Los Angeles — Sweetgreen, Inc. has appointed Ryan Slemons as its new chief development officer, effective May 4, 2026. He now leads all aspects of real estate, design, construction, facilities and portfolio management, and he reports directly to Jonathan Neman, co-founder and CEO.
Slemons brings nearly two decades of experience in real estate, franchising and store development across various industries. Most recently, he served as chief development officer of Unleashed Brands, a portfolio of franchise brands including Urban Air Adventure Park, The Little Gym, Sylvan Learning Centers and more.
“Ryan brings a rare ability to design spaces that are deeply customer-focused, operationally thoughtful and elevate the in-restaurant experience,” says Neman. “We’re thrilled to have him join us at such an important time for the company. He will play a critical role as we continue our physical expansion, evolve our formats and design, and continue bringing real food to more communities across the country.”
Previously, Slemons was vice president of global real estate and development at GameStop supporting up to 4,415 retail stores, as well as distribution centers and corporate offices. He also spent nearly 8 years at Amazon leading retail execution for the first “Amazon Go” stores across the U.S. and supporting Amazon’s brick-and-mortar brands. Slemons also held roles at Starbucks where he managed a portfolio of 1,100 stores across the Pacific Northwest.
Since opening its first 560-square-foot location in 2007, Sweetgreen has scaled to over 285 locations across the United States. For more information, visit www.Sweetgreen.com.
SOURCE: Sweetgreen