CAVA, the fast-growing Mediterranean chain known for its build-your-own bowls and pitas, has filed a permit for what would be its first Louisville restaurant. The proposed spot would land in Springhurst, inside the same building as McAlister’s Deli near Meijer.
The filing was first reported by WLKY, which noted that online records indicate the project has not yet been approved. No opening date has been announced for the Louisville location, and it’s not yet clear when, or if, city officials will sign off on the proposal. Residents curious about the permit’s status can track it themselves through the Louisville Metro Business Portal, which lets the public search permits and zoning applications by address or permit number, according to Louisville Metro Government.
CAVA has built its following on Mediterranean-inspired bowls, pitas and dips, a formula that’s helped it expand rapidly across the country in recent years. The Springhurst filing would put the chain in the same Towne Center Drive corridor where McAlister’s Deli already operates, according to the deli’s own location listing.
Kentucky Already Has Two Cava Locations in the Works
Louisville wouldn’t be the chain’s first stop in the state. Cava has filed permits to open two locations in Lexington, which will mark the brand’s first restaurants in Kentucky, per kentucky.com. One of those Lexington restaurants is slated for the Hamburg shopping center at 2305 Sir Barton Way, in the former Joella’s Hot Chicken space, with an expected opening in spring 2027. A second Lexington permit was filed for 4049 Finn Way, near Nicholasville Road and Man o’ War Boulevard…