American restaurateur/culinary entrepreneur Danny Meyer is an investor in West Coast-based Tender Greens, which is gearing up to open its first New York location in the Flatiron District this winter.
The fast-casual “farm to fork” healthy eatery, helmed by a chef with fine-dining experience, is slated to open at 900 Broadway, in the former Craftbar space, two blocks north of the Union Square Greenmarket, this February, Side Dish has learned exclusively.
Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, which created New York classics like Union Square Cafe, founded in 1985, Gramercy Tavern and, more recently, Shake Shack, made a significant investment in Tender Greens in 2015.
Tender Greens, which launched in 2006, has 25 outposts in Southern California. This is its first foray into the New York market.
Another Tender Greens will open in Boston this spring.
“We were Danny’s first investment. We both have fine dining backgrounds that led us into the fast casual world, and I’m very excited about our opening in New York,” Tender Greens co-founder and CEO Erik Oberholtzer told Side Dish.
Despite its name, Tender Greens is not a salad company but has “chef-led” menus with entrees, salads, and sandwiches based on farmers’ market ingredients. The executive chef for New York will be Peter Balistreri, who spent the last eight years at Tender Greens in San Diego.
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