Cava could be the next Chipotle. I've tried both chains and the battle is close.

Some people are calling Cava the next Chipotle. Nancy Luna, Insider food correspondent, compares the two chains.

Nancy Luna/Insider

• Cava is billed as the Mediterranean version of Chipotle, and is stealing the burrito chain's fans.
• Gen Z loves Cava for its bold flavors while some Chipotle fans have grown tired of the fresh-Mex brand.
• We tried both Chipotle and Cava to see whose food is best.  

I remember the days when walking into a Chipotle at lunchtime meant facing long lines that extended to the back of the restaurant. Tackling the crazy crowds was worth it because the fresh-Mex chain was an exciting concept in its heyday.

It offered giant foil-wrapped burritos, created your way in a walk-along setup like Subway. Foodies looking for healthier options were attracted to Chipotle's nontraditional burrito ingredients, such as brown rice, non-fried black or brown beans, and grilled vegetables.

I know. I talk as if the 30-year-old chain is dead. Far from it. Chipotle is still wildly popular, having scaled to more than 3,250 restaurants in the US, Canada, the UK, France, and Germany.

But Chipotle isn't the darling of the ball anymore. Newcomer Cava, a Mediterranean fast-casual concept, is now turning heads and stealing the hearts of Gen X diners. Cava, billed as a Mediterranean version of Chipotle, went public in June and is red hot.

I've visited Cava several times over the past year. On each visit, lines at lunch and dinner snake to the back of the restaurant and wrap around the dining room. According to a viral video by a TikTok influencer, Chipotle "doesn't hit the way it used to" with fans.

So, I set out to compare Cava and Chipotle in a head-to-head battle. To keep it simple, I compared Chipotle's burritos and bowls to Cava's pitas and bowls.

It was a tight race. Ultimately, fate helped me crown a champion. Here's what I discovered.

(Note: Prices reflect purchases made at Chipotle and Cava stores in Orange County, California. Prices may vary where you live.)

I visited a Chipotle in a college town near my house. I stood around for a couple of minutes before someone decided to help me.

Insider reporter Nancy Luna waits for someone to help her at Chipotle.

Insider

I spotted at least three people working behind the counter. They were either prepping food or assembling meals for digital orders.

Takeout and delivery orders are big business for Chipotle. In 2022, Chipotle's digital business surpassed $3 billion in revenue. In the second quarter of 2023, digital sales represented 38% of the chain's food and beverage revenue.

Still, that's no excuse for not having an employee immediately available to help a customer waiting in line. Especially as I was the only person in line at dinnertime.

Every time I visit Chipotle, there’s hardly anyone in line. What's up with that?

What happened to all the long lines at Chipotle?

Nancy Luna/Insider

My in-restaurant visits to Chipotle don't reflect a lack of popularity for the chain. Chipotle is still a hot brand. In June 2023, visits were up on average 8.4% per Chipotle store compared to June 2022, according to data by Placer.ai.

Last year, the company increased its revenue by 14.4% to $8.6 billion. I must be visiting stores that cater to a mobile-order crowd.

Cava, on the other hand, always has long lines.

Cava always seems to have a long line when I visit.

Nancy Luna/Insider

I've visited Cava about four times over the past year. At lunch and dinner, each location commands crowds. And like the early days of Chipotle, customers don't seem to mind waiting in line.

Chipotle prices its bowls by the type of protein you select. I ordered mine with carne asada, a premium protein available for a limited time only.

Approximately 65% of all Chipotle digital orders are bowls or salads.

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This is carne asada's third time on the Chipotle menu after first debuting as a limited-time offer in 2019.

The fan favorite is top sirloin and tri-tip steak strips seasoned with cumin, coriander, and oregano. It comes at a premium price – $11.85. Other proteins on the menu ranged in price from $8.85 to $10.60.

I used to think the topping options at Chipotle were plentiful. But after eating at Cava, the Chipotle choices seem boring and scarce.

If you eliminate the four salsa options, the remaining free toppings at Chipotle are sour cream, shredded cheese, fajita veggies, and romaine lettuce. That's not that much compared to Cava.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

After selecting your beans, rice, and protein, Chipotle offers eight toppings for free to customize your bowl: fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili corn salsa, tomatillo-green chili salsa, tomatillo-red salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, fajita veggies, and romaine lettuce.

I chose all the free options except the tomatillo-red salsa, which is too spicy for my palate.

Customers can add guacamole ($2.65) and queso blanco ($1.70) for an upcharge.

If you eliminate the salsa options, there are only four free topping choices at Chipotle. That's underwhelming when compared to Cava.

As I ordered along the assembly line, I noticed all the food bins were practically empty. I got the last scoopful of many items, including the carne. asada, which wasn't a good sign that I was getting fresh products.

Insider food correspondent Nancy Luna ordered a custom bowl and burrito at Chipotle, and  compared it to Cava's bowl and pita.

Insider

The Chipotle bowl did not meet my expectations because the ingredients didn't taste fresh.

The chain describes the carne asada as juicy strips of steak seasoned with spices and topped with a squeeze of lime. But I couldn't taste any of those craveable flavors. The steak was dry and lukewarm to the touch, underscoring my suspicions that I was getting the dregs of the carne asada sitting in the bin.

My bowl experience at Cava was quite different. I was overwhelmed with the variety of options.

Nancy Luna tried Cava's fresh lemonade beverages along with her bowl.

Nancy Luna/Insider

While Chipotle has two base grain options (white or brown rice), Cava offers nine different choices of grains and greens. Almost all of them are irresistible, making it hard to choose.

Cava's base choices are black lentils, saffron basmati rice, brown rice, arugula, Supergreens (a blend of raw cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and kale), baby spinach, romaine, Splendidgreens (a mix of chopped romaine, radicchio, escarole, chicory endive, and cabbage) and RightRice. The latter is a high-protein veggie rice available for a $1.35 upcharge.

These ingredients are super appealing to anyone looking for healthy high-fiber choices in their diet. I've tasted nearly all of these options except the spinach. I'm not a fan of Popeye's fave greens.

The RightRice is a solid, lower-carb grain that's better in taste and texture than Chipotle's cilantro-lime cauliflower rice. The alt-rice is no longer on the menu after launching nationwide for a limited time in 2021.

Cava knows its choices are tempting, as the chain allows you to choose two options as one base. I chose black lentils and brown rice.

Unlike Chipotle, the topping options at Cava are dreamy and craveworthy. That’s probably why the lines get clogged because there’s a lot of tempting choices to select.

Cava offers plentiful topping options.

Nancy Luna/Insider

Cava's main entree options include harissa honey chicken, spicy lamb meatballs, grilled chicken, braised lamb, spicy falafel, falafel, and roasted vegetables. Customers can choose one main, or two with the portion sizes split in half.

I chose the braised lamb and falafel. A custom build-your-own bowl or pita cost $11.75. Unlike Chipotle, the base price doesn't change for most main entrees chosen. There is an upcharge for the harissa honey chicken and the spicy lamb meatballs.

Cava is a bit more expensive than Chipotle. But the trade-off is you get more exciting dips, dressings, and topping to choose from.

Cava offers many more craveworthy topping choices than Chipotle.

Nancy Luna/Insider

Customers can choose up to three of the six different dip options. They come in melon baller-size scoops. I got hummus, tzatziki, and roasted eggplant. I passed on the other three options – crazy feta (whipped with jalapenos), red pepper hummus, and harissa – because they are too spicy for me.

For no extra cost, Cava offers 12 unlimited topping options.

"Choose as many as you want," according to the sign on the window display.

Avocado is also available for a $2.45 upcharge.

The topping choices are much more compelling than anything offered at Chipotle. I chose salt-brined pickles, kalamata olives, pita crisps, tomato and onion, crumbled feta, and Persian cucumbers. The result is a hefty bowl filled with crazy-good ingredients.

Winner: The Cava bowl wins on value, taste, and freshness. Even though Cava is more expensive than Chipotle, I am willing to pay a couple of extra bucks for the sheer volume of flavors packed in the chain's bowls. It's a better bang for my buck.

While Cava’s bowls are a thing of beauty, their pitas are ugly and messy. You need a smock to eat these bulging wraps.

Cava's pita wraps are bigger than Chipotle's burritos, but messy.

Nancy Luna/Insider

When you choose a lot of toppings for a bowl at Cava, it doesn't impact the presentation of the meal.

But, when you select numerous toppings for the pita, you end up building a messy monster of a wrap. When biting into the unwieldy pita, ingredients on the other side of the wrap ooze out.

The pita is in a constant state of falling apart. It’s a handheld meal that you can’t hold.

Cava's bulging pita wraps are messy.

Nancy Luna/Insider

While the pita is delicious, I end up eating it with a fork like it's a bowl or salad because it's too hard to pick up and eat.

The base price of the pita was $11.75. But because I chose a premium protein – lamb meatballs – Cava charged me an extra $2.30. I also added guacamole, bringing the total price of the pita to $16.50.

At Chipotle, I created a custom-built burrito with barbacoa, cheese, guacamole, salsas, queso blanco, and no rice.

Chipotle offers big foil-wrapped burritos, created your way in a walk-along setup like Subway.

Nancy Luna/Insider

The burrito was amazing. Barbacoa is one of Chipotle's best proteins.

With the upcharges for the premium sides, the $10.60 burrito turned into a $14.95 meal. My burrito was big and much easier to handle compared to Cava's pita.

Tip: If you're trying to save a buck, steer clear of the premium proteins and sides at both chains.

Winner: My Chipotle burrito was delicious and easy to eat. Cava's pita was also delicious, but it fails on presentation. It's just too messy to order. So Chipotle wins this round.

Speaking of big burritos, I'll digress a bit. Are Chipotle's burritos getting smaller?

Chipotle's burrito compared to Cava's pita.

Nancy Luna/Insider

Chipotle has been accused of shrinkflation, making their burritos smaller even though they've been raising prices. I did not find that to be true. My burrito, while smaller than Cava's massive wraps, was still big.

And, I asked for no rice, a filler that makes the burritos bulge even more.

A spokesperson for Chipotle, which recently said it would raise prices for the fourth time in two years, told me: "We haven't made any changes to our portion sizes."

Clearly, I needed a tie-breaker, so I looked at the chains' sides and dips.

Cava's roasted eggplant, left, and Chipotle's queso blanco. Both are irresistible.

Nancy Luna/Insider

Cava, as I mentioned before, offers an assortment of bold-tasting dips and dressings.

I'm a big fan of Cava's tzatziki and roasted eggplant. But Chipotle's guacamole and queso blanco are outstanding sides, as well.

So this one turned out to be a tie, as well.

Fate decides the winner.

A Chipotle worker is spotted at Cava. I love that he didn't ditch his uniform before heading to Cava.

Nancy Luna/Insider

As I was mulling over who should win this contest, a young man walked into Cava. His T-shirt immediately struck me. It said, "As real as it gets," indicating he was a Chipotle employee.

I asked him why he ate at Cava when he could get free food at Chipotle. He said he "eats so much Chipotle."

Besides, he said of Cava: "I like their food better."

The Chipotle employee-turned-Cava fan tilted the scale for me. He represents a desire by Chipotle fans for a change of pace. As the 280-location Cava expands across the US, I suspect more Chipotle customers will eventually abandon the fresh-Mex chain for Cava's bright, good-for-you meals.

So, Cava beats Chipotle. But just barely.

Nancy Luna has been covering the restaurant industry from her home in Southern California for 18 years. Got insight to share on the industry? Got a tip? Contact her via email at nluna@insider.com.

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