Cava Opens First Suburban Illinois Location Friday At Hawthorn Mall In Vernon Hills

VERNON HILLS, IL — Mediterranean fast-casual chain Cava opens its second Illinois location Friday at Hawthorn Mall.

Located in the former Denny's at 890 N. Milwaukee Ave., the new Vernon Hills restaurant is Cava's first in the suburban Chicago area.

The rapidly growing chain opened 72 new locations in 2023 and there are now more than 323 Cava eateries nationwide.

The Vernon Hills Village Board approved plans for newest Cava in August 2023.

A day before the opening, the company is giving away free meals Thursday and matching donations of up to $1,000 to the Northern Illinois Food Bank as part of a preview day.

Registration for lunch, which runs from 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner, from 5 to 8 p.m. is available online for free.

Company officials said the restaurant is also donating hundreds of fresh meals to community members during its pre-opening training period in partnership with Food Rescue US.

Cava's first foray into the Illinois market came in April, when it opened at 1484 N. Milwaukee Ave. in the former Native Foods in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

Co-founder and chief concept officer Ted Xenohristos told the Chicago Sun-Times that Chicago's Greek community had been "hounding" him to open up shop in the city, noting strong demand from customers and sales of Cava's dips in area grocery stores.

Since the Washington, D.C.-based company went public last year, its stock has risen by more than 300 percent. Bloomberg reported this month its market valuation is now more than $10 billion — or about $33 million for each of its restaurants.

Co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman said Cava has a "category-defining brand" and a "clear leadership position in Mediterranean" in a statement announcing first quarter financial results this spring.

“During the quarter, Same Restaurant Sales grew 2.3%, an exceptional 30.7% on a 2-year basis," Schulman said. "We opened 14 net new restaurants and as we continue to invest in scalable infrastructure to support our growth, we are in a strong position to capture the significant whitespace opportunity ahead of us."