CAVA Opens New Chicago Location
Mediterranean restaurant chain CAVA has opened a new location in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood at 270 E Ontario Street. This marks the company's fifth restaurant in Illinois. The opening event was used to raise funds for the non-profit organization Food Rescue US.
- CAVA’s marketing is "primarily digital," focusing on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to build brand awareness, which is around 40% in new markets compared to 90% for some competitors. The brand's social media team uses a self-deprecating and humorous tone, participating in memes and inside jokes to resonate with a younger audience. - The company heavily leverages user-generated content (UGC) by reposting organic customer photos and running contests, such as a recent one where customers shared their custom bowl orders for a chance to be featured on the menu. For local agencies, this highlights a low-cost strategy to generate authentic content and build community for restaurant clients. - CAVA's influencer strategy involves partnerships with creators who are genuine fans of the brand, from major names like Emma Chamberlain to micro-influencers. This approach generated over 1.2 billion social media impressions in one year, demonstrating a model for local businesses to collaborate with creators who have an authentic connection to their product. - A key short-form video tactic for the brand has been repurposing TikTok content, with TikTok carousels posted to Instagram performing particularly well. One such post, "how to become a pita chip," received nearly 50,000 likes, illustrating a simple, effective content format for small business clients. - To connect with the local community, the first Chicago location in Wicker Park commissioned a custom interior mural from Chicago-based artist Alyssa Low. This tactic aligns with a broader restaurant trend of shifting marketing back to the local level through "grassroots guerilla marketing" to create authentic community connections. - CAVA's recent "Spice World" campaign and the creation of a brand mascot, "Peter Chip," for National Pita Day drove record app traffic and a 130% increase in reward redemptions. This provides a case study for how a local agency can build a campaign around a signature menu item, using a character and promotions to drive engagement and loyalty program sign-ups. - The company's growth plan targets 1,000 locations by 2032, up from just over 300. This rapid expansion into new markets like the upper Midwest presents an opportunity for local social media agencies to pitch their services to new franchise locations needing to build a local following from the ground up.
