CAVA Sets September 7 Opening at New Braunfels' Booming Creekside Hub

CAVA is set to open its doors at 323 Creekside Crossing, Suite 117, in New Braunfels on September 7, 2026, bringing the fast-casual Mediterranean chain's customizable bowls, pitas and salads to one of the fastest-growing retail corridors in Comal County. The opening date comes straight from CAVA representatives, who confirmed the timeline as construction on the space wraps up ahead of the public debut.

According to Community Impact, CAVA regional director Louie Lovejoy said the company is “thrilled to be in New Braunfels and continue growing its presence in the San Antonio area,” adding that CAVA's mission is to “bring heart, health and humanity to food.” The chain, known for letting customers build their own bowls and pitas from a menu of Mediterranean-inspired ingredients, has been steadily filling in the map around San Antonio as it chases a broader national growth push.

Before the doors officially open to the public, CAVA plans to host a pre-opening Community Day at the Creekside location on Saturday, September 5, 2026, according to an event listing on Eventbrite. The event will offer complimentary meals to registered guests while collecting voluntary donations for local partners, a format CAVA has used at other new locations to train staff and support regional food non-profits.

Behind the Buildout: A $1.6 Million Investment

The scale of the project is laid out in a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, which shows the Creekside space spans 2,849 square feet with an estimated interior renovation cost of $1.6 million. Construction on the buildout began in January 2026, and the state filing lists the project owner as A-L 95 Creekside TC Phase 4, L.P.

CAVA is also staffing up locally ahead of opening day. Job postings on Indeed show the company hiring full-time team members starting at $16 per hour and grill cooks starting at $17 per hour, with shift leads, cooks and general team members among the roles actively recruited.

Why Creekside Is Pulling in National Chains

The Town Center at Creekside has become one of the busiest commercial hubs in the region. The 400-acre retail complex draws more than 120,000 vehicles daily along Interstate 35, according to MySA, as the development enters its final phase and continues its transformation from a small strip mall into a regional shopping destination near the high-traffic New Braunfels Buc-ee's.

That traffic has already lured other major attractions to the area. An $18 million, 38,000-square-foot Topgolf venue with 62 hitting bays opened at Creekside Town Center in December 2025, creating roughly 200 local jobs, per My Neighborhood News. More retail is on the way too, though not without delays — discount retailer Nordstrom Rack pushed back construction on its planned 25,000-square-foot Creekside store, with ground-breaking now expected in February 2027 instead of late 2026, CultureMap San Antonio reported.

A City Growing Fast Enough to Notice

The rush of national chains into Creekside tracks with New Braunfels' rapid population growth. U.S. Census Bureau estimates put the city's population at 122,492 as of July 1, 2025, up from 90,403 in the 2020 Census — an increase of more than 32,000 residents in five years. That growth helps explain why fast-casual brands including Portillo's and a new $4.5 million Chick-fil-A location, which would mark that brand's third store in New Braunfels, were also approved to join the Creekside expansion, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

CAVA's Creekside opening also fits into the chain's broader national trajectory. In its second-quarter 2026 earnings, CAVA Group reported operating 476 restaurant locations across 29 states and Washington, D.C., generating $365.4 million in quarterly revenue, and the company opened 17 net new locations in that quarter alone. CAVA has updated its full-year target to between 75 and 77 net new restaurant openings in fiscal 2026, part of a long-term goal of reaching 1,000 total stores nationwide by 2032.

For New Braunfels residents, the immediate takeaway is simpler: a new place to grab a bowl or pita is coming to Creekside Crossing, with a free community meal on September 5 ahead of the official opening on September 7.