CAVA Group (CAVA) 46th Annual William Blair Growth Stock Conference summary

Business performance and growth

• Achieved over 32% revenue growth in Q1, with same-store sales up 9.7% and 6.8% traffic growth.

• System-wide AUVs reached $3 million for the first time, with 25.1% restaurant-level margins.

• New restaurant productivity exceeded 100% for two consecutive years, driven by increased brand awareness.

• Operates in 29 states and DC, with national brand awareness rising from 40% at IPO to 66%.

• Targeting 1,000 units by 2032, more than doubling current footprint.

Strategic pillars and operational initiatives

• Four strategic pillars: expand Mediterranean cuisine, develop personal guest relationships, run great restaurants, and operate as a high-performing team.

• Testing catering channels and formats to manage capacity and operator success.

• Investing in technology, including kitchen display systems and TurboChef ovens, to improve consistency and efficiency.

• Launched unified data platform (CAVA CORE) and customer data platform (CAVA CURRENT) to enable AI-driven insights and operational improvements.

Technology and data transformation

• Digital business now accounts for 38% of sales, projected at $600 million this year.

• CAVA CORE unifies data from POS, HR, inventory, and external sources for a single source of truth.

• CAVA CURRENT ingests real-time order flows, enabling business intelligence, personalized marketing, and operational efficiencies.

• Data platforms support predictive prep, labor scheduling, and personalized guest communications.

• Data transformation expected to be a decade-long journey, driving productivity and guest engagement.