Cava Plans Chicago Expansion, Betting on ‘Rebirth’ of Midwest

  • Chain picks residential neighborhood for city’s first location
  • New restaurant setup seeks to appeal to hybrid workers

Cava opened its first Chicago location on Friday after eyeing the market for about nine years.

Photographer: John Taggart/Bloomberg
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Cava Group Inc. is planning to further expand its footprint in the Chicago area and other areas of the Midwest, making a contrarian bet that the region will reverse population declines that have plagued it in recent years.

The Mediterranean chain on Friday opened its first Chicago location — also its inaugural restaurant in the Upper Midwest — after eyeing the market for about nine years, Chief Executive Officer Brett Schulman said in an interview Friday.