Cava Is Testing a Drive-Thru With an Order-Ahead App at Its New Store in Frederick

Cava is modernizing the drive-thru. The homegrown fast-casual chain is rolling out a pick-up window at its new Frederick, Maryland, location that takes orders from an app that lets diners schedule a time to pull up for Mediterranean bowls.

Frederick is one of five coast-to-coast Cava locations — and the only one in the D.C. market — testing out the new pickup model, dubbed Pick-Up By Car, this year. The new 2,166-square-foot location (5615 Spectrum Drive) is scheduled to open today. In addition to using the app, people can also place drive-thru orders online.

“We wanted to rethink the ability of getting food at the drive-thru. The drive-thru itself isn’t that efficient — you order on site, you wait in a long line,” Cava CEO Brett Schulman told Forbes this year.

The new Frederick site also features a patio and seats 36. Hours are 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cava/official photo

Cava expanded its national reach big time by scooping up another Mediterranean chain last year: Zoe’s Kitchen, a fast-casual eatery with 261 locations across 20 U.S. markets.

Cava, which has more than 75 locations from Manhattan to SoCal’s shoreline, was recognized by Fast Company as one of the 50 most innovative companies last year.

It recently inked a lucrative expansion deal to sell its signature line of dips and spreads (think Crazy Feta, harissa, and hummus) on shelves at Whole Foods Markets nationwide.

• Cava Is Acquiring Another Mediterranean Fast-Casual Chain [EDC]
• Cava Is Reimagining The Drive-Thru Experience, With Help From Data Scientists [Forbes]