Cava brings beef back with a steak menu item to rival Sweetgreen’s

On Monday, fast-casual Mediterranean chain Cava debuted a new Mediterranean-style grilled steak at locations across the country, along with two curated menu options, the Steak Mezze Salad and a Steak + Feta Pita. You can now add the steak to any custom order, making for a whopping 16 billion possible ingredient combinations for your work lunch.



According to Cava cofounder and chief concept officer Ted Xenohristos, the grilled steak option was two years in the making. Following the discontinuation of its beef meatballs last year, the chain was looking to fill the gap in the menu.



“There was a lot of pent-up demand for beef options,” Xenohristos says. “[The steak] is something we are super proud of because when the meatballs left, people were not super happy with us.”



For research purposes (of course), I tried the Steak Mezze Salad last night, and I was not disappointed. The steak is the star of the show, but the bowl also contains feta, fire-roasted corn, and pickled onions that sit on a bed of spinach and arugula. The flavors complemented each other nicely, and there were not too many items in the bowl that distracted from the steak, which is seasoned with Mediterranean spices such as sun-dried tomato powder and smoky Aleppo pepper. The salad also came equipped with dips such as red pepper hummus and tzatziki and was finished with a garlic dressing and Greek vinaigrette. The dish hit the spot (although, full disclosure, as a red meat and salad lover, this might have been the ideal order for me).



The food served at Cava is inspired by Xenohristos’ Greek heritage. He founded Cava to make healthy Mediterranean eating more accessible to consumers. Xenohristos says that while most people do not think of beef when they think of the Mediterranean diet, it is actually a huge part of it.



“[The steak] is something that is going to bring new customers to our restaurants and might bring customers back more often,” Xenohristos says.



The move comes as Cava’s health-conscious competitor, Sweetgreen, just released its own steak option, the Caramelized Garlic Steak, in May. That’s as the demand for high-protein options have steadily been increasing with the popularization of GLP-1 medications as users shift to smaller portioned, higher-protein options.



Cava’s grilled steak is launching just in time for the start of summer. In addition to the steak, the chain also released a Spicy Greens Bowl and Strawberry Citrus juice this spring, which will remain on the menu for summer as well.