Cava, the fast casual Mediterranean chain, opened its first Minnesota restaurant yesterday in Stadium Village near the U.
Why it matters: Never heard of them? This is the company’s 500th restaurant, and the publicly traded chain did nearly $1.2 billion in sales last year. One could be coming to a strip mall near you.
How it works: Guests can choose to make their own grain or salad bowl, or choose from several featured bowls with protein options including falafel, salmon, chicken, steak and lamb.
- Featured bowls range from $12 to $18.
Mayor Jacob Frey attended the grand opening and said he regularly eats at the Cava in Reagan Washington National Airport when traveling to D.C.
- Several Axios Local reporters in cities with Cava gave high marks for the pita chips.
The big picture: The Twin Cities is often an early expansion market for fast casual chains, dating back to Chipotle choosing Minnesota as one of its first handful of markets beyond Denver…