CAVA (NYSE: CAVA), the category-defining Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand, today announced the opening of its first restaurant in the Chicago area, marking the company’s entry into the upper Midwest market. CAVA Wicker Park will bring the company’s total restaurant count to 325 across 25 states and the District of Columbia. With a target of 1,000 locations by 2032, the company is quickly growing its national footprint. It opened 72 net new restaurants in 2023 and expects at least 15 percent growth in 2024 and 2025.
CAVA Wicker Park, located at 1484 N. Milwaukee Avenue, is a 3,100-square-foot location with a 30-seat dining room, digital order pick-up and delivery, and an expanded kitchen for centralized catering production. The restaurant will be open daily from 10:45 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time.
CAVA’s authentic Mediterranean-inspired cuisine features curated and customizable bowls and pitas, with a wide range of mains such as harissa honey chicken and spicy lamb meatballs, flavorful greens and grains, dips, spreads, dressings, and toppings. The brand also offers handcrafted juices and is famous for its cult-favorite pita chips, Crazy Feta® dip, and garlic and skhug dressings.
“Our success in new and existing markets demonstrates the power of our category-defining Mediterranean concept,” said Brett Schulman, Co-Founder and CEO of CAVA. “We are excited to bring CAVA to the upper Midwest and, as we welcome Chicagoans to our table, we look forward to becoming part of the community and delivering on our mission of bringing heart, health, and humanity to food.”
The day before a new restaurant opens, CAVA invites its new neighbors to enjoy a free meal, accepts guests’ donations to local organizations dedicated to food security, and matches those donations up to $1,000. In keeping with this tradition, the company will host the Wicker Park Community Day today, with proceeds supporting Dion’s Chicago Dream, a nonprofit fighting food insecurity in Chicago. In addition – and in partnership with Food Rescue US — the restaurant has donated the fresh meals made during pre-opening team member training to community members in need.
CAVA commissioned local Chicago-based artist, Alyssa Low, to design a custom mural for the restaurant interior.
To learn more about CAVA, follow @CAVA on social channels, including TikTok,Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
About CAVA
CAVA is the category-defining Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand, bringing together healthful food and bold, satisfying flavors at scale. Our brand and our opportunity transcend the Mediterranean category to compete in the large and growing limited-service restaurant sector as well as the health and wellness food category. CAVA serves guests across gender lines, age groups, and income levels and benefits from generational tailwinds created by consumer demand for healthy living and a demographic shift toward greater ethnic diversity. We meet consumers’ desires to engage with convenient, authentic, purpose-driven brands that view food as a source of self-expression. The broad appeal of our food combined with these favorable industry trends drive our vast opportunity for continued growth.
