In the fast-casual space, Cava has dominated the Mediterranean niche with no near competitors and industry-busting traffic trends. It looks like Chipotle would like a piece of that action.
For the first time since it invested in—and later closed—the tiny Pizzeria Locale chain in Colorado last year, Chipotle has invested in another restaurant brand. And, not surprisingly, it’s a Mediterranean concept.
But it's not Cava.
Chipotle on Tuesday said its $100 million Cultivate Next venture fund has made a minority investment in the six-unit Brassica, a Columbus, Ohio-based fast-casual concept founded in 2015. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
With a menu that appears very similar to the Greek-inspired Cava, Brassica describes itself as more Eastern Mediterranean with its flavors. It is known for its signature falafel, which are described as “just made” in-house from a proprietary blend of chickpeas, herbs and spices.
“Falafel is at its best when it’s fresh, hot and crispy. We work hard to serve it that way, because we believe it’s better,” said Brassica’s Director of Operations Matt LaGrow, in a press release last year when the sixth location opened in Cleveland.
Also on the menu at Brassica are harissa-rubbed beef brisket and chicken shawarma, along with plenty of vegetable dishes, hummus and babaganoush.
Like Chipotle, the meat is raised without antibiotics and vegetables are mostly locally sourced, Brassica boasts on its website. All units are company owned.
Unlike Chipotle, Brassica serves beer and wine, as well as seasoned fries, a minty lemonade and dessert: a tahini chocolate chip cookie. (Some Chipotle locations serve beer and margaritas, but it varies by market.)
Brassica was reportedly founded by CEO Kevin Malhame and his wife Katy Malhame, who also founded the full-service Northstar Café in Columbus, Ohio, along with Kevin’s brother Darren Malhame. The brothers have Lebanese roots.
Northstar Cafe also lists six locations on its website. The company did not immediately respond to requests for more information.
The Newport Beach, California-based Chipotle also has a presence in Ohio, where in 2022 the more than 3,000-unit chain opened a restaurant support center in Columbus that houses about 400 employees. The office is a five-minute drive from a nearby Brassica location.
For years, Cava has been dubbed in headlines as “the next Chipotle.” Cava CEO Brett Schulman has long argued that Cava represents the same type of “cultural cuisine,” though with an entirely different culture and flavor profile.
Ending the second quarter with 341 units, Cava is by far the largest Mediterranean chain. The next largest would be Taziki’s Mediterranean, which ended 2023 with 93 locations, according to Restaurant Business sister brand Technomic Ignite.
Much of Cava’s growth came from the acquisition of the more than 300-unit Zoe’s Kitchen in 2018 in a $300 million deal that was funded largely by former Panera Bread CEO Ron Shaich’s Act III Holdings fund. Most of those units were converted to Cava and some were closed.
Chipotle’s earlier investment in Pizzeria Locale, meanwhile, did not lead to significant growth for that brand. There were five locations when the pizza concept shuttered last year. Pizzeria Locale was co-created by acclaimed Colorado chefs Lachlan MacKinnon-Patterson and Bobby Stuckey, who are known for Frasca Food and Wine.
Chipotle has also made several attempts at launching secondary brands of its own, including ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, which reached 15 units before being closed, and a brief experiment with a burger concept (Tasty Made). Chipotle toyed with launching a new concept called Farmesa last year, but pulled the plug after a test.
For Brassica, the funding from Cultivate Next will help the brand open new units and expand to new markets, said Nate Lawton, Chipotle’s chief business development officer, in a statement.
“Investing in emerging culinary concepts that align with Chipotle’s commitment to using real, fresh ingredients and making craveable food daily is consistent with our mission to cultivate a better world,” Lawton said.
What the brand's growth plans are from here, however, remain to be seen.
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