Root & Sprig

What Root & Sprig does

Root & Sprig is a privately held fast-casual restaurant company founded in 2019 in New York City by chef Tom Colicchio, hospitality operator Dan Guaricci, and finance executive Maryrose Galvez, operating under the parent group One Goal Hospitality. The company operates food-and-beverage concepts embedded inside healthcare facilities — hospitals and medical-school campuses — targeting healthcare workers, patients, and visitors who lack quality on-site food options. Known locations include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Clifton Center), the Penn School of Medicine (Kelley Research Building), Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, St. Francis Hospital on Long Island, and a Washington D.C. site.

The core product is a seasonally curated menu of sandwiches, salads, wraps, breakfast items, acai bowls, and beverages, complemented by 24/7 automated retail via smart-fridge units stocked with fresh sandwiches and salads. Supporting offerings include a corporate catering channel (sandwich and salad platters, boxed lunches, breakfast and coffee service), a buy-9-get-1-free sandwich loyalty program, a recurring-fee coffee membership, and gift cards sold in-store and online. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: Toast Tab for online ordering and gift cards, DoorDash for delivery, TripleSeat for catering inquiries, and a Google Maps–based store locator — there is no proprietary mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

Root & Sprig generates revenue through transaction-fee streams (in-restaurant dining, pickup, delivery, smart-fridge retail), one-time catering orders, and recurring subscription revenue from the coffee membership and loyalty punch-card. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer inside healthcare-facility concession agreements, scaled through a strategic partnership with Health Hospitality Partners to expand the concept across hospital systems. No external institutional funding rounds have been disclosed, and the company appears to be founder-financed, with growth paced by operating cash flow rather than venture capital.

Name

Root & Sprig

Legal name

Root & Sprig

Website

https://rootandsprig.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Root & Sprig is a fast-casual restaurant concept founded in 2019 by chef Tom Colicchio, operating seasonal sandwich, salad, and beverage locations inside U.S. healthcare facilities for healthcare workers, patients, and visitors, supplemented by 24/7 smart-fridge retail, catering, and a coffee membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFABAO

Health & Wellness / Functional Fast Casual (macro-counted, high-protein, allergen-friendly)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Fast Casual Restaurants

SECONDARYTHAFABAF

Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Fast Casual Restaurants

Keywords

• Fast casual restaurants
• Healthcare facility dining
• Catering services
• Grab and go food
• Coffee subscription program

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. In-restaurant dining and takeout: Revenue from walk-in customers ordering from the seasonal menu at healthcare facility locations. Pickup and delivery options available.
2. Catering services: Corporate catering for meetings and events including breakfast, lunch, sandwich platters, salad platters, boxed lunches, and coffee service. 15% discount offered for first catering orders.
3. Smart Fridge retail: 24/7 smart fridge units providing grab-and-go access to sandwiches and salads. Revenue from these automated retail locations within healthcare facilities.
4. Loyalty and membership programs: Sandwich loyalty program (buy 9 qualifying items, get 10th free) and coffee membership offering unlimited drip and premium coffee beverages.
5. Gift cards: Sale of gift cards available in-store and online for gifting purposes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Root & Sprig operates chef-driven fast-casual restaurants inside U.S. healthcare facilities, serving sandwiches, salads, wraps, breakfast items, acai bowls, and beverages to patients, visitors, and healthcare staff. It supplements in-store dining with 24/7 Smart Fridges, corporate catering, a loyalty program, a coffee membership, and gift cards.

Product overview

Root & Sprig is a unified fast-casual restaurant concept with multiple operational formats. The core offering is a seasonally curated menu of sandwiches, salads, wraps, breakfast items, acai bowls, and beverages served at healthcare facility locations. This is complemented by Smart Fridges for 24/7 grab-and-go access, Catering Services for events and meetings, a Sandwich Loyalty Program (buy 9 get 1 free), and a Coffee Membership (unlimited coffee for a flat fee). Gift cards provide additional customer engagement. The company operates multiple named location menus (Penn School of Medicine, Hospital of U Penn Clifton Center) but these are the same core menu offered at different facilities rather than distinct product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Root & Sprig Fast-Casual Restaurant
• Smart Fridges
• Catering Services
• Sandwich Loyalty Program
• Coffee Membership
• Gift Cards

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Health Hospitality PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Root & Sprig partners with Health Hospitality Partners to operate their food concepts within healthcare facilities. This partnership enables Root & Sprig to bring healthy, chef-driven food options to hospitals and healthcare settings, addressing the lack of quality food options for healthcare workers and patients.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Sweetgreen: Largest U.S. fast-casual salad and bowl chain with a mission-driven, healthy-eating positioning. Operates in a similar price tier and target customer (urban professionals seeking healthier meal options) as Root & Sprig's core menu.
• Chop't Creative Salad Company: East Coast fast-casual salad chain with similar menu focus and urban healthcare/office lunch occasion overlap. Competes for the same health-conscious workday lunch customer.
• CAVA: Fast-casual Mediterranean bowls, salads, and pitas with a health-forward, chef-inspired menu. Directly comparable in service model (counter-order, customizable bowls) and ingredient quality positioning to Root & Sprig.
• Just Salad: Fast-casual chain specializing in salads, wraps, and bowls with a sustainability and wellness positioning. Closely comparable to Root & Sprig on menu structure, price point, and weekday lunch occasion.

Broad incumbents

• Pret a Manger: Established fast-casual chain with a long history of operating inside hospitals, universities, and corporate locations. Comparable as a broad incumbent that already serves Root & Sprig's healthcare and corporate catering channels.
• Aramark Healthcare: Major contracted foodservice provider for hospitals and healthcare systems. Represents the traditional in-house hospital dining competitor that Root & Sprig is positioned to displace with its branded concept.
• Panera Bread: National fast-casual chain with a broad menu of sandwiches, salads, soups, and coffee. Has historically operated inside hospitals and healthcare facilities, making it a relevant incumbent in Root & Sprig's venue category.
• Sodexo Healthcare: Large contract foodservice operator serving hospitals and healthcare facilities globally. Comparable as the legacy incumbent whose cafeteria model Root & Sprig's branded, chef-driven approach is designed to compete against.

Emerging players

• DIG: Fast-casual bowls, salads, and warm plates with a chef-driven, seasonal menu. Closely comparable to Root & Sprig on quality and ingredient positioning, though focused on urban street retail rather than healthcare venues.
• Salad and Go: Fast-growing drive-thru salad and wrap concept with an aggressive unit-economics playbook. Comparable as an emerging healthy fast-casual peer with a similar price-sensitive, healthy menu orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rootandsprig
• Instagraminstagram.com/rootandsprig
• TikToktiktok.com/@rootandsprig
• Xx.com/rootandsprig
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rootandsprig

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Root & Sprig