Cava is opening its first Pembroke Pines restaurant on September 9 at Pembroke Lakes Square, and the Mediterranean fast-casual chain is marking the debut with free meals and a charity donation match benefiting a South Florida nonprofit that serves abused, neglected and abandoned children.
The new location, at 11049 Pines Blvd., is holding pre-opening Community Day events today, September 5, and again on September 8, according to Pembroke Pines News. During those events, guests receive a free meal while Cava collects donations to support the Center for Family and Child Enrichment Inc., a private nonprofit that assists South Florida families affected by abuse, neglect or abandonment. Cava has said it will match donations up to $1,000 for the cause.
The Center for Family and Child Enrichment was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Miami Gardens, where it serves more than 5,000 vulnerable children and families annually across South Florida, according to the organization. The nonprofit provides mental health counseling and child welfare programs and operates a Federally Qualified Health Center, per Center for Family and Child Enrichment.
A Familiar Playbook For A New Market
Cava's Community Day program, which began in 2019, has raised more than $1 million in monetary and food donations for organizations combating food insecurity across the country, the company says. The events double as a soft launch, letting staff train on real orders before the restaurant opens to the general public. Once fully open, the Pembroke Pines location will run 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, serving the chain's menu of bowls, pitas and savory dips.
Emma Vogt, Cava's communications manager, said the new restaurant is expected to bring between 25 and 40 jobs to Pembroke Pines, per the same report from Pembroke Pines News. The site sits inside Pembroke Lakes Square, a shopping center along Pines Boulevard anchored by Home Depot and home to tenants including Panera Bread and Chipotle, according to Showcase.com. The suite previously housed Pei Wei Asian Kitchen, which held a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation food service license at the address dating back to March 2008, per MyFloridaLicense.com records.
Why Pembroke Pines Fits Cava's Growth Math
Pembroke Pines is Broward County's second-most populous city, with an estimated 173,194 residents and a median household income of $85,104 as of 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. That combination of family density and spending power lines up with Cava's broader expansion strategy, which has pushed the chain into suburban shopping centers nationwide. The Pembroke Pines opening also adds to Cava's growing South Florida presence, which already includes Broward locations in Plantation and nearby shopping centers, per Cava's own store locator.
The timing tracks with a strong stretch for the company. In its fiscal second quarter ended July 12, 2026, Cava Group reported total revenue grew 31.3% year-over-year to $365.4 million, with same-restaurant sales up 9.0% and guest traffic climbing 5.3%, according to a Business Wire release from the company. Cava operated 476 restaurants across 29 states as of that date, a 19.6% year-over-year increase in store count after opening 17 net new locations in the quarter alone. Digital sales made up 39.0% of total revenue during the same period, underscoring how central mobile ordering and pickup lanes have become to the chain's operations.
Cava has raised its full-year 2026 target to between 75 and 77 net new store openings, part of a long-term goal to reach 1,000 locations nationwide by 2032, according to Seeking Alpha. The company crossed $1 billion in annual revenue for the first time in fiscal 2025. Like all commercial food service operations in Pembroke Pines, the new Cava will be regulated under Chapter 509 of the Florida Statutes and subject to routine sanitation inspections by state regulators before and after opening.
The Pembroke Pines restaurant marks the brand's first standalone location in the city, joining a list of recent Florida debuts that has included stores in Lutz and Bradenton earlier this year. For residents near Hiatus Road and Pembroke Lakes Mall, September 9 will mark the first day the counter is open to walk-in customers without the Community Day promotions.
