At CAVA, scaling successfully isn’t just about opening new doors; it’s about embedding the brand’s DNA across every location. And that starts with the people. For the fast casual Mediterranean brand known for bold flavors and fresh ingredients, operational excellence is rooted in something deeper: values-driven leadership.
At a recent Crunchtime Ops Innovators webinar, Jennifer Sommers, Chief Operations Officer at CAVA, shared how the brand leverages mission, values, and a focus on execution to ensure every guest experience reflects the same high standard.
Sommers explained, “It is hard to get your restaurant in California to speak the same language as your restaurant in Texas and New York City, so it starts with hiring the right people who truly embrace your brand’s mission and values and exhibit the behaviors and competencies that you believe are important for your brand.”
CAVA integrates what they call “MVC: Mission, Values, Competencies” across the entire employee lifecycle. From hiring and onboarding to training, development, and succession planning, the company ensures that team members not only understand these principles but live them out daily.
“We are very intentional about creating programs that will create a lot of engagement and excitement about MVC,” Sommers added. “This includes initiatives like values cards, where team members are recognized by peers and leaders alike for living out brand values such as 'Passion for Positivity' and 'Generosity First, Always’.”
These aren’t just feel-good slogans; they’re operational priorities that CAVA reinforces at every level of the business. And, while mission and values are foundational, operational readiness is non-negotiable, especially in the fast casual space, where speed and accuracy go hand in hand with food quality.
Sommers stated, “Shift readiness is paramount. We are in the fast casual space, which means that people are often looking for something fast, but while still delivering great food.”
That means having the right number of team members, deployed in the right way, and making sure the right amount of food is ready and available. If even one of those components breaks down, the guest experience suffers, and over time, that can erode customer loyalty. To mitigate that risk, CAVA has developed systems that raise operational visibility.
“We make sure that the locations have all of the right checklists, and that they are time-bound,” Sommers said. “If it isn’t done within a certain timeframe, it shows up as incomplete. If that happens regularly, it sounds the alarm that upper management needs to help the restaurant get it back on track.”
This proactive, data-driven approach ensures that red flags are addressed early, and teams feel supported, not surprised, when performance dips. From back-of-house prep to line deployment and service timing, every touchpoint is optimized to ensure that team members can focus on what really matters: delivering a seamless guest experience.
Maintaining quality and consistency as a brand scales is no small feat. For CAVA, simplification is a strategic lever. This philosophy doesn’t just help reduce friction; it builds confidence across the organization. When processes are repeatable and supported by data, teams are empowered to succeed shift after shift, location after location.
“We ensure that wherever we can simplify the food, we are simplifying the food,” said Sommers. “And when that isn’t possible, we find other ways to make the execution more manageable so that we can do it consistently across the system.”
What makes CAVA’s approach particularly noteworthy is the balance between heart and systems. On one hand, there's a strong focus on culture, leadership, and human connection. On the other, there’s a rigorous commitment to operational consistency and performance metrics. It’s this combination that enables CAVA to grow with confidence, staying true to its identity while delivering on guest expectations at scale.
As more restaurant brands navigate labor challenges, evolving guest preferences, and rising competition, CAVA’s playbook offers a clear takeaway: When your mission is clear, your values are lived, and your systems are strong, operational excellence becomes inevitable.
In today’s hyper-competitive restaurant landscape, standing out is about more than just great food; it’s about delivering exceptional experiences consistently. Want to learn more about how top brands are scaling operational success and securing market share? Check out our guide: 5 Ways Restaurants Can Secure Market Share.
Today, CAVA leverages a suite of Crunchtime solutions, including Operations Execution (Zenput), Inventory, and Labor, across their extensive network of locations to drive consistency, efficiency, and excellence in daily operations across nearly 400 locations nationwide. These tools empower teams at every level to execute on the brand’s values, streamline processes, and maintain the high standards that define the CAVA guest experience as they scale toward their goal of 1,000 locations by 2032.