"Munch Madness: CAVA vs. sweetgreen with Adam Pally" is Episode 387 of Doughboys, hosted by Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell. "Munch Madness: CAVA vs. sweetgreen with Adam Pally" was released on March 2, 2023.
"Tomorrow… Munch Madness 2023: The Tournament of Chompions: BOWL begins… with Adam Pally @adampally" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Adam Pally (Happy Endings, 101 Places to Party Before You Die, Who Invited Charlie?) joins the 'boys and Commissioner Evan Susser to set up the rules for Munch Madness 2023 and kick off The Tournament of Chompions: BOWL!
Nick's intro[]
bowl
Approximately 20,000 years ago, neolithic Chinese potters pioneered the concave serving-and-eating basin that remains an essential part of any kitchen: the bowl. This versatile vessel has become the most utilized dish in the world, besting even its flatter sibling, the plate.
And while Americans have always eaten out of bowls, be they filled with soup or salad, the bowl-focused chain restaurant is a relatively recent phenomenon, spawning from a market demand for healthier and/or budget-friendly yet filling meals ready to eat.
And so it falls to this podcast to settle: Whose bowls make us say “bravo?”
Eight wannabes enter in four first-round matchups:
- The Poke Region: Poké Bar v Sweetfin
- The Açaí Region: Jamba v Pressed
- The Rumblies Region: Chipotle v Yoshinoya
And this week, the Work Lunch Region, which matches up two fast-growing fast-casual concepts that have found success as go-tos for the once-cubicle-now-Zoom set: CAVA, an endlessly customizable Mediterranean outlet founded in 2011 by a trio of Greek-American friends, with 250 locations nationwide. And sweetgreen, the hipster farm-to-table approximation founded in 2007 by a triforce of college classmates, with 150 outlets across the 'land of opportunity'.
Both headquartered in our nations’ capital, Washington, DC, and both currently lurking on the outside of the Golden Plate Club, which of these office-drone filling stations will advance in the quest for the most hallowed trophy in chain-restaurant podcasting, the Dave Thomas Cup — or shall we say, the Dave Thomas Bowl?
We shall: It’s the Dave Thomas Bowl now!
This week on Doughboys — the first quarter-pounder final matchup of Munch Madness 2023: The Tournament of Chompions: BOWL: Work Lunch Region — CAVA vs sweetgreen!
Let's a-go!
BOWL: Rules 📜[]
Commissioner Susser joins the pod to welcome us all to Munch Madness 2023: The Tournament of Chompions: BOWL.
They agree to following rules, some of which rhyme.
- Salad ain't valid. No salads!
- Chili is silly. No simple bowls of chili.
- Stew won't do. Bowl viscosity must be stew-level at minimum. Goop not soup!
- When it comes to strikes, we're at the bowling alley. Strikes are good! Three strikes and you are in. Nobody knows what a strike is yet.
Drinks are in the gutter. Sides are also in the gutter.(Adam Pally talks Susser into allowing drinks and sides in this Tournament.)- Cookies are ookie. Cookies cannot be considered, but it must be asked: is Christmas a cookie holiday?
- When it comes to bread, there is more that will be said.
- Silverware and the bowl itself can be factored in to the decision.
BOWL: Work Lunch Region 🍲[]
The Doughboys prior review of CAVA was in 2019, when Nick gave it 3.5 forks and Mitch 3.75.
They also previously reviewed sweetgreen twice. First, in 2016, when everyone gave it 4 forks and it made the Golden Plate Club. A year later, Nick would canonically bump his score to 5 forks in this episode. Then in 2022, they returned and Nick gave it 4.5 and Mitch 3.75, and it fell out of the Golden Plate Club.
| guest / host | ordered from CAVA | ordered from sweetgreen |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
|
| Mike Mitchell |
|
|
| Adam Pally |
|
|
BOWL: Work Lunch Region: Scoring 🍲[]
For this Tournament, The Doughboys rate the bowls on their Greens, Grains, Proteins, Dips/Dressing, Bowl, and Silverware/Drinks/Bread. They do not rate numerically or on any scale, but just say which one they prefer.
| guest / host | Greens | Grains | Proteins | Dips/Dressing | Bowl | Silverware/Drinks/Bread/Treat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | CAVA | sweetgreen | CAVA | CAVA | CAVA | sweetgreen |
| Mike Mitchell | sweetgreen | CAVA | CAVA | tie | CAVA | sweetgreen |
| Adam Pally | sweetgreen | sweetgreen | sweetgreen | sweetgreen | CAVA | CAVA |
BOWL: Work Lunch Region: Results 🍲[]
The Dude, Donny, and Walter
Which of these bowls are being given to The Dude in The Big Lebowski and is so good that it resurrects Donny back to life?
The winning bowl gets a strike. (Three strikes and you're in. Turkeys are good! But also two strikes is a 7-10 split decision and you advance as well.)
If it loses, it is declared a gutterball and is given to The Man.
| guest / host | who gets the strike? |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | CAVA |
| Mike Mitchell | CAVA |
| Adam Pally | sweetgreen |
CAVA gets two strikes! Thus it is a 7-10 split decision, given to The Dude, and advances to the next round. Mitch immediately regrets his vote.
sweetgreen is given to The Man, and will compete in Fat Chance Kitchen.
Is Christmas A Cookie Holiday? 🎄🍪[]
| guest | is Christmas a cookie holiday? |
|---|---|
| Adam Pally | yes. you leave them out for Santa. no other holiday is. |
Does Matzah Ball Soup Come With Chicken By Default? 🥣🐔[]
| guest | does matzah ball soup come with chicken by default? |
|---|---|
| Adam Pally | no |
Roast Spoonman[]
Usain Bolt
| “ | Usain Bowl | ” |
–John from NH | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | I think Nick is actually an insider on the Reddit who has a bunch of burner names and goes on there and is like 'did anyone else hear Mitch do this bullshit today?' | ” |
–Adam Pally | ||
| “ | The Dry Bowl sounds like the gathering of all my exes together in one spot. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | This whole month is kind of depressing. None of this is fun to eat. | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
#hashtags[]
- #HowQuicklyWouldYouEatMe
The Feedbag[]
| “ | A sailor recently survived being lost at sea for 24 days, only eating ketchup and garlic powder. If you could only eat one condiment and one spice for 24 days, what would it be? | ” |
–Steve | ||
| guest / host | condiment + spice |
|---|---|
| Nick Wigerr | zhoug or hoisin sauce and cinnamon |
| Mike Mitchell | gravy and cinnamon |
| Adam Pally | guacamole and chili flakes
soy sauce and onion powder |
Related Episodes[]
| Adam Pally episodes | CAVA episodes | sweetgreen episodes | BOWL episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Photos[]
