The Hummus and Pita Co.

What The Hummus and Pita Co. does

The Hummus & Pita Co. is a Mediterranean fast casual restaurant chain founded in 2012 and headquartered at 585 6th Avenue in New York City. The company operates 7+ brick-and-mortar locations across five U.S. states — New York (Chelsea, Tribeca, Upper East Side), Connecticut (Brookfield), New Jersey (Holmdel), Michigan (Auburn Hills), and Georgia (Dunwoody) — serving build-your-own bowls, pitas, plates, and sides with an explicit focus on vegan and gluten-free options. Its menu centers on signature items such as the Shawarma Bowl, Falafel Bowl, Gyro Mini Bowl, Gyro Hero, Steak Bowl, and a plant-based Vegan Shawarma Mini Bowl, with unit pricing ranging from $1 for homemade pita to $18.45 for steak bowls.

The company runs its digital storefront on the Popmenu platform, which provides online ordering for pickup and delivery, menu management, customer reviews (including a $500-prize review incentive), and VIP email marketing. Customer engagement is supplemented by social media presence (Facebook), earned-media coverage in VegNews, EatThis, Business Insider, and Restaurant News, and corporate catering services for groups of 10-100+ guests with free delivery on orders over $700. Menu innovation has included hummus milkshakes (2018) and dehydrated-vegetable vegan shawarma (2019), positioning the brand as a leader in the emerging Mediterranean fast casual category per 2023-2024 media coverage.

The business generates revenue through three streams: direct food and beverage sales at restaurant locations, corporate and private-event catering, and franchise fees and royalties from a formal franchise program launched in 2024 (minimum $250k liquid capital requirement, with international opportunities for large-territory investors). The company is privately held with founder Janice Axelrod identified as the lead; the only disclosed institutional capital is a 2017 Kitchen Fund round. No venture capital, private equity, or strategic investor involvement is evident in the source data.

Name

The Hummus and Pita Co.

Legal name

The Hummus & Pita Co.

Website

https://hummusandpitas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hummus & Pita Co. is a Mediterranean fast casual restaurant chain operating 7+ locations across five U.S. states. It serves customizable bowls, pitas, and plates emphasizing vegan and gluten-free options, and runs a franchise program targeting U.S. and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (72232)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Middle Eastern & Mediterranean QSR (Kebab, Shawarma, Falafel) (THAFAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Wellness / Functional Fast Casual (macro-counted, high-protein, allergen-friendly) (THAFABAO), Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)

Keywords

• Mediterranean fast casual
• Restaurant chain
• Build-your-own bowls
• Vegan Mediterranean food
• Catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: Direct food and beverage sales from multiple restaurant locations. Customers order and pay for meals at physical locations or through online ordering. Revenue generated from individual transactions at varying price points from $1 for basic pita to $18.45 for steak bowls.
2. Catering Services: Corporate and private event catering serving groups from 10 to 100+ guests. Offers Mediterranean favorites including falafel, shawarma, rice bowls, hummus, and pita platters. Free delivery on orders over $700.
3. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise opportunity requiring minimum $250k liquid capital from franchisees. International opportunities available for qualified groups investing in large territories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Hummus & Pita Co. is a Mediterranean fast casual restaurant chain that serves build-your-own bowls, pitas, and plates made from scratch with a focus on vegan, gluten-free, and healthy options. The company operates 7+ company-owned and franchised locations across the U.S. and offers catering services for groups of 10 to 100+ guests along with a franchise program.

Product overview

The Hummus & Pita Co. is a Mediterranean fast casual restaurant chain offering fresh, made-from-scratch Mediterranean cuisine. The product portfolio centers on build-your-own bowls and pita sandwiches featuring signature items including shawarma bowls, falafel bowls, gyro options, and the vegan shawarma. The menu emphasizes vegan, gluten-free, and healthy options including the popular Spanish eggplant side and homemade pita bread. The company operates through a combination of corporate locations and franchise opportunities, with catering services available for events. Key products include signature bowls (Shawarma Bowl, Falafel Bowl, Gyro Mini Bowl, Steak Bowl), pita sandwiches (Falafel Pita, Gyro Hero, Perfect Pita), plant-based options (Vegan Shawarma Mini Bowl), and sides (Spanish Eggplant, Homemade Pita). The company positions itself as a fast casual leader in the emerging Mediterranean category.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple media features including EatThis ranking as one of 11 Best Mediterranean Restaurant Chains in the U.S.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PopmenucoreTechnology or IntegrationPopmenu provides the website platform, online ordering system, and customer engagement tools for The Hummus & Pita Co. This includes the order online functionality, menu management, customer review systems, and VIP email marketing capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Pita Pit: Pita Pit is a fast casual franchise specializing in pita-based sandwiches with Mediterranean influences. It is a direct peer given pita-centric menu format, franchise business model, and similar price points.
• The Halal Guys: The Halal Guys is a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean QSR concept originating in NYC, famous for platters, gyros, and falafel. It is a direct peer given similar Mediterranean cuisine focus, NYC origin, and counter-service format with overlapping menu items (shawarma, falafel, hummus, pita).
• Zoës Kitchen: Zoës Kitchen was a Mediterranean fast casual chain serving bowls, pitas, and plates with similar menu architecture to The Hummus & Pita Co. (acquired by CAVA Group). It was a direct competitor in the Mediterranean fast casual category.
• Taim: Taim is a fast casual Mediterranean restaurant chain specializing in falafel and hummus with NYC locations. It is a direct peer given overlapping Mediterranean cuisine focus, NYC presence, and signature hummus/falafel positioning.
• CAVA: CAVA is the largest Mediterranean fast casual restaurant chain in the US with hundreds of locations and a multi-billion dollar market capitalization. It is the most directly comparable peer given overlapping Mediterranean cuisine focus, build-your-own bowl format, and similar target customer (health-conscious urban diners).
• Miznon: Miznon is a Mediterranean fast casual concept specializing in pita-based dishes with locations in NYC and internationally. It is a direct peer given overlapping pita-centric menu format and Mediterranean cuisine focus.
• Cava Mezze: Cava Mezze (now part of CAVA Group) was the original fast casual Mediterranean concept that evolved into the public CAVA brand. It serves as a direct peer reference point for the Mediterranean fast casual category positioning.
• Taboon: Taboon is a Mediterranean restaurant in NYC featuring taboon oven-baked bread and Mediterranean dishes. It is a direct peer given overlapping NYC presence, Mediterranean cuisine focus, and use of signature cooking equipment (taboon oven mentioned in The Hummus & Pita's steak bowl).

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is a publicly traded health-focused fast casual chain. While not Mediterranean-specific, it is a broad incumbent peer in the healthy fast casual space with overlapping health-conscious customer base, customizable bowls, and similar urban location strategy.

Regional players

• Saucey: Saucey is a fast casual concept serving customizable Mediterranean/Middle Eastern grain bowls. It is an emerging peer in the customizable Mediterranean bowl category serving similar health-conscious urban customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHummusandPitaco
• Xx.com/hummusandpitaco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Hummus and Pita Co.