--- title: "⛫ \"Craveable Wellness\" is Winning" url: https://burnaze.com/article/08518d92-3886-4079-9748-ca9008a3ff51 source: "Empires Weekly" original_url: https://empirespod.substack.com/p/craveable-wellness-is-winning author: "Patrick Buckley" category: "Restaurants" industry: "Restaurants" published: 2026-08-17T23:06:17.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T13:15:36.240Z image: https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IUrL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ba64baf-3ca5-4fb8-8014-39542703d8c8_1200x675.png --- # ⛫ "Craveable Wellness" is Winning **TL;DR:** Cava posted an incredible Q2 with 9.7% SSS growth and 5.3% traffic growth, bucking the trend of many other franchises and chains. The company has maintained compelling value by delivering food at a price customers perceive as accessible for the quality and portion size. *By Patrick Buckley, originally published in Empires Weekly on 2026-08-17. [Read the original](https://empirespod.substack.com/p/craveable-wellness-is-winning).* ## Story Leading QSR and fast-casual brands - including Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Goop Kitchen, and more - trust **CloudKitchens** to expand into new markets faster and at a fraction of the cost of traditional real estate. With an upfront investment of less than 10% of a brick-and-mortar location and 2.5–4.9x higher return on invested capital, **CloudKitchens** helps brands grow with less risk and overhead. Cava posted an incredible Q2, bucking the trend of many other franchises & chains right now. The core stats to know: - 9.7% SSS growth - 5.3% traffic growth - +17 new locations opened And that’s after a Q1 where they again posted +9.7% on SSS, and + 6.8% in traffic. All in all, they are dominating right now. CAVA began in 2006 as a full-service restaurant serving food inspired by the 3 founders Greek heritage. Current CEO Brett Schulman joined as a fourth partner, helping the struggling business become profitable through tighter financial controls, waste reduction, and supply-chain improvements. Brett is the one who proposed adapting the concept into a fast-casual “walk-the-line” format. After a year of development and several months of fundraising, the first modern CAVA opened in Bethesda, Maryland, on January 18, 2011. But my simple quick take… I’ve quoted this before from Todd Graves, which is that rule #1 for any restaurant chain in QSR or fast casual is to *have a craveable product,* and Cava’s mediterranean profile yields numerous craveable meals. They occupy the sweet spot between craveability and health, giving consumers food they feel good eating both during and after the meal. Beyond that - the walk-the-line format is familiar, but most importantly - the company has **maintained compelling value.** They’re delivering food at a price customers perceive as accessible for the quality and portion size. They’ve also deliberately raised prices more slowly than inflation and many competitors, protecting that value proposition even as restaurant costs increased. In an environment where many weren’t prepared for the onslaught of rising costs, Cava is taking market share at an accelerated pace, and execs believe they could reach 2,000 units in the future, up from their 480 today. It’s already a massive company with an $8.3B market cap, but they’re just getting started… **Domino’s Adds Personal Pizza** The Detroit-style pizza, dubbed the Domino, will help the brand capture meal occasions ranging from afternoon snacks to midnight meals. **McDonald’s Rolls Out Red Bull Energy Drinks** The addition could help boost traffic, particularly during the afternoon daypart. **Inspire Brands Debuts New Co-Brand** The first Buffalo Wild Wings Go, Jimmy John’s co-branded restaurant opened in Florida. **Burger King is the New #2 - How They Did It** Overhauled burger and updated restaurants help chain rebound from years of struggles **Pizza Hut’s Global CEO Resigns** Aaron Powell, who has been at the pizza chain since 2021, will leave his post following the close of its sale to LongRange Capital. **Casey’s is Acquiring 24 Stores** The deal will add Pak-A-Sak c-stores in the Texas Panhandle to Casey’s growing footprint as the Iowa retailer continues targeting rural markets across the state **Sunoco to Acquire Offen Petroleum for $600M** The deal expands Sunoco’s distribution footprint by over 800 retail stations as it ramps up its M&A activity. **Michaels Debuts New Store Format at 3 Locations** The spaces include revamped department layouts, new personalization services and a self-checkout queue exclusive to rewards members. ## Entities - QSR (sector) - fast casual (topic) - Starbucks (company) - Chick-fil-A (company) - market expansion (topic) - restaurant chain (topic) - CAVA (company) - Empires Weekly (publication) - Patrick Buckley (person) - CloudKitchens (company) - Brett Schulman (person) - q2 earnings (topic) --- Originally reported by Patrick Buckley, Empires Weekly (https://empirespod.substack.com/p/craveable-wellness-is-winning). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/08518d92-3886-4079-9748-ca9008a3ff51).