Same Guest, Opposite Years

Cava and Sweetgreen sell to the same guest: young, urban, health-minded and digital. This year they're living in different worlds. Cava grew same-restaurant sales 9% last quarter on 5.3% traffic growth and is opening a restaurant roughly every five days. Sweetgreen's comps fell 6.2%, it now expects to lose money on an adjusted EBITDA basis this year, and it's rebuilding around cheaper wraps and faster lines. The gap has little to do with salads versus Mediterranean. It comes down to value, pricing discipline and execution. Members get the full breakdown ahead of Cava's Nov. 4 report, plus this week's Savor Brand Price Watch.