Nathaniel Ru

Nathaniel Ru is the Co-Founder & Chief Brand Officer of sweetgreen, the mission driven restaurant brand that serves healthy food at scale.

Nathaniel and his co-founders started sweetgreen in 2007, opening their first location in Georgetown, DC, just three months out of college.

On his morning routine.

I’m usually up before 7 AM most days. 

I swear by my analog alarm clock and leave my phone charging in the bathroom. I started doing this almost 6 years ago, and credit it to dramatically improving my sleep.

During quarantine, music has been a big part of my mornings. I normally listen to jazz as I get ready for the day.

It’s my preferred form of meditation in the morning. 

After my shower, I’ll go on a short walk with my dog, Joni, to clear my head before I dive into work.

On the early days.

When we first launched sweetgreen, my morning routine used to be much more unpredictable than it is now. 

During those first years we were working in the restaurant every day so we had to be up early to accept deliveries and get ahead of the lunch rush.

I’d just get up, shower, and get right to work.

Even though it’s been 15 years, it still feels like the beginning! I really cherish those early days in DC. It still feels like home to me and has been the blueprint for sweetgreen as we have expanded.

On his co-founder relationships.

I’ve been working with my two co-founders Jon and Nic for the last 15 years. To this day, the three of us still share one office.  

All of our wives joke that we prepared each other for marriage given how much time we’ve spent together.

But continuing to invest in our relationship is a big part of our dynamic. What’s worked for us over the years is finding the balance of doing vs. being.  

We each have our functional roles that include company strategy, managing projects and leading teams. However, as co-founders, we’ve realized how useful it is to carve out sacred time to re-connect to what’s important, and just be.  

In doing so, we started a standing monthly dinner for the three of us and have an annual offsite to disconnect from work and email and just hang out.

It’s an opportunity for us to think creatively about the future of sweetgreen while investing quality time into the co-founder relationship.

On protecting offline time.

I’ve invested a lot of attention and energy in protecting time for my family and friends. Without that sacred time, what’s the point of working nonstop? 

I usually frontload my week so I can keep my Thursdays and Fridays a little more flexible. It’s given me more time to write as well, be it short or long-form writing. 

I’ve found that I’m at my best when I can find more time to write.

Whether I’m solving for the lowest level of detail or articulating long-term thinking, writing helps me focus on what is important, not just urgent.  It can take the form of a lengthy strategic document or a simple handwritten thank you note. 

A friend once told me, “Don’t let your calendar dictate your to-do list. Let your to-do list dictate your calendar.”

It’s something that’s stuck with me ever since.

On diet and fitness.

I normally skip breakfast but will tend to drink green tea every morning, rarely coffee.

Most days, I’ll have sweetgreen for lunch, then my wife and I will cook something for dinner. I’m not overly prescriptive on my diet, but I do believe in eating healthy and clean for the most part.

I believe food can be the best medicine, so if you can balance that throughout your day, it’s a very powerful tool.

Regarding exercise, I’ve always loved surfing but haven’t been able to go out as much due to quarantine. As a result, I’ve switched to doing a lot more cycling around LA — it’s the best way to see the city and clear my head.

On his nightly routine.

Depending on work, I’ll start winding down between 7 and 8 PM. 

Most of us can agree that the transition from working at home to dinner at home can be challenging during these times.  My wife, Vanessa, and I have found that the ritual of playing a few games of backgammon has made a difference.

It’s a small but important moment because it allows us the time to unwind, catch up on the day and also enjoy some friendly competition.

Most nights we’ll cook up a healthy-ish dinner, always without our phones.  We normally end our night with mint tea.