Cava Group Inc. shares fell as much as 25% on Wednesday after the Mediterranean fast-casual chain cut its sales guidance and reported a sharp deceleration in growth. The stock’s slide leaves it roughly 63% below its December 2024 peak. Comparable-restaurant sales grew 2.1% in the second quarter, down from 10.8% in the prior three months and well short of the 6.1% analysts expected. Revenue rose 20% to $280.6 million, missing forecasts, while net income slipped to $18.4 million, or 16 cents a share—still ahead of projections. Cava now expects same-store sales to increase no more than 6% this year, compared with a previous target of up to 8%. Chief Executive Officer Brett Schulman cited a “fluid macroeconomic environment” but said traffic is improving early in the current quarter and reiterated plans to grow the chain to about 1,000 locations by 2032. The warning underscores a broader consumer pullback hitting the fast-casual segment. Chipotle logged a 4% drop in comparable sales last quarter, and Wingstop and Sweetgreen have reported similar slowdowns. Industry researchers estimate Americans ordered roughly one billion fewer restaurant meals in the first quarter than a year earlier, forcing higher-priced bowl and sandwich brands to introduce value promotions.