Sweetgreen Appoints Jason Cochran as Chief Operating Officer

Sweetgreen, Inc., the mission-driven restaurant brand connecting more people to real food, announced the appointment of Jason Cochran as the company’s chief operating officer, effective May 5. Cochran will oversee field operations as well as operations services and innovation for the company and will report directly to Sweetgreen’s co-founder and chief executive officer, Jonathan Neman.

“Jason is a trusted and visionary leader with hands-on operational experience at growth-oriented brands,” said Neman. “His strategic mindset, operational discipline and ability to inspire teams make him uniquely positioned to help lead Sweetgreen into its next chapter of growth. Jason’s alignment with our mission and cultural fit is clear, and I’m incredibly excited to welcome him to the team as we continue scaling our impact across more communities.”

Cochran brings more than two decades of executive leadership experience in restaurant and consumer retail. Prior to joining Sweetgreen, he served as CEO and a board member of American West Restaurant Group, the third-largest Pizza Hut franchisee in the U.S., where he led the company through transformational growth and operational improvements across hundreds of locations.

Previously, Cochran was vice president of operations services at Chipotle Mexican Grill, supporting over 3,000 restaurants and $8.6 billion in annual revenue. During his tenure, he led cross-functional efforts in process improvement, menu and equipment innovation, new store development, and field training. Earlier in his career, Cochran spent 14 years at GameStop, ultimately serving as senior vice president of U.S. stores, responsible for 4,400 locations and more than $7.5 billion in sales.

“I’m thrilled to join Sweetgreen at such a pivotal moment,” said Cochran. “I’ve long admired the brand’s mission, focus on real food and commitment to operational excellence. I look forward to working alongside this talented team to scale the business, strengthen the culture and deliver continued value for our customers, team members and shareholders.”

Information was sourced from Businesswire. To learn more, contact press@sweetgreen.com.