Cava raises guidance after a strong 1Q

Cava is gaining confidence that 2026 will be a pretty good year.

First quarter results

The fast-casual chain on Tuesday upgraded its guidance for the year after a strong first quarter, reporting same-store sales up 9.7%, including traffic growth of 6.8%. That’s lapping a same-store sales increase of 10.8% a year ago, so Cava’s comparable sales were up more than 20% on a two-year basis.

The Mediterranean chain, which has kept menu price increases to a minimum amid consumer concerns about affordability, also performed noticeably better than its peers. Chipotle’s same-store sales were up a considerably more modest 0.5%, with traffic up 0.6%. Sweetgreen’s comparable sales, meanwhile, fell nearly 13% with a more than 11% decline in traffic.

Brett Schulman, Cava’s co-founder and CEO, said Cava is meeting the moment for consumers facing chaotic times.

“Amid today’s broader macroeconomic environment and geopolitical uncertainty, our first quarter results reflect our position as a clear industry leader and our ability to meet the moment for the modern consumer,” he said in a statement. “These results, which include the lap of strong prior year comparisons, speak to the structural strength of our business, the resonance of our compelling value proposition, and our position as the dominant leader in Mediterranean—all of which fuel our confidence to sustain this momentum going forward.”

Updated guidance

As a result, Cava said same-store sales for the year are expected to increase between 4.5% and 6.5%. That’s up from the projection of 3% to 5% in February.

Cava also expects to open 75 to 77 restaurants this year, up from an earlier projection of 74 to 76.

Cava’s revenue grew 32.2% to $434.4 million during the April 19-ended quarter. The chain added 20 restaurants, bringing the total to 459, a more than 20% increase. Net income was $23.6 million, compared with $25.7 million a year ago, and the decrease was blamed on a higher tax rate and higher depreciation and amortization, offset by the improved operating performance.

The chain grew its average unit volume to $3 million, up from $2.9 million in the first quarter of 2025, and restaurant-level margins were flat at 25.1%.

Cava’s stock jumped more than 6% in after-hours trading on the better-than-expected results.