CAVA opened a new restaurant in River Forest, Illinois, located in River Forest Town Center at 7211 Lake St., River Forest, IL 60305. This restaurant is the brand’s third location in greater Chicago, following openings in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood and Vernon Hills earlier this year.
With Mediterranean-inspired bowls, pitas, dips, and dressings, the fast-casual restaurant chain serves food that helps people eat well and live well. These menu offerings, combined with an emphasis on hospitality and serving others, have created diverse, passionate followers who flock to new restaurant openings.
“Our mission is to bring heart, health, and humanity to food, and everything we do at CAVA is grounded in that spirit of generosity, to our guests, our team members, and our community,” said Louie Lovejoy, Regional Director in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to be in River Forest and expand our presence in the Chicago market.”
Before the doors officially open, every CAVA restaurant invites its new neighbors to the table for a free meal, accepts donations to support a local cause, and matches those donations up to $1,000. Since 2019, this companywide Community Day program has raised more than $500,000 in donations, mostly targeted at improving food security in local communities. CAVA’s River Forest Community Day event raised funds for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a food bank that strives to end hunger by connecting its neighbors with healthy food and advancing solutions that address the root causes of hunger.
Prior to the grand opening, CAVA also partnered with Launch out into the Deep to donate fresh meals prepared throughout the restaurant’s training period to local community members. The company’s food donation program launched nationally in fall 2023 to improve food insecurity and reduce food waste as CAVA expands to new locations.
CAVA’s new River Forest restaurant will employ 30-40 local people. The company hires people for their hospitality and warmth and is dedicated to creating career pathways for its team members. CAVA offers competitive pay and benefits including paid time off, healthcare, early wage access, an Employee Assistance Program, and free mental health support.
