Cava Group beat Wall Street expectations for second-quarter sales and earnings as customer traffic accelerated, same-restaurant sales rose 9% and restaurant expansion continued, while the company kept its 2026 outlook unchanged. Revenue rose 31.3% to $368.44 million, while Cava Revenue, which excludes licensed restaurants, increased 31.3% to $365.43 million and topped the $360.53 million analyst estimate. Diluted earnings per share came in at $0.19, ahead of the $0.18 analyst estimate, and net income was $23.0 million. Adjusted EBITDA increased 30% to $54.7 million, and restaurant-level profit rose 28.1% to $93.8 million, though the margin slipped to 25.7% from 26.3% as food and labor costs increased. Same-restaurant sales growth was driven by a 5.3% increase in traffic, while 17 net new restaurant openings lifted the store base to 476 locations across 29 states and Washington, D.C. CEO Brett Schulman said concerns around produce consumption related to late-quarter Cyclospora food-safety issues affected same-restaurant sales, but the company said sales have since rebounded to the mid-single-digit range. Cava also said it has not seen an immediate impact from the recent Salmonella outbreak and does not source from the farms involved. The company reaffirmed its 2026 targets for 75 to 77 net new restaurants, 4.5% to 6.5% same-restaurant sales growth and adjusted EBITDA of $181 million to $191 million, while flagging second-half margin pressure from fuel surcharges, the pre-marinated chicken rollout and wage investments.