Cava shares fell 16% in afternoon trading on Wednesday after reporting second-quarter same-store sales growth of 2.1%, missing Wall Street’s 6.1% forecast, according to CNBC. The slowdown marks a sharp drop from last year’s 14.4% growth and reflects weaker consumer sentiment and lower traffic hitting the broader fast-casual sector. Industry peers have faced similar pressures, with 2025 stock declines of 16% for Shake Shack, 28% for Chipotle, and 70% for Sweetgreen, while Wingstop remains up 20%. Executives across the sector cited economic uncertainty, low-income consumer pullback, and value-focused spending as key headwinds, though some chains report modest sales improvement entering the third quarter.
