CAVA reports $434 million Q1 sales

CAVA Group told investors on May 19 that first-quarter revenue rose to $434.4 million, as the Mediterranean fast-casual chain kept its 2026 expansion plans intact and pointed to continued traffic growth. The quarter ended April 19, 2026, and the company said same-restaurant sales increased 9.7%. CAVA also said adjusted EBITDA rose to $61.7 million from a year earlier. The update came in the company’s first-quarter earnings release and related 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ### How fast did sales grow in the quarter? CAVA said first-quarter revenue increased 32.2% from $328.5 million a year earlier to $434.4 million. The company said the gain was driven by 92 net new CAVA restaurant openings during or subsequent to the first quarter of fiscal 2025, along with same-restaurant sales growth of 9.7%. The 9.7% same-restaurant sales increase broke down into a 6.8% increase from guest traffic and a 2.9% increase from menu price and product mix, according to the earnings release. Net income rose to $25.7 million, from $13.9 million in the comparable quarter a year earlier, while diluted earnings per Class A common share increased to 21 cents from 12 cents. ### What did CAVA say about openings this year? CAVA said it expects 64 to 68 net new restaurant openings in fiscal 2026. The company also said that implies as many as 77 gross openings during the year, a figure that reflects expected closures and the difference between gross and net unit growth. The company has been adding stores at a pace above the prior-year period. In the first-quarter release, CAVA said the restaurants opened during or after the first quarter of fiscal 2025 were exceeding its performance expectations. (sec.gov) ### What else stood out in the earnings release? Adjusted EBITDA rose 37.6% to $61.7 million, CAVA said, while year-to-date net cash provided by operating activities was $64.1 million. Free cash flow was $15.5 million, according to the company’s non-GAAP measures in the release. Chief Executive Brett Schulman said in the release that CAVA is “bringing heart, health, and humanity to food.” That language matched the company’s broader investor description of itself as a “category-defining Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand” competing in limited-service restaurants and health-and-wellness food. (sec.gov) ### How does this compare with a year ago? CAVA reported first-quarter 2025 revenue of $328.5 million, up 28.2% from the prior year, according to its earlier earnings release. Same-restaurant sales growth in that quarter was 10.8%, including 7.5% growth from guest traffic and 3.3% from menu price and product mix. The latest quarter shows a larger revenue base and continued traffic-led growth, even as same-restaurant sales growth moderated from the prior-year comparison. (sec.gov) That comparison comes directly from the company’s first-quarter 2025 and first-quarter 2026 releases. ### Where can investors find the full materials? CAVA posted its first-quarter 2026 earnings release on May 19 and hosted its earnings call the same day at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, according to its investor relations site. The company’s events page lists the webcast, press release, infographic and supplemental materials for the quarter. The May 19 filing is available through the company’s investor relations page and the SEC’s EDGAR system. (sec.gov) CAVA’s next formal financial update will come in a later quarterly filing or earnings release, with the company’s investor site serving as the main posting point for those materials. (investor.cava.com)