One guy ate nothing but Sweetgreen for 25 days. Now the chain wants 30 more people to take a 30-day challenge

Digital content creator Tim Donohue earlier this year posted his quest of eating almost nothing but Sweetgreen every day for 25 days.

It was an experiment inspired by the 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” in which Morgan Spurlock ate only food from McDonald’s, with quite negative results.

Donohue’s Sweetgreen journey was far more positive, though arguably mixed.

Spoiler alert: He lost roughly eight pounds and said he felt lighter. He pooped 23 out of the 25 days (happily, he provided no context for that metric, but it sounds like a good thing). He spent $996.91 on 50 bowls and 20 sides, but ended up saving money because he bought nothing else (he allowed himself black coffee but no alcohol).

At one point Donohue noted that this is not an ad and he wouldn’t recommend doing it. Not surprisingly, he got tired of eating Sweetgreen. (When it was over, he celebrated with a cheese pizza that ended up making him ill.)

But the fast-casual chain’s CEO Jonathan Neman loved it.

In fact, the chain loved it so much, now Sweetgreen is opening the challenge to 30 other people, asking them to eat only off the chain’s menu for 30 days, and to share how it impacted their lives and general health.

“At Sweetgreen our goal is to source the highest quality food from farmers we know and trust in order [to] make food that tastes great and makes you feel great,” wrote Neman on LinkedIn. “So we are inviting 30 customers to take the Challenge and tell us how SG fuels you to live your best life.”

It’s an example of how Sweetgreen is shifting its style of marketing to reclaim its position as a lifestyle brand affiliated with health and fresh ingredients.

The fast-casual chain has been working to turn around sales which plummeted to negative double digits in the first quarter. Sales were trending in the right direction — less negative — in the second quarter, but a cyclospora outbreak over the summer made consumers a bit leery of lettuce. Sweetgreen was not implicated in the outbreak, but the lettuce phobia that consumed the nation for a few weeks is expected to take a toll.

This 30-day challenge implies that Sweetgreen feels cyclospora fears are behind us.

Of course, Sweetgreen does not only serve salads. Donohue, in his post, noted that he did not include Sweetgreen’s new wraps in his 25-day journey (he felt like it was cheating). But the sandwiches are an option for the 30-day challenge.

Applicants must be 18 or older and in good health, and they must have active social media accounts and be willing to post about it, because that’s the whole point.

The challenge is expected to take place between Sept. 14 and Oct. 13 this year, and Sweetgreen will credit participants' account $700 every Monday through the period for purchasing two meals per day (spending more than that is on the participant’s dime). What isn’t used will be forfeited.

That's a lot. Sweetgreen officials say they want to be sure participants can share their Sweetgreen adventure with friends and family.

Those who complete the mission will receive another $500 credit to their Sweetgreen account, so long as all deadlines are met. And they should note the funds are taxable income, so appropriate forms must be filed.

Fundamentally, Sweetgreen officials hope the message consumers will hear is that the brand’s menu offers plenty of options that taste good and help people feel good.

Sweetgreen co-founder Nic Jammet on the Breaking and Entering marketing podcast said it’s hard to eat anything for 25 days straight, “but to see how he felt, and the results, is really indicative of why we do what we do. This showcases the power of real food.”