Cava

Operations

Cava is ready to bring its bowls to the Midwest

The Mediterranean fast casual will debut Friday in Chicago, and the chain’s co-founder said it plans to open “a bunch” of restaurants to the Windy City and its suburbs.

Leadership

The 2024 Pacesetter Award goes to: Cava

The newly public fast-casual chain Cava has carved out a sweet spot with a fresh and healthful Mediterranean menu with broad appeal. The brand was honored at the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix on Sunday.

The Mediterranean fast casual is planning to enhance restaurant ambiance to make locations more inviting for dine-in. Also steak is coming to the menu.

Now comes the hard work of lapping a strong first year as a public company, but the fast-casual chain is well positioned for more "normalized" growth.

Though Mediterranean cuisine has been growing across the U.S. for decades, the newly public Cava is drawing attention to the fast-casual niche. Here is a look at 8 growing restaurant chains positioned to ride the wave of interest.

Cava, the newly public fast-casual chain called "the next Chipotle" by investors, and Noodles & Co., which held that title a decade ago, just reported two very different quarters that are a study in contrasts—and offer a warning for Cava.

The honeymoon continues for the newly public fast-casual Mediterranean chain, but officials say there are challenges ahead.

After its June IPO, the fast-casual chain came out of the gate strong, with second-quarter traffic up more than 10%.

The Bottom Line: The former CEO of Panera Bread hammered Wall Street for its short-sightedness after his company was sold. His comments were different following the Cava Group IPO last week.

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual Mediterranean chain is the latest to draw enthusiasm from investors hoping they’ve found a company that could come close to Chipotle’s return.

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