Cava will swing open the doors of its newest Central Ohio restaurant on Wednesday, bringing the fast-casual Mediterranean chain's build-your-own bowl concept to 9711 Sawmill Parkway in Powell. The store is expected to employ between 25 and 40 people and will run daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The opening date, confirmed by a company spokesperson, was first reported by NBC4 WCMH-TV. Powell native Gino Carlin, speaking for the company, said Cava is thrilled to be in Powell and to continue growing its presence in the Columbus area. The Sawmill Parkway location marks the chain's fifth Central Ohio storefront to open in roughly half a year, following stops in Hilliard, Polaris, Grove City and Upper Arlington.
Cava entered the Central Ohio market in April with a restaurant at 1790 Hilliard Rome Road in northwest Columbus, per the station's reporting. A location near Polaris Fashion Place followed in May at 1370 Polaris Parkway, and a Grove City store opened at 4120 Buckeye Parkway in June. Cava also plans to open a location at 1603 W. Lane Ave. in Upper Arlington sometime this year, though the company has not shared plans for a rumored spot near Ohio State University at 1870 N. High St.
What's on the Menu
Cava's format centers on customizable bowls and pita wraps built from a base of greens, rice or lentils. Diners choose from proteins including chicken, falafel, steak and salmon, along with vegetables like cucumbers and fire-roasted corn, and dips such as hummus, tzatziki and harissa.
Before the Wednesday opening, the Sawmill Parkway store held a pre-opening Community Day, offering complimentary meals to registered guests while collecting voluntary donations for local food bank initiatives, according to an event listing on Eventbrite. Hoodline covered a similar event ahead of Cava's Grove City debut in an earlier Central Ohio dispatch, and the chain used the same playbook for its Cincinnati-area launch earlier this year.
A National Growth Machine Lands in Powell
The Powell opening is one small piece of a much larger national push. Cava reported 459 restaurants nationwide as of 2026, and the company has set a goal of reaching 1,000 locations by 2032, according to Bisnow. Cava's Midwest expansion push has targeted metro areas including Cincinnati, Columbus, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis, positioning Central Ohio as one front in a much broader regional strategy, per CoStar.
That expansion is backed by strong financials. Cava reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $438.3 million, a 32.2% year-over-year increase, along with net income of $23 million, as same-restaurant sales grew 9.7% on a 6.8% rise in guest traffic, according to TIKR. Digital orders made up nearly 38% of Cava's total revenue in 2025, prompting the company to build dedicated pickup lanes into new suburban stores, the Motley Fool reports.
Roots in Rockville, Growth Through Acquisition
Cava traces its roots to a 55-seat full-service restaurant called Cava Mezze, opened in Rockville, Maryland, by Greek-American childhood friends Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos and Dimitri Moshovitis, who later brought on former finance executive Brett Schulman as CEO to develop the fast-casual model, according to Estiator. The chain went public on the New York Stock Exchange in June 2023, raising $318 million before its stock price nearly doubled on its first day of trading.
Much of Cava's multi-state footprint traces back to its 2018 acquisition of rival chain Zoës Kitchen for $300 million, a deal that let Cava convert more than 145 Zoës storefronts into Cava locations, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Beyond its restaurants, Cava also sells packaged dips like Crazy Feta, tzatziki and red pepper hummus to grocers including Whole Foods Market, a channel SFGATE notes the company used to build brand recognition years before opening fast-casual stores in new markets.
Crowded Corridor
Cava's arrival puts it in direct competition along a stretch of Sawmill Parkway that already includes the independent restaurant Zaytoon Mediterranean Grill at 10726 Sawmill Parkway, according to Destination Delaware County Ohio. The corridor reflects a broader trend of build-your-own bowl concepts moving into suburban Columbus in search of health-conscious families. Cava now counts two other Ohio restaurants outside the Columbus area, both in the Cincinnati region, including its first Ohio location at the Oakley Station mixed-use development and a later addition at Kenwood Square shopping center.
