Dive Brief:
- Cava is aiming its tech investments at improving order accuracy and freeing up workers to engage with customers, co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman said on a Q2 2025 earnings call Tuesday.
- The Mediterranean restaurant chain is on track to roll out kitchen display systems to 270 locations by the end of the year, according to Schulman. The system has boosted guest satisfaction scores by improving digital accuracy and enabling more proactive customer communication.
- Cava is also continuing the revamp of its loyalty program, which relaunched last October. The restaurant chain plans to roll out a tiered structure later this year.
Dive Insight:
Cava sees automation as a way to free up labor to spend more time with customers in the dining room.
“Heart, health and humanity are at our core, and we're committed to ensuring that every interaction, whether in our restaurants or through our digital channels, reflects that same sense of care and connection,” Schulman said during the call. “We know that as we grow, our ability to innovate and build personal connections with guests is underpinned by a strong operational foundation.”
Cava just completed several quarters of a test-and-learn phase of its AI camera vision technology, an effort that accompanied the kitchen display system expansion. AI vision, which will expand to 21 additional locations by the end of the year, aims to improve accuracy, reduce waste and ensure freshness by leveraging historical and real-time food depletion data.
Cava is also trialing food production line automation with equipment made by Hyphen, a pilot Schulman said will not impact visitors' experience. The technology will roll out in the coming quarters.
“The focus of this test is on our second digital make line, not our in-restaurant serving lines,” Schulman said during the call. “As with all of our operational initiatives, this investment is rooted in our belief that technology should enhance, not replace the human experience.”
Cava reported 20.3% year-over-year revenue growth in the second quarter of 2025, according to a company earnings report. Same restaurant sales rose 2.1% year over year, but the company’s same restaurant sales growth guidance for the full fiscal year fell to 4% to 6%.
Traffic was flat during the quarter, and Shulman credits Cava's experience as one of the key factors for bringing in customers in a competitive environment.
“What are you doing to have the people, the guests, walk by the three restaurants next to you to come in and share a meal with you as opposed to your competition?” he said. “And that ebbs and flows, but it's always been there, and it's always our job to make a more compelling relevant experience for our guests and value proposition for them.”
