Sweetgreen has settled on a new opening date for its restaurant in McLean, one that will hopefully stick.
After canceling a previously scheduled Nov. 11 launch, the fast-casual salad chain now anticipates opening its doors at 6220 Old Dominion Drive in Chesterbrook Shopping Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Though the date has changed, many of the announced plans for the opening remain in place:
- From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., customers can indulge in “special treats and festivities,” including a build-your-own-flower bar from the Woodbridge-based event designer Elegant Lollies, complimentary coffee and matcha from Cha Coffee Co, and Sweetgreen-branded hats.
- Sweetgreen will donate a meal to the Merrifield-based nonprofit Food for Others for every meal that customers purchase.
Sweetgreen is also again offering a sneak peek at its newest location, along with a complimentary meal, on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Tickets for 15-minute time slots can be reserved through Eventbrite.
Founded in 2007 in D.C. by a trio of recent college graduates, Sweetgreen serves a variety of salads, rice bowls and protein plates.
Like other fast-casual brands, the company has reported softening sales in recent months, as younger diners in particular cut back on spending amid an uncertain economic environment, CNBC reported. However, Sweetgreen still operates over 250 locations nationwide.
When releasing financial results for the third quarter of 2025, co-founder and CEO Jonathan Neman highlighted the company’s decision to partner with the digital food hall concept Wonder, which opened its first brick-and-mortar locations in Fairfax County in late October.
The collaboration will help Sweetgreen “scale more efficiently, lower operating costs, and strengthen our balance sheet,” he said.
Sweetgreen’s McLean location will be its 13th in Virginia. At 2,571 square feet in size, it will seat 41 people and operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, according to its food establishment permit from Fairfax County.
The restaurant will share the standalone building formerly occupied by Truist Bank with the Tex-Mex, beach-themed eatery Surfside. Fairfax County staff are currently reviewing a permit application that would allow a renovation of the space at 6218 Old Dominion Drive and the addition of an enclosed, 391-square-foot dining patio.
