Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat, what do you think about the new IPO Cava Group? Thanks for all your great advice.

Article Excerpt

A: Cava Group Inc., $42.78, symbol CAVA on New York (Shares outstanding: 113.6 million; Market cap: $4.7 billion; www.cava.com), is a U.S. fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Mediterranean food. The chain has 290 restaurants in 24 states and Washington D.C. Cava was founded in 2006 and opened its first fast-casual location in 2011. It modelled its build-your-own Mediterranean meals, and its bowls and pitas, on a formula popularized by Chipotle Mexican Grill. Cava then expanded in 2018 when it acquired Zoe’s Kitchen, a rival Mediterranean chain, for $300 million. Over the past five years, it has been converting Zoe’s locations to Cava restaurants. Washington, D.C.-based Cava first sold shares to the public at $22 each and began trading on the New York exchange on June 15, 2023. The final price was above the company’s initial proposed listing range of between $17 and $19. Notably, Cava was the first restaurant company to list its shares in an IPO since Sweetgreen (symbol SG on New York)…