give it a quick sear while keeping it tender. It’s then combined with the other ingredients for service.
Steak is now an option with any bowl and currently stars in another Noodles & Company LTO—Spicy Korean Beef Noodles. Here, the marinated, seared steak is flavored with a Korean-style gochujang sauce and tossed with lo mein noodles, napa and red cabbage, and spinach, then topped with cucumber, green onions and cilantro.
“Through our guest insights surveys, we learned that our customers are looking for balance,” said Moore. “They may add extra vegetables to a noodle dish or order a medium salad with a side of mac and cheese. We’re currently in the process of looking at every menu item, with a focus on quality, fresh ingredients and inclusive to all lifestyles.”
Serving steak with a California vibe
Los Angeles-based Tender Greens has had steak on the menu since 2006. “It aligns with our concept of healthy California cuisine, where grilling is part of the lifestyle,” said Pete Balistreri, VP of culinary innovations for the 26-unit fast casual. “It used to be called “backyard steak,” and we prepared it with a simple marinade then grilled it, like you would for the family.”
In the years since, the cut has changed from flat iron to flank steak. “Flat iron has more connective tissue and is more challenging to cook,” he said. “Flank is more forgiving, rests nicely and travels better.” Its size, and the fact that it’s one muscle, is a better fit for Tender Greens’ menu items. Flank steak’s lean profile is another plus.
“We went through a rigorous process of tasting six different flank steaks before choosing the product we use,” said Oliver Plust, corporate executive chef for the chain. “The taste had to be tops.”
Grilled marinated steak is one of the protein options for build-your-own plates at Tender Greens. | Photo courtesy of Tender Greens
Tender Greens has always focused on fresh, local, relatable food elevated with chef techniques, as the founders come from the fine-dining sector like Brauze. The steaks go into a garlic-and-herb marinade “the minute the beef arrives in each restaurant,” said Plust. Right before cooking, they’re seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground peppercorns, then grilled over an open fire. Every location is equipped with gas-fired grills for cooking all the proteins.
Tender Greens’ guests can build their own plates by choosing a protein, greens and side, like roasted vegetables, farro, mac and cheese or crispy potatoes. Along with chicken, seafood and falafel, grilled steak is one of the protein options. The portion is 4.5 to 5 ounces, sliced to order.
“The steak option is similar in price to salmon and tuna, coming to about $15 for a steak plate—meeting the fast-casual price point. Value is very important to us,” said Balistreri.
Grilled steak is also available in curated bowls and salads. “This allows us to introduce sauces and flavors that are part of the melting pot of California cuisine,” said Plust. The Thai Bowl with Grilled Steak contains sushi rice, toasted coconut, green papaya, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, Thai basil, cilantro and pickled Fresno peppers with a Thai chili vinaigrette, while the Mediterranean Steak Salad includes feta, cherry tomatoes, pickled cucumbers, sweet peppers, olives, red gem lettuces, arugula and lemon vinaigrette.
While other fast casuals aim to build more dinner business with the addition of steak, orders are pretty evenly distributed through lunch and dinner at Tender Greens, said Plust. “Steak plates can be made light or hearty, so they don’t typically skew toward dinner,” he said.
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