Cava will hire over 2K employees, open 75 units in 2026
Cava to enhance its footprint with 75 new units and 2,500 new hires in 2026.
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Cava plans to open over 75 new restaurants in 2026 and hire 2,500 additional employees, expanding its workforce by 19%. The chain is introducing a new assistant general manager role to enhance management support for ongoing unit growth.
Why It Matters
This expansion may compress available territories in areas where Cava is looking to grow, indicating a strengthening competitive position in the QSR market.
Cava, the fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain, has announced plans to open over 75 new locations in 2026 and hire 2,500 employees, thus boosting its workforce from 12,900 to approximately 15,400, which represents a 19% increase. This expansion reflects the company's strategy to enhance operational efficiency and leadership development within its growing network.
Key to this initiative is the introduction of an Assistant General Manager (AGM) role, aimed at building a stronger management base to support the chain's expansion. Cava had originally set a target of hiring 150 AGMs but has already exceeded this goal, indicative of its commitment to fostering internal talent. Brett Schulman, Cava's Co-Founder, CEO and President, noted during a May earnings call, “Restaurants with AGM coverage are outperforming those without as AGMs provide additional leadership support during peak dinner and weekend shifts, strengthening operations, deepening the development of future team members and building more sustainable restaurant teams over time.”
This proactive hiring and training approach is part of Cava's “Flavor Your Future” platform, which was developed to create more effective growth pathways for employees. Last year, the company promoted over 3,500 employees, with 60% of the newly appointed AGMs coming from within the organization. Additionally, the company is enhancing incentives for General Managers (GMs) by providing long-term equity grants, which will give GMs a vested interest in the company's success. Cava has also announced plans to launch a "high-potential training program" this fall, aimed at preparing select employees for future management roles in new restaurant openings.
