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Ted Xenohristos, co-founder and chief concept officer of Cava, drew inspiration from his immigrant parents’ Greek heritage and the food he ate growing up. What began as a humble restaurant inside an old Russian bakery in Rockville, Maryland, blossomed into a national brand with 380 locations across 28 states and Washington, D.C.
“We wanted to do it for an affordable price and [offer] something that people could share,” Xenohristos says. “We built that first restaurant with our bare hands. Everything [was] from the Dollar Store, Target, Home Goods.”
The first few weeks of business were filled with uncertainty and long hours. Xenohristos and Cava CEO Brett Schulman poured their energy into constructing the brand’s first location, building it from the ground up. Without a marketing budget, they relied instead on something more powerful: authenticity and hospitality.
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“We used our Mediterranean hospitality that we grew up knowing, without a marketing budget, without signs outside, without a POS system,” Xenohristos says. “We gave people free things — free drinks, free food, free dessert — and they eventually told other people, and before you knew it, that little restaurant had a really long line.”
As word spread and momentum built, the founders realized they had tapped into something much bigger than a single restaurant. In just over six months, they opened a second location and expanded operations to include a retail line of dips and spreads, bringing Mediterranean flavors into grocery stores.
Despite its rapid rise as one of Yelp’s fastest-growing brands of 2025, Cava never strayed from its core values of generosity and Mediterranean hospitality.
“One of the reasons we started this business was to take care of people and to change the culture,” Xenohristos says. “We love food, we wanted to share it, but we really wanted to change how people were treated. It starts with that.”
The brand’s mission statement is “to bring heart, health and humanity to food.”
The company’s leaders demonstrate heart by caring for guests and staff, health through fresh Mediterranean ingredients and humanity by fostering connection and community inside and outside the company.
“All those things together keep that culture alive,” Xenohristos says. “We still work hard to execute on that dream, to have a greater culture and restaurant.”
Making culture a cornerstone of the business includes providing meaningful employee benefits, such as tuition discounts, family planning assistance, accessible healthcare and mental health resources. Cava also hosts an annual conference designed to foster connection and collaboration among general managers.
This culture extends to the customer experience. Even in the fast-casual dining space, Cava’s team finds ways to create meaningful human connections. One such initiative is the “love button,” a tool that empowers employees to cover a customer’s meal if they notice someone having a rough day.
Xenohristos says this initiative is all about “giving our team members the tools to be able to share that generosity that’s ingrained in us and our culture.”
While no journey is without its challenges, Cava’s values continue to push the brand forward, redefining how guests experience food and hospitality. “As we continue to grow, the more we can do what we set out to do, which was change the restaurant industry,” Xenohristos says.
His advice for current and future business leaders is clear:
- Lead with purpose and heart. Building a business rooted in hospitality, care and connection creates lasting impact — for both your team and your customers.
- Make culture your cornerstone. A thoughtful employee experience does more than retain talent; it distinguishes your brand.
- Grow without losing your roots. No matter how big you scale, stay grounded in the mission that started it all. Authenticity is your most valuable asset.
- Empower generosity. Give your team tools to care about their work, people and purpose. Small acts of kindness create big ripple effects.
- Don’t just follow the industry — change it. Cava didn’t just open restaurants. It built a movement around food, humanity and culture, proving that chains can be both scalable and mission-driven.
Watch the episode above to hear directly from Xenohristos, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.
Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl
