A vacant Boston Market building on North Port Washington Road in Glendale could soon get new life as a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant and a mattress showroom, according to plans submitted to the city. The proposal, filed by Noby Glendale LLC, would renovate and expand the long-empty building at 5470 N. Port Washington Rd. to house both a CAVA restaurant and a Mattress Firm under one roof.
The Glendale Planning and Architectural Review Commission is scheduled to review the proposal on Tuesday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. CAVA would take over the northern tenant space, while Mattress Firm would occupy the southern portion of the building, which is currently owned by Blackstone WB Glendale LLC. If it opens, the Glendale restaurant would mark just the second CAVA location in Wisconsin, since the chain currently lists no locations in the state on its own website.
What the Renovation Would Add
The building currently measures 3,100 square feet, and Noby Glendale LLC has proposed a 3,200-square-foot addition to accommodate the two new tenants. Site improvements outlined in the filing include a new parking lot with 45 spaces, along with driveways, sidewalks and landscaping. The plans also call for a dumpster enclosure, stormwater management facilities, and utility, lighting and drainage upgrades, plus an outdoor dining space for the restaurant.
Noby Glendale LLC is also working with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on updates to the nearby intersection of North Port Washington Road and the Interstate 43 off-ramp, per the Journal Sentinel's reporting. Glendale staff have recommended the commission approve the plans, with conditions attached covering access easement plans, bike parking and updated landscaping.
A Second Try After Greenfield
CAVA's interest in the Milwaukee area isn't new. A CAVA proposal first surfaced in Greenfield city documents in January 2026, when the chain floated plans for a restaurant in that suburb's 84South development. That earlier filing described operational hours of 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily and a staffing model of two to five full-time employees alongside 10 to 12 part-time workers, though it's not clear whether the Glendale location would follow the same blueprint.
Port Washington Road runs parallel to Interstate 43 and sits less than a mile from the 1.2 million-square-foot Bayshore town center, making it a high-visibility commercial corridor. Glendale has already drawn a wave of fast-casual dining interest in 2026, including a proposed Raising Cane's move into the North Shore and an approved 7 Brew drive-thru coffee site that Hoodline also covered earlier this year.
From Boston Market Collapse to CAVA Growth
The Glendale site's history reflects a broader shakeup in casual dining real estate. Boston Market's parent company owner, Jay Pandya, filed for personal Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2023 following tax debt seizures, labor wage investigations and an $11.6 million lawsuit from supplier US Foods, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. The chain's nationwide footprint collapsed from roughly 342 company-owned locations in late 2020 to approximately 22 open stores by March 2025, per Wikipedia, leaving standalone buildings like the one on Port Washington Road vacant and available.
Into that gap has stepped CAVA, a fast-casual chain known for customizable bowls, salads and pita dishes inspired by Mediterranean flavors. The company topped $1 billion in annual revenue for the first time in fiscal year 2025, a 22.5% jump for the year, according to the Motley Fool. As of the second quarter of fiscal 2026, which ended July 12, CAVA operated 476 restaurants across 29 states and Washington, D.C., with a long-term goal of reaching at least 1,000 stores nationwide by 2032, per Morningstar. The website separately states the chain has grown to more than 400 restaurants nationwide.
That growth has been fueled by strong recent sales: CAVA posted $365.4 million in quarterly revenue during the second quarter of fiscal 2026, up 31.3% year-over-year, with same-store sales growth of 9.0% driven by a 5.3% rise in customer traffic, Morningstar reported. In June, the company announced plans to open more than 75 new locations and hire over 2,500 employees nationwide during the second half of 2026, with Bisnow noting that Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin rank among its priority Midwest markets.
CAVA did not respond to the Journal Sentinel's requests for comment as of Monday. The Glendale proposal follows a pattern the chain has repeated elsewhere in the Midwest this year, including a similar push into a busy Schaumburg, Illinois intersection that Hoodline detailed in July. Whether Glendale's commission gives the plans a green light will determine if the North Shore gets its own taste of the bowl chain sooner rather than later.
