Cava reported same-store sales growth of 9.7% during the first quarter, which included traffic growth of 6.8%. This marks its strongest quarterly comparables since Q1 2025 when it posted 10.8% growth, according to an earnings release shared with Restaurant Dive.
“We’re certainly pleased with the quarter,” CFO Tricia Tolivar said in an interview with Restaurant Dive. “We remain steadfast on our long-term strategy of really fulfilling our mission to bring heart, health, and humanity to food, and we believe consumers are responding well to that focus.”
Cava’s results far outpaced its fast casual rivals, with Sweetgreen and Wingstop posting some of their worst-ever comparable sales during Q1 2026. Cava also upgraded its full-year guidance for same-restaurant sales to increase between 4.5% to 6% compared to its previous prediction of 3% to 5% growth.
Despite fast casual fare’s higher prices compared to most fast food menus, Tolivar said Cava has a strong value proposition. The chain has kept price increases below the consumer price index by more than 50%, which she said is “translating very well with our guests overall.”
“We’re creating a bit of a bridge in a K-shaped economy and becoming very accessible for the low-income cohorts,” Tolivar said. “When we look at our restaurant stratified based on median household income, we're seeing tremendous strength in the lower income cohorts.”
Cava is also performing well across age groups and geographic regions, she added.
“These results, which include the lap of strong prior year comparisons, speak to the structural strength of our business, the resonance of our compelling value proposition, and our position as the dominant leader in Mediterranean – all of which fuel our confidence to sustain this momentum going forward,” Cava CEO and co-founder Brett Schulman said in a statement.
Strong results from new openings
Cava has also been leaning heavily on new openings and opened 20 net units during the quarter, including within new markets in Cincinnati, St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio. Cava expects 75 to 77 openings this year, according to an earnings release.
All of its new stores were built under the Project Soul design that includes warmer tones, greenery, softer seating and a more inviting environment, Tolivar said. In 2025, Cava’s new stores only had some of the elements of this design, she said.
“We’re receiving positive feedback from team members and customers,” Tolivar said. “The team members enjoy the restaurants and the environment that they’re in and … a happy team member yields a happy guest and ultimately a happy P&L.”
Cava is also developing a strong pipeline of team members through its Flavor Your Future initiative, which launched in October, where the chain is committed to “attracting, developing and retaining future leaders of the business to continue this tremendous momentum that we have,” Tolivar said.
The chain also introduced an assistant general manager role to expand its pool of role-ready leaders to open new restaurants as they move into the general manager position. The new position also provides a resource for general managers and team members to elevate the guest experience.
Leaning into new flavors
Cava also expanded its menu to include glazed salmon in April, which is already seeing positive results and feedback from team members and guests, Tolivar said.
“We believe that menu innovation fuels guest demand and certainly introducing our first seafood item is a key milestone for us,” Tolivar said.
Menu innovation is a long process for Cava, and the salmon, which includes pomegranate, dates and molasses flavors, took nearly two years to develop, Tolivar said.
The chain is also going through the stage-gate process for testing garlic roasted shrimp in the New Jersey area, Nashville and Eastern Tennessee, she said.
“We want to understand how the team members respond to it and how guests respond to it,” Tolivar said. “We’ll continue to evolve and evaluate that during the stage-gate process and bring it to market if it does indeed make sense.”
