Cava, the rapidly expanding fast casual Mediterranean restaurant brand, will open a new location in Los Angeles at 1318 Second St., Santa Monica, bringing their total to six in Southern California, with a further two due to open later this year in USC Village and Mission Viejo.
Cava, which recently announced its Series C funding round of $30 million, is planning to open more than 20 new restaurants nationwide in 2017, taking the number of locations to over 40, with L.A. a major focus for the company.
Cava has proved popular in Southern California, boasting some of the busiest locations on either coast. “We want to make nutritious, delicious food available to everyone, no matter where you live, what you put in your bowl or how you want to pay,” says CEO Brett Schulman. “Customers here seem to love our food and our approach, so we are delighted to be able to bring the Cava experience to the people living and working in Santa Monica,” he added.
With a new production kitchen in Culver City, and a recent expansion in the distribution of CAVA’s product line of small-batch dips and spreads into more than 30 Whole Foods and other specialty markets in Southern California, Cava is putting down its roots in the region in a number of ways.
On the opening day at Santa Monica, Cava will hold a community lunch, a tradition that started with the very first restaurant opening. Cava will offer free meals between noon and 2 p.m. and will be accepting donations to Garden School Foundation, their local non-profit partner, which dedicates itself to education through garden-based learning in outdoor living classrooms.
