A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas

Sweetgreen Brings Food, Local Sourcing, and Friendly Service to Bentonville & Fayetteville

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We sit down with Sweetgreen’s Amy Dominguez to explore why Bentonville is the perfect homes for a new restaurant built on real ingredients, thoughtful sourcing, and warm hospitality. Amy shares how a farmer’s market origin turned into a national footprint, and why Northwest Arkansas’ blend of wellness, creativity, and growth makes this launch feel like a natural fit. Amy walks through staples like warm bowls, crisp salads, and plates prepared from scratch every day, plus seasonal offerings like the harvest bowl and the miso glazed salmon plate. If you’re ready for fresh, fast, and welcoming, this is your guide to Sweetgreen in Northwest Arkansas. Learn more at sweetgreen.com 

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Beth Bobbitt :

Welcome back to a new American town. I'm your host, Beth Bobbitt, and today we get to hear from Amy Dominguez with Sweet green. It's a fast-growing national restaurant known for fresh, sustainable meals. And the company is opening two new locations in Northwest Arkansas. We're so excited to talk about this. Amy, welcome to the podcast. Thank you. Happy to be here. So let's start with a little background. Tell us about Sweetgreen, the mission, philosophy, and then your role with the company.

Amy Dominguez :

Absolutely. Sweetgreen was founded in 2007 on a simple idea that real food should be convenient and accessible. And our mission is building healthier communities by connecting people to real food. Since day one, we focused on fresh, made from scratch meals and thoughtful sourcing that supports a healthier food system. Today, we have more than 270 restaurants across the country and continue to grow in communities that value delicious food made with integrity. Myself, I've been with Sweetgreen a little over three and a half years. And my role is an area leader in what I do is lead teams and operations across North Texas and Arkansas to ensure that our mission is living in each location and our store teams really have what they need to thrive. Amazing.

Beth Bobbitt :

Well, congrats on these two new openings. So one in Fayetteville, one at Walmart's new home office in Bentonville. First of all, what do you think is attractive or interesting and why expand to Northwest Arkansas?

Amy Dominguez :

It's a great question. You know, Northwest Arkansas has an incredible mix of growth, creativity, and community pride. It's a region that cares about wellness, quality, and innovation, really all the things that align naturally with Sweetgreen. And we felt a real excitement from the community and believed that this was the right moment to bring Sweetgreen to an area that values a healthy and active lifestyle.

Beth Bobbitt :

Great. Yes, I agree with all of that. Can you give us some details? So hours, location, all of the parking info.

Amy Dominguez :

Absolutely. So both locations are designed to offer the same great sweet green experience, which is prioritizing fresh food made from scratch. The Bentonville restaurant will serve the Walmart campus community and surrounding area, while Fayetteville location is positioned to be a neighborhood hub and close to U of A. There is ample parking at both locations. In Bentonville specifically, there's two parking garages, so very easy to find parking to come in and enjoy our restaurants. Hours of operations right now in Bentonville are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. And weekends we are closing at 4, but looking to expand right after the holiday. And then once we open up Fayetteville, we will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Beth Bobbitt :

Good to know. We'll have to try both. I haven't been in yet, but um I read over some of the menu items. Talk a little bit about what you have bowls, salads, smoothies, or any inside information that we need to know when visiting. Absolutely.

Amy Dominguez :

Can't wait for you to try us. It's so, so good. So our menu focuses on warm bowls, salads, and plates, featuring real and high-quality ingredients that are prepared from scratch each day in our restaurants. So guests will find sweet green classics along with seasonal dishes that highlight what's fresh and in season. And we also offer plenty of ways to customize meals so people can come in and build something that fits their own needs and wants for the day. Some of the most popular items are the harvest bowl and my personal favorite, which is the miso glazed salmon plate, which is kind of like a deconstructed sushi bowl. Um, we also have our LTOs, so limited time offerings, which are always fan faves. So great time to come in and enjoy seasonally.

Beth Bobbitt :

Well, I am hungry now, so that was successful. How do you plan to source? You mentioned fresh and sustainable. How do you plan to source these local ingredients and support farmers in the region?

Amy Dominguez :

Such a great question. You know, we're always looking for opportunities to work with regional partners who share our values around quality and responsible farming whenever possible. You know, Sweetgreen was born at a farmer's market back in 2007. And today our supply chain spans the country, still rooted in relationships with local farmers and growers. And some of these relationships were made 18 years ago in our first location and still are some of our strongest to this day.

Beth Bobbitt :

Love that you're staying true to those roots. So tell us what you can expect from a dining experience if someone is brand new to Sweetgreen.

Amy Dominguez :

Absolutely. So guests can expect a warm, welcoming space, whether ordering digitally or in person. And really everything about the restaurant is designed around fresh, made from scratch preparation. And you'll really feel taken care of from the moment you walk in by our incredible teams.

Beth Bobbitt :

And then innovation, I know, is really important, especially for the new stores. I've read about the company's infinite kitchen technology and other, you know, systems designed to automate things. What will be used here locally? And can you kind of walk us through the efficiencies there?

Amy Dominguez :

Yes, absolutely. So while we're always embracing technologies that enhance quality, consistency, and most importantly, our guest experience, not every location will have the same setup, but technology will continue to play a meaningful role in how we deliver great food at scale. We do have infinite kitchen, which is a concept that we have across some major metropolitan cities across the nation. And hopefully one day we'll get one in Northwest Arkansas, but for now, the two locations will not have an infinite kitchen.

unknown:

Okay.

Beth Bobbitt :

Thanks for clarifying that. Okay, so switching gears, we always like to talk about guests, especially out-of-town guests, about their experience in Bentonville. I assume you've been here to help set up and get to know the community. Tell us what surprised or delighted you about Bentonville. Do you have any favorite restaurants or hangouts or just places that, you know, that you were surprised about?

Amy Dominguez :

Yeah, that's such a great question. So honestly, this place is so beautiful. I have enjoyed every trip I've taken here so far. And something that stands out as well is that people in Northwest Arkansas are just genuinely kind. Everybody is so nice, so helpful. Absolutely love the culture. Um, there's so much nature to see too. So where I have not spent a lot of time outside of the restaurants, unfortunately, yet, I'm really looking forward to hitting some trails and doing some biking or just something out in nature. But I love the museums. There's so many community events, and it's just such a fun place to be.

Beth Bobbitt :

Yeah. Amazing. Well, let us know when you come back. Um, we'll have to do a follow-up. So, other than the restaurant, what are ways people can stay connected? I know you have social website. Do you have a newsletter?

Amy Dominguez :

Absolutely. So I would encourage you to stay connected via sweetgreen.com, where we have newsletter in our social channel at Sweetgreen where we share menu updates, community partnerships, and upcoming events. Amazing. Anything else you want to plug or promote?

Beth Bobbitt :

I would love to.

Amy Dominguez :

Yes, yes, a little bit about our rewards. So our digital experience makes ordering super simple. Guests can earn rewards and access personalized perks. They have their favorite meals. And my personal favorite thing is they can track their macros through the Sweetgreen app. So it's all about making healthy eating easier and more enjoyable. In fact, earlier this year, we announced a nationwide launch of Sweetgreen Rewards, our free loyalty program designed to give guests more of what they love. It's built with flexibility and guest feedback in mind. So the Sweet Green Rewards allows members to earn 10 points for every eligible dollar. And this program also offers members the opportunity to enjoy their favorite entree or side for free when they redeem those points.

Beth Bobbitt :

Amazing. So let's all download that app. Um, sounds like there's some great incentives there. Well, thank you, Amy. I appreciate you coming on and spending some time with us and look forward to checking out Sweet Green, and we'll report back. Thank you. Okay, thanks. Ready to explore Bentonville? Check out visitbittenville.com for dining guides, event calendars, and trip planning tools. Follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter. Links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to a New American Town.