It’s been a tough couple of years for plenty of fast food chains, but Cava has seen significant growth.
During the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, the Mediterranean restaurant chainreported year-over-year revenue growth of 32.2% and same-store sales growth of 9.7%.
“Amid today’s broader macroeconomic environment and geopolitical uncertainty, our first quarter results reflect our position as a clear industry leader and our ability to meet the moment for the modern consumer,” Cava’s CEO Brett Schulman told investors.
Cava’s outsized growth can be traced to several factors — including the category-busting protein strategy I covered last month — but one lesser-known initiative may be just as important: its investment in middle management.
Inside Cava’s bet on middle management
In October 2025, Cava launched its Flavor Your Future initiative, a program focused on attracting, developing, and retaining employees.
Earlier this year, the chain expanded the program to include a new assistant general manager position. Described as a “key action” of the initiative, the move was intended to create a bench of role-ready leaders who could provide support to the chain as it grows.
Despite having only existed for a few months, Schulman says the chain is already reaping the benefits of the new role.
“Early indicators from the AGM rollout are promising,” he told investors during a recent earnings call. “Restaurants with AGM coverage are outperforming those without, as AGMs provide additional leadership support during peak dinner and weekend shifts, strengthening operations, deepening the development of future team members, and building more sustainable restaurant teams over time.”
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The disappearance of middle managers
Since the pandemic, assistant manager roles in restaurants have slowly started to disappear.
The roles typically involve long hours with relatively low pay, a combination that makes them unattractive to potential employees and hard for companies to fill.
“[The] job is seen particularly as thankless, overworked and underpaid—full stop,” Danny Stoller, co-founder of Square Pie Guys, told the Wall Street Journal.
But without these roles, industry experts say there’s no clear path for rookie employees into leadership.
More restaurants:
- Taco Bell makes first-ever move in fast-growing category
- McDonald’s has a new plan for more cautious customer
- Chili’s pushes back on restaurant trend customers hate
“[With assistant manager positions] you’re on the train,” Matt Sigelman, president of labor-market analytics firm The Burning Glass Institute, told the outlet. “So if people are opting out, they miss out on this ticket to upward mobility.”
Unlike many restaurant management roles, Cava’s assistant general manager positions are explicitly tied to career development and internal promotion. Schumann illustrated this through his singling out of a current Cava employee, Adriana Cervantes.
Cervantes started her employment at the fast food chain as general staff before moving through the company’s internal development program. She went on to become an assistant general manager and is now a general manager at Cava, working towards higher leadership roles at the restaurant.
“Her journey is a powerful reminder that when we invest in our team members and create opportunities for growth, we are able to build not just stronger restaurants, but meaningful and lasting careers for our people,” Schumann said.
Younger workers want clear paths to leadership
Cava’s Flavor Your Future initiative and assistant general manager roles will resonate particularly with younger generations.
In 2026, only 6% of Gen Z and millennial employees say that achieving a leadership position is their primary career goal, according to Deloitte’s annual Gen Z and Millennial survey.
The percentage doesn’t seem to reflect a lack of ambition — 76% of Gen Zers and 67% of millennials say they are interested in pursuing senior or executive leadership positions at some point in their careers — but from a lack of clarity.
Concerns about stress and burnout, excessive responsibility, and work/life balance are the most commonly cited factors deterring young employees from actively pursuing title advancement. While flexible work arrangements and greater clarity about the paths to leadership within an organization are highlighted as factors that would make leadership roles more appealing.
In a post-pandemic restaurant environment, where management structures have been flattened and location leaders are expected to absorb an ever-expanding list of responsibilities, Cava’s setup stands apart as more supportive and direct.
That strategy may help explain why the company is willing to absorb higher administrative costs as it expands. In its recent earnings report, Cava disclosed roughly $10 million in additional general and administrative expenses, year over year. It’s an investment that appears tied, at least in part, to building the leadership infrastructure needed to sustain its growth.
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