I ate at Cava, the popular Mediterranean fast-casual chain that's going public. It was mostly delicious but I was let down by the hummus.

Nancy LunaApr 13, 2023, 16:00 IST

Insider's restaurants correspondent Nancy Luna loves CAVA's bold healthy flavors, but the hummus was shockingly bad.Nancy Luna

Cava is a fast-casual chain that sells bowls and pitas in a Chipotle-style format.
It launched its first location in 2011 to share the "Mediterranean Way" of eating with others.

Cava sells Mediterranean-inspired pitas and bowls.

Nancy Luna

Brett Schulman, Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ted Xenohristos founded Cava in 2011 to share the "Mediterranean Way" of eating with others in an accessible fast-casual format.

Cava

Brett Schulman, Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ted Xenohristos founded Cava in 2011 to share the "Mediterranean Way" of eating with others in an accessible fast-casual format.

The first Cava restaurant opened in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2011.

Nancy Luna

Cava's setup might be familiar if you've visited Chipotle. It's a walk-along ordering system, where two to three employees prepare your order along a prep line.

Nancy Luna

With many ingredients available, there are endless choices for customizing the perfect bowl or pita.

Nancy Luna

Last month, Cava owner Cava Group, announced plans to go public by filing a confidential draft of its S-1 prospectus with regulatory authorities.

Cava

The IPO market has slowed down over the past year. But, Cava joins a few other chains looking to go public, including Panera Bread and the owner of the Brazilian steakhouse of Fogo de Chão, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Panera Bread.Scott Olson/Getty Images

The IPO market has slowed down over the past year. But, Cava joins a few other chains looking to go public, including Panera Bread and the owner of the Brazilian steakhouse of Fogo de Chão, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Cava operates 260 fast-casual restaurants in 22 states and Washington DC. Each restaurant's average yearly sales is $1 million.

Cava

In 2018, Cava Group bought Zoës Kitchen in a deal valued at $300 million. The company took the publicly-traded Zoës private and began rebranding stores as Cava.

Facebook/Zöe's Kitchen

In 2018, Cava Group bought Zoës Kitchen in a deal valued at $300 million. The company took the publicly-traded Zoës private and began rebranding stores as Cava.

CAVA has since sunsetted the Zoës brand. As of March 2, Cava Group does not operate any Zoës Kitchen locations.

zoeskitchen.com/screengrab

Besides building their own bowl or pita, customers can select from one of 10 signature meal choices.

Nancy Luna

The bowls have nine base choices: black lentils, saffron basmati rice, brown rice, RightRice, arugula, a Supergreens of blend of lettuces, baby spinach, Splendidgreens (a mix of chopped romaine, radicchio, escarole, chicory endive, and cabbage).

Nancy Luna

The bowls have nine base choices: black lentils, saffron basmati rice, brown rice, RightRice, arugula, a Supergreens of blend of lettuces, baby spinach, Splendidgreens (a mix of chopped romaine, radicchio, escarole, chicory endive, and cabbage).

I'm not a fan of assembly-line ordering because there are too many choices. So, I was grateful that Cava had curated bowl and pita options to choose from.

Nancy Luna

Cava introduced RightRice in 2020. It is a veggie rice that's high in protein and fiber. It's made from lentils, chickpea flour, and pea flour. It was available for a $1.35 upcharge at the store I visited.

Cava

Cava introduced RightRice in 2020. It is a veggie rice that's high in protein and fiber. It's made from lentils, chickpea flour, and pea flour. It was available for a $1.35 upcharge at the store I visited.

We tried the Chicken and RightRice bowl because I wanted to compare the RightRice to Chipotle's cauliflower rice. It had the texture and look of short-grain rice and was hands-down much superior as a base than Chipotle's mushy cauliflower rice.

Nancy Luna

We tried the Chicken and RightRice bowl because I wanted to compare the RightRice to Chipotle's cauliflower rice. It had the texture and look of short-grain rice and was hands-down much superior as a base than Chipotle's mushy cauliflower rice.

The Balsamic Date Chicken bowl was infused with healthy but tasty ingredients – grilled chicken, eggplant dip, red pepper hummus, corn, brown rice, spinach, and balsamic date vinaigrette.

Nancy Luna

The Balsamic Date Chicken bowl was infused with healthy but tasty ingredients – grilled chicken, eggplant dip, red pepper hummus, corn, brown rice, spinach, and balsamic date vinaigrette.

Cava boasts that every dish is packed with flavor, and that was true for every bowl and pita we ordered. The dressings, dips, and toppings are the stars of each dish.

Nancy Luna

Cava serves pita chips with dips and toppings. Choices include roasted eggplant, crazy feta, hummus, harissa, tzatziki, and red pepper hummus. The pita chips, cooked in-house daily in small batches, are crunchy but not as oily as tortilla chips.

Nancy Luna

Cava serves pita chips with dips and toppings. Choices include roasted eggplant, crazy feta, hummus, harissa, tzatziki, and red pepper hummus. The pita chips, cooked in-house daily in small batches, are crunchy but not as oily as tortilla chips.

I loved the roasted eggplant dip so much, I went back in line to order a second one for dipping my pita chips.

Nancy Luna

I thought I’d love the crazy feta and hummus, but they didn’t impress. The crazy feta is whipped feta with jalapeno, onion, and olive oil. It was too rich and spicy for my palate.

Nancy Luna

I thought I’d love the crazy feta and hummus, but they didn’t impress. The crazy feta is whipped feta with jalapeno, onion, and olive oil. It was too rich and spicy for my palate.

I was extremely disappointed by the hummus. CAVA missed the mark with this classic Mediterranean staple. I've had better store-bought hummus.

Nancy Luna

The hummus, which is also sold at Whole Foods, is made from chickpeas puréed with tahini, lemon juice, fresh garlic, and salt, with no oil. The lack of oil is probably why I didn't like it.

CAVA

The hummus, which is also sold at Whole Foods, is made from chickpeas puréed with tahini, lemon juice, fresh garlic, and salt, with no oil. The lack of oil is probably why I didn't like it.

Other CAVA restaurant dips and spreads sold at Whole Foods include the roasted red pepper hummus, tzatziki, crazy feta, harissa, roasted eggplant dip, lemon herb tahini dressing, and yogurt dill dressing.

Additional CAVA products found at Whole Foods but not sold in restaurants include spicy hummus, everything bagel labneh, spicy labneh, green harissa dressing, and spicy lime tahini dressing.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Other CAVA restaurant dips and spreads sold at Whole Foods include the roasted red pepper hummus, tzatziki, crazy feta, harissa, roasted eggplant dip, lemon herb tahini dressing, and yogurt dill dressing.

The spicy lamb meatball, spicy chicken, and falafel pitas were all finger-licking messy, and crazy delicious. I especially liked the spicy topping and dressing choices of the Skhug sauce, a mix of jalapeños, cilantro and lemon juice; and the Hot Harissa vinaigrette. The acid and heat combo made for flavor bomb bites.

Nancy Luna

The spicy lamb meatball, spicy chicken, and falafel pitas were all finger-licking messy, and crazy delicious. I especially liked the spicy topping and dressing choices of the Skhug sauce, a mix of jalapeños, cilantro and lemon juice; and the Hot Harissa vinaigrette. The acid and heat combo made for flavor bomb bites.

While tasty, the structural integrity of the pitas was compromised by all the juicy toppings. Each one oozed with sauces, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just grab a lot of napkins.

Nancy Luna

While tasty, the structural integrity of the pitas was compromised by all the juicy toppings. Each one oozed with sauces, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just grab a lot of napkins.

Cava takes pride in partnering with suppliers that prepare foods that help people eat well and live well. The large, thick pita bread is made of sprouted grains from a supplier in Brooklyn, New York.

The Spicy Lamb Meatball Pita contains hummus, tomato, cucumber, pickled onions, cabbage slaw, pickles, garlic dressing, and skhug.Nancy Luna

Cava takes pride in partnering with suppliers that prepare foods that help people eat well and live well. The large, thick pita bread is made of sprouted grains from a supplier in Brooklyn, New York.

A Montana-based farm supplies the chain's beluga lentils. The chain's olive oil and kalamata olives come from a family-owned company based in the Peloponnesian region of Greece.

Nancy Luna

A Montana-based farm supplies the chain's beluga lentils. The chain's olive oil and kalamata olives come from a family-owned company based in the Peloponnesian region of Greece.

Cava offers employee perks that match chains like Chipotle and Starbucks. "Our benefits are built around the belief that the health of our people is just as important as the health of our food," the company told Insider.

Cava

Cava offers employee perks that match chains like Chipotle and Starbucks. "Our benefits are built around the belief that the health of our people is just as important as the health of our food," the company told Insider.

In addition to medical, dental, vision, and 401K matching benefits, CAVA offers employees paid leave and family support as well as time off to vote and volunteer in their community.

CAVA team members get two paid hours off to vote on Election Day ,as well as four days to volunteer in their community.Cava

In addition to medical, dental, vision, and 401K matching benefits, CAVA offers employees paid leave and family support as well as time off to vote and volunteer in their community.

Employees also have access to a program that offers mental health benefits, elder care services, alcohol and drug dependency programs, relationship counseling, continuing education, and college planning.

Nancy. Luna

Employees also have access to a program that offers mental health benefits, elder care services, alcohol and drug dependency programs, relationship counseling, continuing education, and college planning.

Each dish cost about $11 at the locationI visited, which is about $2 to $3 more than a standard Chipotle burrito or bowl in the same area. But I'd argue that CAVA is giving you much more food. Portions are huge, making for plentiful leftovers.

Nancy Luna

Each dish cost about $11 at the locationI visited, which is about $2 to $3 more than a standard Chipotle burrito or bowl in the same area. But I'd argue that CAVA is giving you much more food. Portions are huge, making for plentiful leftovers.

Cava is well-positioned for digital commerce. Since 2015, each restaurant has been equipped with a second prep line dedicated to fulfilling takeout and delivery orders.

Nancy Luna

Cava has 20 restaurants with drive-thru lanes for picking up mobile orders similar to Chipotle's Chipotlane. Cava also has nine "digital kitchens" in select markets that prepare pick-up, delivery, catering orders, and no in-restaurant dining.

CAVA

Cava has 20 restaurants with drive-thru lanes for picking up mobile orders similar to Chipotle's Chipotlane. Cava also has nine "digital kitchens" in select markets that prepare pick-up, delivery, catering orders, and no in-restaurant dining.

Cava sells Maine Root fountain sodas and bottled beverages. The Portland, Maine beverage company makes sodas such as root beer and Mexican cola from 100% organic sugar cane.

Nancy Luna

Cava sells Maine Root fountain sodas and bottled beverages. The Portland, Maine beverage company makes sodas such as root beer and Mexican cola from 100% organic sugar cane.

Cava also sells in-house-made juice drinks. Flavors include lemonade, pineapple apple mint, blueberry lavender, and cucumber mint lime.

Nancy Luna

Overall, I can see why Cava is preparing to go public now. Restaurant visits are surging and Cava needs the capital to bring its brand to the masses. They have a captive audience in Gen Z, a generation looking for brands that share their eating habits and ethos.

Nancy Luna

Overall, I can see why Cava is preparing to go public now. Restaurant visits are surging and Cava needs the capital to bring its brand to the masses. They have a captive audience in Gen Z, a generation looking for brands that share their eating habits and ethos.

I tried every vegan item at Peet's Coffee and found that the chain makes plant-based eating an affordable breeze

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I ate at Cava, the popular Mediterranean fast-casual chain that's going public. It was mostly delicious but I was let down by the hummus.

Cava sells Mediterranean-inspired pitas and bowls.

Brett Schulman, Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ted Xenohristos founded Cava in 2011 to share the "Mediterranean Way" of eating with others in an accessible fast-casual format.

The first Cava restaurant opened in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2011.

Cava's setup might be familiar if you've visited Chipotle. It's a walk-along ordering system, where two to three employees prepare your order along a prep line.

With many ingredients available, there are endless choices for customizing the perfect bowl or pita.

Last month, Cava owner Cava Group, announced plans to go public by filing a confidential draft of its S-1 prospectus with regulatory authorities.

The IPO market has slowed down over the past year. But, Cava joins a few other chains looking to go public, including Panera Bread and the owner of the Brazilian steakhouse of Fogo de Chão, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Cava operates 260 fast-casual restaurants in 22 states and Washington DC. Each restaurant's average yearly sales is $1 million.

In 2018, Cava Group bought Zoës Kitchen in a deal valued at $300 million. The company took the publicly-traded Zoës private and began rebranding stores as Cava.

CAVA has since sunsetted the Zoës brand. As of March 2, Cava Group does not operate any Zoës Kitchen locations.

Besides building their own bowl or pita, customers can select from one of 10 signature meal choices.

The bowls have nine base choices: black lentils, saffron basmati rice, brown rice, RightRice, arugula, a Supergreens of blend of lettuces, baby spinach, Splendidgreens (a mix of chopped romaine, radicchio, escarole, chicory endive, and cabbage).

I'm not a fan of assembly-line ordering because there are too many choices. So, I was grateful that Cava had curated bowl and pita options to choose from.

Cava introduced RightRice in 2020. It is a veggie rice that's high in protein and fiber. It's made from lentils, chickpea flour, and pea flour. It was available for a $1.35 upcharge at the store I visited.

We tried the Chicken and RightRice bowl because I wanted to compare the RightRice to Chipotle's cauliflower rice. It had the texture and look of short-grain rice and was hands-down much superior as a base than Chipotle's mushy cauliflower rice.

The Balsamic Date Chicken bowl was infused with healthy but tasty ingredients – grilled chicken, eggplant dip, red pepper hummus, corn, brown rice, spinach, and balsamic date vinaigrette.

Cava boasts that every dish is packed with flavor, and that was true for every bowl and pita we ordered. The dressings, dips, and toppings are the stars of each dish.

Cava serves pita chips with dips and toppings. Choices include roasted eggplant, crazy feta, hummus, harissa, tzatziki, and red pepper hummus. The pita chips, cooked in-house daily in small batches, are crunchy but not as oily as tortilla chips.

I loved the roasted eggplant dip so much, I went back in line to order a second one for dipping my pita chips.

I thought I’d love the crazy feta and hummus, but they didn’t impress. The crazy feta is whipped feta with jalapeno, onion, and olive oil. It was too rich and spicy for my palate.

I was extremely disappointed by the hummus. CAVA missed the mark with this classic Mediterranean staple. I've had better store-bought hummus.

The hummus, which is also sold at Whole Foods, is made from chickpeas puréed with tahini, lemon juice, fresh garlic, and salt, with no oil. The lack of oil is probably why I didn't like it.

Other CAVA restaurant dips and spreads sold at Whole Foods include the roasted red pepper hummus, tzatziki, crazy feta, harissa, roasted eggplant dip, lemon herb tahini dressing, and yogurt dill dressing.

While tasty, the structural integrity of the pitas was compromised by all the juicy toppings. Each one oozed with sauces, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just grab a lot of napkins.

Cava takes pride in partnering with suppliers that prepare foods that help people eat well and live well. The large, thick pita bread is made of sprouted grains from a supplier in Brooklyn, New York.

A Montana-based farm supplies the chain's beluga lentils. The chain's olive oil and kalamata olives come from a family-owned company based in the Peloponnesian region of Greece.

Cava offers employee perks that match chains like Chipotle and Starbucks. "Our benefits are built around the belief that the health of our people is just as important as the health of our food," the company told Insider.

In addition to medical, dental, vision, and 401K matching benefits, CAVA offers employees paid leave and family support as well as time off to vote and volunteer in their community.

Employees also have access to a program that offers mental health benefits, elder care services, alcohol and drug dependency programs, relationship counseling, continuing education, and college planning.

Each dish cost about $11 at the locationI visited, which is about $2 to $3 more than a standard Chipotle burrito or bowl in the same area. But I'd argue that CAVA is giving you much more food. Portions are huge, making for plentiful leftovers.

Cava is well-positioned for digital commerce. Since 2015, each restaurant has been equipped with a second prep line dedicated to fulfilling takeout and delivery orders.

Cava has 20 restaurants with drive-thru lanes for picking up mobile orders similar to Chipotle's Chipotlane. Cava also has nine "digital kitchens" in select markets that prepare pick-up, delivery, catering orders, and no in-restaurant dining.

Cava sells Maine Root fountain sodas and bottled beverages. The Portland, Maine beverage company makes sodas such as root beer and Mexican cola from 100% organic sugar cane.

Cava also sells in-house-made juice drinks. Flavors include lemonade, pineapple apple mint, blueberry lavender, and cucumber mint lime.

Overall, I can see why Cava is preparing to go public now. Restaurant visits are surging and Cava needs the capital to bring its brand to the masses. They have a captive audience in Gen Z, a generation looking for brands that share their eating habits and ethos.