Cava Group shares fell more than 20% in late trading after the fast-casual Mediterranean chain missed Wall Street’s second-quarter revenue expectations and cut its full-year sales guidance. For the quarter ended 13 July, Cava earned $0.16 a share, beating analysts’ estimates of roughly $0.13, while revenue rose 20% from a year earlier to $278.2 million, short of the $285.6 million consensus. Same-store sales increased just 2.1%, well below the 6-plus-percent growth analysts had projected, as customer traffic remained flat. The company opened 16 net new restaurants during the period, bringing its total to 398. Cava now expects same-store sales to grow 4%–6% in fiscal 2025, down from the 6%–8% range it reiterated in May. It slightly raised its expansion target to 68–70 new locations but kept its adjusted EBITDA forecast of $152 million to $159 million intact. Chief Executive Officer Brett Schulman told investors the business is navigating a “macroeconomic fog,” echoing comments from peers such as Chipotle and Sweetgreen that consumers have become more cautious. The results underscore the broader slowdown hitting the fast-casual sector after last year’s outsized gains.