---
title: "Cava opens first St. Louis location in Midwestern growth push"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/cc54281a-d6ae-4d9c-b6f7-5beaa3026b70
source: "Restaurant Dive"
original_url: https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/cava-st-louis-debut-midwestern-development-strategy/817808/
category: "Fast casual"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Fast casual"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2026-04-17T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T14:29:42.138Z
image: https://imgproxy.divecdn.com/WrvmdedE-RoLXvn9bzNldYgYw5Ge0yTHl-mr1qwJBIs/g:ce/rs:fit:770:435/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9DQVZBX0VYVEVSSU9SXzcuanBn.webp
---

# Cava opens first St. Louis location in Midwestern growth push

**TL;DR:** Cava has opened its first location in the St. Louis, Missouri market as part of its Midwestern growth push, with plans to reach 500 restaurants nationwide later this year. The chain is focusing on filling in existing markets, with 70% of growth coming from this strategy, and has seen strong performances from recent openings.

*originally published in Restaurant Dive on 2026-04-17. [Read the original](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/cava-st-louis-debut-midwestern-development-strategy/817808/).*

## Key facts

- Cava to reach 500 restaurants nationwide
- 70% growth from filling in existing markets
- Recent openings have strong performances

## Story

Cava could reach 500 restaurants nationwide later this year, thanks in part to new market entries and infill in areas where it has a modest presence.

- Cava opened its first location in the St. Louis, Missouri, market on Friday, according to a press release. The store is located in Cottleville, a suburb northwest of the city.

- The chain, which hit 439 total locations in Q4 2025 , is on pace to reach 500 restaurants this year, per the announcement.

## Midwestern market growth

- The brand has targeted Midwestern cities, including Indianapolis , Detroit, Pittsburgh and now St. Louis, as new growth markets since debuting in Chicago in 2024 . Cava plans to build another restaurant in St. Louis later this year in a suburban market, per the press release.

In a 2025 interview, Cava CFO Tricia Tolivar said the brand’s development strategy was heavily focused on filling in markets where it had some presence, which would account for about 70% of growth. Ten percent of this growth would come from infill in mature markets and 20% new market entries, she said.

On the chain’s most recent earnings call , Tolivar said Cava’s recent openings have had strong performances across the board.

## Sales performance and momentum

“We look at existing growth, emerging and greenfield markets, and we're seeing lift in those restaurant openings across those categories,” Tolivar said, adding that the performance was “a reflection of the power of the brand and the momentum behind Cava and Mediterranean [cuisine] and a reflection of the increase in brand awareness.”

The overperformance of new openings helped nudge Cava past the $1 billion sales mark in 2025 , even as consumers pulled back from fast casual occasions.

Cava’s ongoing menu innovation efforts — the brand announced earlier this week that it was adding salmon to its core menu — could also help it continue to drive sales and traffic across its system.

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- menu innovation (topic)
- Chicago (location)
- restaurant growth (topic)
- Restaurant Dive (publication)
- market entry (topic)
- st louis (location)
- Indianapolis (location)
- Detroit (location)
- Pittsburgh (location)
- CAVA (company)
- Tricia Toliver (person)

---
Originally reported by Restaurant Dive (https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/cava-st-louis-debut-midwestern-development-strategy/817808/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/cc54281a-d6ae-4d9c-b6f7-5beaa3026b70).