Beloved salad chain in wealthy neighborhood closes after inspectors find ROACHES

A popular salad chain closed one of its locations after a health department report found cockroaches present in the restaurant. 

Sweetgreen has temporarily closed one of its locations on New York City’s wealthy Upper West Side neighborhood – located at 311 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 74th and 75th streets.

Would-be diners were met with a yellow notice on the front door on Monday.

The New York City Health Department health report stated there were ‘Live roaches in facility’s food or non-food area.’

It also stated the ‘Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.’

A concern with cockroaches in and around food preparation areas is that the insects can pick up germs from sewers, drains and garbages and transfer them to food and food prep surfaces and tools. 

This may lead to contamination and can make diners sick. 

Cockroaches also leave behind droppings, shed skin, egg casings and body fragments that can get into food and on food prep surfaces.

Furthermore, the presence of cockroaches in a food facility or restaurant can be a sign of a larger sanitation problem – signaling that location is unsanitary in general. 

Another violation listed on the health report included that the Sweetgreen location did not have a backflow prevention device, a plumbing safety device that prevents contaminated water from flowing backward into clean drinking water.

This could pose a contamination risk to water used for drinking or food preparation. 

It was also cited for not having a properly draining floor, having a sewage disposal system that was in ‘disrepair or not functioning properly’ and improperly disposing of condensation or liquid waste. 

An additional sanitary violation included ‘non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.’

Daily Mail has reached out to Sweetgreen for comment.  

The inspection was dated August 24 but a previous inspection from May 18, 2026 also listed live roaches in the facility’s food or non-food area as a violation, along with conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.

The May inspection also found improper handling of food ingredients, stating Sweetgreen held foods such as eggs and fish above safe cold temperatures. 

Storing foods at temperatures that are not cold enough can lead to the growth of dangerous bacteria. 

Sweetgreen’s August inspection earned it 39 violation points, placing it in the C category in New York City – the lowest letter grade category. In May, it scored 26 violation points.

Prior to that, the location had received an A grade in October 2024, with a score of 10 points.  

An A grade is zero to 13 points; a B grade is 14 to 27 points and C is 28 points or higher. 

Thirty-nine violation points or a C grade isn’t a failed inspection and wouldn’t be enough on its own to close a location, though the health department can close a restaurant if it feels there is enough of a health hazard posed to the public. 

The Upper West Side location will be able to reopen when it passes a new health department inspection.