Sweetgreen, Inc. (SG) · Nov 5, 2026 · Earnings
In line — Revenue $176.0M vs ~$169.6M consensus; EPS $(0.26) vs ~$(0.26) consensus
Sweetgreen’s Q3 earnings topped revenue expectations, yet same-store sales remained negative and restaurant-level profitability deteriorated.
Sweetgreen is midway through its Sweet Growth Transformation Plan, trying to restore customer traffic and restaurant profitability after the 2026 cyclosporiasis-related demand shock while continuing digital expansion and selective Infinite Kitchen deployment. Prior guidance already anticipated a difficult year: same-store sales of negative 8% to negative 7%, restaurant-level margin of 10.5% to 11.0%, and adjusted EBITDA of negative $27 million to negative $23 million.
Sales came in ahead of the published bar, but the underlying recovery is incomplete. Third-quarter revenue was $176.0 million, above the published consensus of roughly $169.6 million, while reported EPS of $(0.26) was essentially in line with the roughly $(0.26) estimate. The better-than-feared sales result was helped by new restaurants, not by healthy existing-store demand: same-store sales still fell 6.4%, with traffic down 4.9%. The company said, “Same-Store Sales Change was (6.4)%,” and attributed the traffic decline primarily to the cyclosporiasis outbreak. 〔0〕
| Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Consensus / prior guide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (Financial Statements) | $176.0M (+2.1%) | $172.4M | ~$169.6M consensus |
| EPS, basic and diluted (Income Statement) | $(0.26) | $(0.31) | ~$(0.26) consensus |
| Same-store sales (Operating Metrics) | (6.4%) | (9.5%) | (8.0%)–(7.0%) FY guide |
| Restaurant-level profit margin (Restaurant-Level Profit reconciliation) | 10.4% | 13.1% | 10.5%–11.0% FY guide |
| Adjusted EBITDA (Adjusted EBITDA reconciliation) | $(6.8)M | $(4.4)M | $(27)M–$(23)M FY guide |
The key weakness is restaurant economics, not corporate overhead. Restaurant-level profit margin fell 270 basis points to 10.4%, despite lower general and administrative spending, because sales deleveraged and labor costs rose. The company explicitly said, “Restaurant-Level Profit Margin was 10.4%, down 270 basis points versus the prior year period.” 〔1〕 That pushed adjusted EBITDA to a larger loss of $6.8 million from $4.4 million, even though the GAAP net loss narrowed because corporate costs and impairment charges were lower.
Digital engagement is improving, but it has not yet offset the traffic problem. Total digital revenue reached 66.1% of sales and owned digital revenue 38.0%, both above the prior-year levels of 61.8% and 35.3%. That supports the transformation plan’s customer-retention strategy, but the more important operating test remains getting customers back into existing restaurants and converting that demand into profit. The CEO’s claim that sales improved through the quarter and October comps turned positive is encouraging, but it is an early trend rather than a demonstrated quarterly turnaround. 〔2〕
The filing is better than the reduced expectations on sales, but not a clean earnings win. Same-store sales were less bad than the company’s reduced full-year range implied, and revenue exceeded consensus; however, the core restaurant margin and adjusted EBITDA both deteriorated year over year. That combination makes the quarter a partial validation of the recovery narrative, not proof that the business has returned to profitable growth.
Bottom line: Sweetgreen delivered a revenue beat and signs of improving demand, but the existing-store engine is still losing margin. The event modestly advances the recovery story without changing its central profitability challenge.
Fourth-quarter earnings report, early February 2027
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