1748 ET - Cava has many of the same attributes that made Chipotle one of the fastest growing restaurant stocks since its IPO, Baird analysts say in a note. Among those are a straightforward operating model, which should yield higher foot traffic as it grows brand awareness with more locations, the analysts say. When Chipotle upped its store count from 200 to 500 locations, average store volumes climbed about 40%, which accelerated to 80% in the 10 years in which it grew to nearly 1,800 stores, the analysts say. Cava could head in a similar direction, considering its growth pattern has looked remarkably similar to Chipotle's early stages, they say. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 02, 2025 17:48 ET (21:48 GMT)

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