Staffing

Sweetgreen names former Shake Shack culinary leader John Karangis executive chef

Photo: Sweetgreen

October 23, 2026

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Sweetgreen has named John Karangis executive chef and senior vice president of culinary. The Los Angeles-based fast-casual salad chain has more than 285 locations nationwide.

Karangis will lead Sweetgreen's culinary strategy, including menu innovation, strengthening the core menu and moving new offerings from the test kitchen into restaurants nationwide, according to a company press release. He will also work with the company's growers and suppliers to source new ingredients, and with its marketing, operations and supply chain teams to turn new ideas into dishes that can be prepared consistently across locations.

Karangis most recently served as executive chef and vice president of culinary innovation at Shake Shack, where he led research and development, menu innovation and chef collaborations from the company's Innovation Kitchen in Manhattan.

Before Shake Shack, he spent seven years as executive chef of Union Square Events, the catering and events arm of Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. There he led culinary programming for events ranging from private dinners to large-scale functions and helped develop dining concepts for sports and cultural venues. He began his career at Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern and also worked in restaurants in Paris and San Francisco.

"Sweetgreen has built an exceptional brand around fresh, high-quality food," Karangis said in the release. "I've spent my career focused on developing dishes that celebrate exceptional ingredients by treating them with care and precision. I'm thrilled to join the Sweetgreen team and to work alongside our culinary team to elevate our core menu and bring fresh new ideas to life."

Jonathan Neman, co-founder and CEO of Sweetgreen, said he was excited for the perspective Karangis will bring.

"He understands how to take a great idea from the kitchen and make it something customers can enjoy every day, without compromising on quality or flavor," he said in the release.