Dive Brief:
- Cava debuted its new loyalty program on Thursday, with three tiers based on points earned in a given year, giving consumers escalating rewards.
- Members who have earned no points will be in the Sea tier; members who earned 1,500 points will be in the Sand tier; members who earned more than 4,500 points will be in the Sun tier.
- Cava’s loyalty program has undergone a series of evolutions in the last couple of years, shifting from a spend-based program to a points-based one, and now a tiered system.
Dive Insight:
Cava’s status matching program could also help draw in consumers from other major brands. From Oct. 13 to Nov. 23, rewards members who prove they hold elevated statuses in select loyalty programs from other brands, including Sephora, Starbucks, American Airlines and Hyatt, can be matched into the Sand or Sun tiers for the remainder of 2025, according to an emailed statement.
The status matching also gives members a leg up on 2026 tiers: “while enjoying their matched status, members will earn points quicker that count toward their 2026 level,” Cava said in the press release.
Like many restaurant brands — including Chipotle, Dunkin’ and Starbucks — the core of Cava’s program is a basic dollar-for-points discounting program with more perks layered on top of this structure. Cava’s program offers consumers 10 points for every dollar spent in the Sea tier, 11 points in the Sand tier and 12 points in the Sun tier, according to its site.
To analyze the discounts offered by Cava’s rewards program, Restaurant Dive selected representative menu items from each of the different redemption tiers: an order of classic pita chips, a cookie, a Kid’s Meal without costly customizations and the brand’s Chicken Shawarma entree, which is roughly in the middle of its price range. Restaurant Dive used menu prices at a Washington, D.C., Cava in an inner-city residential neighborhood.
Restaurant Dive analyzed the cost to redeem each item for members of the different tiers, though accumulating enough points to redeem an entree would push consumers out of the Sea tier.
Cava's discount rates by tier
All tiers grant consumers perks, including a birthday gift, occasional surprise offers, end of year gifts, early notice of new items and locations and periods in which the rate of points accrual is increased, which the company terms multiplier events. The Sea tier’s multiplier events offer double points, while Sand grants triple points and Sun gives quadruple points during multiplier events.
Consumers in the Sand tier can nab a $0 delivery fee once a quarter, while Sun tier members get the same benefit thrice a quarter and gain access to exclusive events.
With value top of mind for many consumers, loyalty programs have emerged as a point of competition between major brands, leading to frequent changes to program structure as brands look to incentivize specific consumer behaviors.
In just the last month, Dunkin’ reworked its program — reducing most discounts. Krystal added its first loyalty program using a points-based system. Jimmy John’s converted from surprise-and-delight to a points-based program. Cracker Barrel said the power of its loyalty program is aiding in its recovery from the chain’s recent logo debacle.