re: Bought cava

I bought CAVA. I frequent the location in Elmwood often. I think the food is good. The main problem with this location is the unfriendliness of the staff. Most of the negative Yelp reviews are for that reason, not the taste or quality of the food. I can't understand why CAVA can't find friendlier employees at that location. The employees at the Veterans Blvd location in Metairie seem to be friendlier.
I did my own market research at the Elmwood location one day. I arrived one weekday at 11:45, and stayed until 12:45. I counted 95 customers walking through the front door. I read somewhere Chipotle can do 110-120 customers per hour at peak lunch time, but I thought 95 was a solid number.
It takes a little longer to make it thru the line at CAVA compared to Chipotle, but CAVA has more menu choices. I also think the average ticket at CAVA is a little more than Chipotle. Definitely not saying it's going to reach Chipotle status, but I think the concept and food are good. Just need a better staff.