Sweetgreen or Forage?

With healthy options being hard to find as a college student, I was delighted the first time that I tried Forage Kitchen, the salad and grain bowl cafe on State Street. Coming from the East Coast, my first time trying Forage Kitchen Kitchen was in Madison as I was searching for a place to replicate my favorite salad from Sweetgreen at home. However, I realized that I wouldn’t have to wait much longer for the delicious bowl; a Sweetgreen was coming to Madison. 

It was here where the divide began; Forage Kitchen vs. Sweetgreen. Those who hailed from the coasts favored their Sweetgreen classics, while locals from the Midwest stuck to their roots with Forage Kitchen. However, with Forage Kitchen being the initial owner of Madison, with such big competition, it comes down to the question: which will the Madison students gravitate towards?

At the root of it, both Sweetgreen and Forage Kitchen are of the same industry; salads and grain bowls. However there are a few aspects that set them apart from each other. 

Forage Kitchen stays within the boundaries of midwestern states with eight locations across Wisconsin and Illinois. This gives Forage the upper hand in fostering the small, homey and welcoming vibe. With its welcoming ambience and kitchen, it makes Madison students feel right at home. 

Sweetgreen on the other hand is a nationwide chain with over one thousand and seven locations across the country. Contrasting the colorful ambience of Forage, Sweetgreen models their kitchen in an all white minimalistic fashion. This modern color scheme creates less of a homey environment and establishes more of an atmosphere than of a well-run chain establishment. 

Each restaurant supplies their produce through local Wisconsin farmers, giving their customers fresh produce and supporting the Madison community through the process. This leaves just one major difference between the two: pricing. 

Both restaurants provide a multitude of signature menu bowls with Forage’s bowls ranging from seven to thirteen dollars, while Sweetgreen’s sit a solid four dollars higher ranging from eleven to sixteen dollars per bowl. Along with their signature bowls, each business offers a “Create Your Own” option, letting the customer choose their bowl base, decide between a multitude of toppings and add a dressing on top. Forage, these build your own-bowls start at seven dollars and can range up to sixteen dollars. At Sweetgreen, these custom mades start at ten dollars and range all the way to twenty one dollars per bowl. 

While eating healthy is definitely a priority for Madison students, the financial stressors of the expensive college life can take priority. This would place Forage Kitchen as the best college friendly option for the Madison students, but is that the true opinion of the Madison student body?