Zoes Kitchen
CAVA is a US Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain offering customizable bowls, pitas, and salads via dine-in locations, catering, mobile apps, grocery retail, and an e-commerce merchandise shop serving health-conscious consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersPlano, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Zoes Kitchen does
CAVA is a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain operating in the United States under the DBA "CAVA Mediterranean Food & Greek Inspired Restaurants." Its core offering is a build-your-own menu of bowls, pitas, and salads featuring proteins such as salmon, steak, chicken, and plant-based options, complemented by house-made sauces and fresh ingredients. The brand is positioned around healthy, customizable Mediterranean cuisine for health-conscious consumers, with a secondary use case in corporate and event catering and a tertiary use case in at-home consumption through grocery retail distribution.
The company's underlying technology stack is centered on a consumer-facing mobile ordering platform with iOS and Android applications that integrate online ordering, the Flavor Passport rewards program (collecting stamps and up to 2100 points), and a dedicated catering service at catering.cava.com. A separate e-commerce merchandise storefront operates at shop.cava.com. The company does not expose an API and discloses no proprietary AI or machine learning capabilities in the source material; integration partners are not enumerated.
CAVA's business model operates across five distribution channels: company-owned restaurant locations (dine-in and takeout), a dedicated catering platform targeting enterprise events, grocery retail partnerships for at-home products, an e-commerce merchandise storefront, and self-serve mobile app ordering. Revenue is not publicly disclosed on the company's website, and the source material classifies the entity as private with no disclosed parent company, funding history, or institutional investor commentary. Operating geography is the United States.
Zoes Kitchen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zoes Kitchen
- Legal name
- CAVA
- Website
- https://zoeskitchen.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- CAVA is a US Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain offering customizable bowls, pitas, and salads via dine-in locations, catering, mobile apps, grocery retail, and an e-commerce merchandise shop serving health-conscious consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zoes Kitchen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast-Casual Mediterranean Restaurants
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls) (THAFABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Middle Eastern & Mediterranean QSR (Kebab, Shawarma, Falafel) (THAFAAAG)
Keywords
Where Zoes Kitchen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Plano
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Zoes Kitchen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Zoes Kitchen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CAVA operates a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain selling build-your-own bowls, pitas, and salads featuring proteins such as salmon, steak, and chicken with fresh ingredients and house-made sauces. Beyond in-store dining, the company offers event catering, a mobile ordering app for iOS and Android, a loyalty rewards program (CAVA Rewards with Flavor Passport), an online merchandise shop, and grocery retail products for at-home consumption.
Product overview
CAVA is a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain offering build-your-own bowls, pitas, and salads. The company operates a unified service model consisting of in-restaurant dining, catering services, a loyalty rewards program (CAVA Rewards with Flavor Passport), an e-commerce merchandise shop (CAVA Shop), a mobile ordering app for iOS and Android, and retail grocery products available in stores. The core product is the Mediterranean menu featuring customizable bowls, pitas, and plates with proteins like salmon, steak, and chicken, complemented by house-made sauces and fresh ingredients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mediterranean Bowls, Pitas, and Salads (Restaurant Menu) Signature build-your-own Mediterranean bowls, pitas, and salads offered at CAVA restaurant locations, featuring proteins (salmon, steak, chicken, plant-based), grains, vegetables, dips, and house-made sauces. Targeted at dine-in and takeout customers seeking healthy, customizable Mediterranean meals.
- CAVA Catering Catering service for events of all sizes, providing CAVA's Mediterranean food for corporate meetings, group gatherings, and events. Customers order through a dedicated catering platform at catering.cava.com.
- CAVA Rewards Program (with Flavor Passport) Loyalty rewards program enabling customers to earn points, collect stamps through the Flavor Passport feature, and redeem rewards. Available via the CAVA website and mobile app for repeat restaurant customers.
- CAVA Shop Online merchandise store at shop.cava.com selling CAVA-branded merchandise directly to consumers.
- CAVA Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS and Android for online food ordering, rewards tracking, Flavor Passport participation, and promotions. Targeted at restaurant customers seeking convenient mobile ordering.
- CAVA Grocery Products CAVA-branded food products sold through grocery retail stores, allowing consumers to prepare Mediterranean meals at home. Distributed via grocery retail partnerships.
Companies that use Zoes Kitchen
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Zoes Kitchen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Zoes Kitchen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Zoes Kitchen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sweetgreen: Public fast-casual chain specializing in customizable grain bowls and salads with a mobile-first loyalty model — closely mirrors CAVA's core bowl + app + loyalty architecture, but with a broader wellness/plant-forward positioning rather than Mediterranean.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill: Largest customizable fast-casual chain in the US; competes for the same 'healthy, customizable, quick-service' share of stomach as CAVA and sets the benchmark for digital ordering and loyalty at scale in this category.
Emerging players
- Dig (Dig Inn): East-coast fast-casual chain built around bowls and plates with a transparent sourcing story; overlaps with CAVA on the 'healthy bowl' use case, especially in dense urban markets.
Direct peers
- Cava Mezze (Cava Group subsidiary): Full-service Mediterranean restaurant concept under the CAVA Group umbrella; shares the Mediterranean brand DNA with the fast-casual CAVA and competes for higher-end Mediterranean occasions.
- Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe: Mediterranean fast-casual chain serving bowls, pitas, and salads with a similar customizable approach to CAVA, primarily in the southeastern US.
- Roti Modern Mediterranean: Mediterranean fast-casual concept offering customizable bowls, wraps, and salads; competes for the same lunchtime and on-the-go Mediterranean occasions as CAVA.
- Naya Mediterranean: Mediterranean fast-casual chain offering grain bowls, pitas, and salads in a build-your-own format that is highly comparable to CAVA's core menu architecture and pricing tier.
- Zoe's Kitchen: Mediterranean fast-casual concept that was acquired by CAVA Group in 2018; now operates as a sibling brand in the same Mediterranean fast-casual niche and competes for overlapping customer occasions.
- Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh: Authentic Mediterranean fast-casual franchise serving customizable bowls, pitas, and salads with the same 'fresh ingredient' angle CAVA uses as its primary value proposition.
- Pita Mediterranean Street Food: Mediterranean fast-casual chain focused on customizable pitas, bowls, and salads; competes directly with CAVA on price point, menu architecture, and the build-your-own Mediterranean format.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Zoes Kitchen social profiles
Digital presenceZoes Kitchen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zoes Kitchen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Zoes Kitchen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zoes Kitchen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zoes Kitchen
What does Zoes Kitchen do?
CAVA operates a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain selling build-your-own bowls, pitas, and salads featuring proteins such as salmon, steak, and chicken with fresh ingredients and house-made sauces. Beyond in-store dining, the company offers event catering, a mobile ordering app for iOS and Android, a loyalty rewards program (CAVA Rewards with Flavor Passport), an online merchandise shop, and grocery retail products for at-home consumption.
Is Zoes Kitchen a public or private company?
Zoes Kitchen is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Zoes Kitchen founded?
Zoes Kitchen was founded in 1995. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Zoes Kitchen based?
Zoes Kitchen is headquartered in Plano, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Zoes Kitchen's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sweetgreen and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Dig (Dig Inn) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Cava Mezze (Cava Group subsidiary), Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, Roti Modern Mediterranean, Naya Mediterranean, Zoe's Kitchen, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh and Pita Mediterranean Street Food.
Does Zoes Kitchen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zoes Kitchen.
What industry is Zoes Kitchen in?
Zoes Kitchen's product category is Fast-Casual Mediterranean Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAF, Salad & Bowl Concepts (Grain/Protein/Healthy Bowls), with a secondary code of THAFAAAG, Middle Eastern & Mediterranean QSR (Kebab, Shawarma, Falafel). Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 2090.