By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — Sweetgreen, a restaurant chain that promotes healthy, sustainable foods, harvested a crowd of customers Tuesday at the opening of its new location at the Compo Acres shopping center.

The Sweetgreen restaurant, in space previously occupied by OrganicKrush at 374 Post Road East, welcomed diners to the latest of the business’s 240 locations nationwide, according to Pamela Haber, senior director of development, who was in town Tuesday for the Westport grand opening. Nearby, Sweetgreen has shops in Darien and Greenwich..

Sweetgreen’s expansion into Connecticut came after its outlets became popular in New York City and the chain followed fans as New Yorkers moved to Connecticut, she said.

Also moving from New York to Connecticut was Angeline Gomez, the manager of the new Westport store, known as “head coach” in Sweetgreen parlance. The mother of two young children, she has been in the restaurant business for more than a decade, she said, including four years working at a New York City Sweetgreen.

“Thanks to Westport for the warm welcome,” Gomez said as she surveyed diners who started arriving at 10:30 a.m. for the shop’s opening.

Sweetgreen staffers were dishing out ingredients along the serving line as customers selected their meals from the many options.

Although the chain is known for vegetarian offerings, steak joined chicken and fish on the menu this spring.

Gomez said she particularly likes the miso-glazed salmon with avocado and rice. Also featured on the menu posted in the store and online are caramelized garlic steak and hot honey chicken.

The restaurant’s offerings include a variety of protein plates and bowls of mixed ingredients, plus a selection of salads, side dishes including focaccia bread and hummus, and children’s meals. A “create your own” meal option is also available.

Information on the menu, in addition to ingredients, lists a meal’s calories, protein, carbs and fat content.

There is seating for more than 50 diners in the Westport store, as well as outdoor seating. Take-out and delivery also are available.

Sweetgreen, 374 Post Road East, is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Call: 475-471-0863. Information and online ordering is available at sweetgreen.com.

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Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.