Sweetgreen’s Chief Operating Officer Chris Carr is stepping down for personal reasons, but not fully until next year.
The Los Angeles-based chain said Tuesday that Carr will stay on in an advisory capacity through March 17, 2023. On Jan. 1, 2023, Stephanie Traut, who is SVP of operations, will oversee operations and report directly to CEO Jonathan Neman.
“Chris has been a valued member of the Sweetgreen leadership team and I’m grateful for the contributions he has made,” said Neman, who is also a co-founder, in a statement. “Chris joined the company at the height of the pandemic and helped us navigate a challenging and uncertain operating environment. He led the simplification of our operations and laid the foundation for scale as we enter our next phase of growth. On behalf of the board of directors and the company, I would like to thank him for the positive impact he has had on Sweetgreen and wish him every success in his future endeavors.”
Traut joined the company in August 2021. Before joining Sweetgreen, she was chief operating officer of Vasa Fitness. Before that she served in various roles at Starbucks for nearly eight years, including serving as vice president of licensed stores-Southwest.
Carr, who joined the company in 2020, had also worked at Starbucks before joining Sweetgreen. He served previously as the coffeehouse chain’s EVP and chief procurement officer, and EVP, of licensed stores Americas.
“Stephanie came to Sweetgreen with deep operational expertise in the restaurant space,” said Neman in a statement. “In her time here, she has proven herself as a respected and effective hands-on leader. I am confident that Stephanie will continue to raise the bar and give our guests and team members an exceptional experience.”
Carr said the strength of the team gave him the confidence to make the personal decision to step down.
“As I reflect on my time at Sweetgreen, I’m immensely proud of the work we’ve done together,” he said in a statement. “We have an incredible team of leaders who are dedicated to our mission of connecting people to real food.”
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