CAVA found a problem in its pipeline of future general managers. Some employees training for the job needed a second job to earn a full-time wage.
The fast-casual Mediterranean chain’s GM in training position was hourly, offered no guarantee of full-time hours, and existed only in certain restaurants based on sales volume and traffic. It gave employees a route to promotion, but it also left gaps in their preparation and limited the time GMs could spend developing them.
The roughly 500-unit CAVA responded by creating an assistant GM position with a commitment to full-time hours, higher compensation, and more demanding hiring criteria. The change gave restaurants a clear second-in-command and created more opportunities for employees to acquire the skills needed to run a location.
According to chief people officer Kelly Costanza, the investment serves a practical need as CAVA adds restaurants. Opening a location requires people who can operate it and prepare the employees who will run the next one.
“We realized too as we open restaurants and the number of restaurants that we’re opening every year, if we want to have a pipeline of talent, then we need to give our general managers time to develop people,” Costanza says.
CAVA—which wants to reach 1,000 locations by 2032—tested the assistant GM position last year. Costanza says it freed GMs to spend more time on employee development, and the company has seen gains in restaurant operating metrics and retention.
The assistant GM can open and close the restaurant, direct team members, and run the location in the GM’s absence. Tasks such as building schedules, handling progressive discipline, and documenting performance give the assistant opportunities to learn alongside the GM before assuming full responsibility.
The hiring process changed, too. CAVA extended practices used to select GMs to the assistant role, including behavioral interview guides and questions tied to its seven competencies (service mindset, accountability, diversity cultivation, people development, enterprise leadership, innovation and growth, and emotional resilience). Candidates must offer examples of past actions that demonstrate their fit for the company. Increased compensation helps CAVA attract applicants with more experience.
The position fits within Flavor Your Future, CAVA’s career development platform. But filling jobs is only one part of the work. The company also needs a consistent way to teach employees what success requires.
Its Academy GM Program turns qualified GMs into trainers for incoming GMs and assistants preparing for promotion. Regional trainer coaches visit markets and certify participants, who must meet operating standards and demonstrate the company’s competencies.
Academy GMs also gather for an annual summit. At the June event in Texas, participants completed additional certification through CAVA’s competency champion trainer program. The curriculum addresses workplace behaviors and teaching skills, adding another layer to their operational training.
Employees receive an introduction to career opportunities as soon as they join the company. Onboarding modules show potential career paths and explain competencies at different job levels. Costanza has completed the hourly employee onboarding herself and sat with a team member working through the training during a restaurant visit.
After 90 days, employees are introduced to an impact plan. These plans connect an individual’s ambitions to quantitative goals, development goals, and competency goals, giving the employee and their manager specific items to work toward.
CAVA makes available jobs visible through Grow at CAVA posters on restaurant communication boards. A QR code links employees to opportunities across the company. Its careers website also presents a progression from team member to area leader, with compensation information attached to the path.
“What behaviors do you need to work on?” says Costanza, describing a potential conversation with a CAVA employee. “What quantitative goals can you achieve this year to make progress towards that next step?”
Regional talent planning calls give that process regular attention. Regional directors, area leaders, and members of Costanza’s team review employees who could advance, people preparing for new roles, and individuals who need additional support. Monthly check-ins provide another opportunity to assess progress.
Costanza points to an assistant GM who wanted to improve her English before taking the next step. CAVA agreed to pay for English as a second language instruction. Colleagues across the region supported the request, recognizing that the resource could help her feel more confident.
Those regional conversations also connect employees with openings in other markets. CAVA provides relocation assistance for GMs interested in moving, and teams share personnel to help train employees at new restaurants.
A Flavor Your Future newsletter shows employees who have earned promotions and traces individual career journeys. The company also recognizes advancement onstage at CAVA Connect, its annual gathering for GMs, area leaders, and other employees.
“Internal development has to be celebrated in your culture,” Costanza says. “It has to be part of your every fabric of your being.”
In restaurants, employees can practice taking responsibility through daily huddles. Team members and team leads get opportunities to run the discussions, with a GM or assistant available to help. Values cards recognize employees’ actions, and development milestones receive public acknowledgment.
Office employees also get direct exposure to restaurant work through CAVA’s shoulder-to-shoulder program. Each quarter, they must wear a uniform and work in a restaurant for two hours. Costanza says many stay for half a day or a full day.
The talent process connects to development schedules through weekly conversations among teams responsible for restaurant openings, operations, people and culture, and real estate. They review upcoming locations, potential candidates, and information from regional talent calls to determine who can move into each job.
CAVA has also added a financial reason for GMs to invest in the company’s future. Last year, it rolled out stock grants for GMs, adding ownership to the compensation and benefits available to employees who reach that position.
“We want our GMs to feel like owners of the business,” Costanza says.
