Tricia Tolivar on margin strategy
From $CAVA CAVA Group Q4 2025 Earnings Conference Call · · EARNMOAR
“As we think about going forward, we're always focused on making investments. So investments in team members, investments in the guests, and sometimes those have impacts on our restaurant level margins. But the power of our model is very strong. And with robust AUVs at $2.9 million, we're able to pass things along into our business without passing costs on to the guests.”
On , Tricia Tolivar, Chief Financial Officer at CAVA GROUP INC, spoke about margin strategy during $CAVA CAVA Group Q4 2025 Earnings Conference Call on EARNMOAR.
About Tricia Tolivar
During Cava's Q1 2026 earnings call on May 19, 2026, Chief Financial Officer Tricia Tolivar reported that the company's revenue grew 32.2% year-over-year to $434.4 million, with same-restaurant sales increasing 9.7% driven by traffic growth of 6.8%. Tolivar stated that Cava is raising its guidance for the full year 2026, expecting 75 to 77 net new restaurant openings, same-restaurant sales growth of 4.5% to 6.5%, and adjusted EBITDA between $181 million and $191 million. She also noted that the company had no debt outstanding, $403 million in cash and investments, and access to a $150 million revolving credit facility. On the call, Tolivar discussed the company's approach to managing costs and pricing. She said Cava has been focused on mitigating menu price increases and not passing inflationary pressures to guests, adding that the company has taken less than half the price increase of CPI and priced more than half below peers. Tolivar also mentioned that Cava sees opportunities to continue cost-effective marketing to elevate brand awareness, which she said had grown from 62% to 66% nationally.