CAVA serves Mediterranean bowls, pitas and salads built to order from a base, a protein, dips and toppings. Guests move down a line choosing each layer before a dressing finishes the order. Crazy Feta, hummus and other dips carry over from the counter into grocery stores nationwide.
Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos and Dimitri Moshovitis built the concept from a single Mediterranean restaurant into a public company. The section below traces that path from a 2006 opening to today’s national footprint.
CAVA History
The three founders grew up together. Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos and Dimitri Moshovitis opened Cava Mezze, a sit-down Mediterranean restaurant, in Rockville, Maryland in 2006. It built a following on fresh, made-to-order cooking rather than a fast-food format. The founders opened the first fast-casual CAVA in Bethesda, Maryland in January 2011, built around a build-your-own bowl and pita line.
Franchising carried the concept across the Mid-Atlantic through the 2010s. CAVA Group then acquired Zoes Kitchen in August 2018, a deal running close to 300 million dollars that added hundreds of restaurants overnight. Running two brands made little sense. The company converted or closed every Zoes Kitchen location, wrapping up by May 2023.
The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange on June 15, 2023, under the ticker CAVA. Grocery dips like Crazy Feta carry the name beyond the counter. Brett Schulman joined in 2009, helped shape the shift to fast-casual, and now serves as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. The chain trades from 476 restaurants across 29 states and Washington, D.C.
CAVA Menus & Details
Three pages carry the detail below, covering the printed board, off-menu builds and declared allergens.
CAVA Menu Prices
Six proteins set the tier on both Bowls and Pitas, from a shared base up to premium builds. The CAVA Menu Prices page adds a calorie count and a price to every section.
CAVA Secret Menu
Off-menu builds like the Crazy Feta Bomb Bowl carry names regulars use when ordering. The CAVA Secret Menu covers each one and how to order it.
CAVA Allergen Menu
Sesame, milk and wheat turn up across most of the board’s dips, breads and dressings. The CAVA Allergen Menu carries the full breakdown by item.