Fast-Casual Chain Dig Inn Will Open a Sit-Down Restaurant With Funding From Danny Meyer

Hospitality’s golden boy Danny Meyer has invested in American fast-casual chain Dig Inn. Meyer’s investment fund Enlightened Hospitality Investments is backing expansion efforts for the veggie-centric bowl chain to the tune of $15 million, of which some money will go toward opening a full-service restaurant in the West Village.

Details about the restaurant are not yet available, but the funds will also be used to open more fast-casual locations in NYC as well as Boston and Philadelphia, as well as expand its culinary training program for first-time kitchen workers. Money will also go toward Dig Inn’s new delivery service, which will expand to first include all of downtown Manhattan and then the full borough, according to Dig Inn founder Adam Eskin.

Eskin announced the new partnership Tuesday on Medium, highlighting the hospitality quality that Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group empire is known for, even if that’s been called into question in recent years.

In a statement, Meyer praised Eskin for building “an uplifting workplace culture, fueled by a shared commitment to thoughtful people practices, sourcing, and now growing, vegetables responsibly.” He also noted that Union Square Hospitality Group restaurants are already serving produce from Dig Inn’s farm program, Dig Farm.

Enlightened Hospitality Investments launched in 2016, and Joe Coffee was one of the first recipients of funding. Tender Greens, which has a similar format to Dig Inn, has also been backed by the group.

Dig Inn debuted in NYC in 2011 and has 21 locations in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. There are also three locations in Boston.