A popular salad chain closed one of its locations after a health department report revealed cockroaches in the restaurant.
Sweetgreen has temporarily closed one of its locations New York City‘s wealthy Upper West Side neighborhood – located at 311 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 74th and 75th Street.
Potential diners were met Monday with a yellow sign on the front door.
The New York City Health Department’s health report stated that there were “live cockroaches in the food or non-food portion of the facility.”
It also stated that the “establishment is not free from lodging or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other vermin.”
One concern with cockroaches in and around food preparation areas is that the insects can pick up germs from sewers, drains and trash and transfer them to food and food preparation surfaces and utensils.
This can lead to: contamination and can make guests sick.
Cockroaches also leave feces, dander, egg shells and body fragments that can end up in food and on food preparation surfaces.
Additionally, the presence of cockroaches in a food facility or restaurant can be a sign of a larger sanitation problem – indicating that the location is generally unsanitary.
Sweetgreen is a popular salad chain with homemade and prepared salads and hot bowls (file photo)
Another violation listed on health report noted that the Sweetgreen location did not have a backflow preventer, a sanitary safety device that prevents contaminated water from flowing back into clean drinking water.
This may pose a risk of contamination to the water used for drinking or food preparation.
It was also cited for not having a properly draining floor, having a sewer system that was “in disrepair or not functioning properly” and improperly disposing of condensation or liquid waste.
An additional sanitation violation included “non-food contact surfaces or equipment, made of unacceptable materials, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, elevated, spaced, or movable to permit accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and below the unit.”
Daily Mail has contacted Sweetgreen for comment.
The inspection was dated August 24, but a previous inspection on May 18, 2026 also found live cockroaches in the food or non-food portion of the facility as a violation, along with conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
The May inspection also found improper handling of food ingredients, saying Sweetgreen kept foods such as eggs and fish above safe cold temperatures.
Storing food at temperatures that are not cold enough can lead to the growth of dangerous bacteria.
Sweetgreen’s August inspection gave the company 39 violation points, putting it in the C category in New York City – the lowest letter grade category. In May it scored 26 foul points.
Before this, 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 a C is 28 points or higher.
Thirty-nine violation points or a C grade is not a failed inspection and would not in itself be enough to close a location, although the health department can close a restaurant if it finds there is sufficient health risk to the public.
The Upper West Side location can reopen if it passes another health department inspection.
