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Side-by-side financial comparison of CAVA GROUP, INC. (CAVA) and El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO), based on the latest 10-Q / 10-K filings. Click either name above to swap in a different company.
CAVA GROUP, INC. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($292.2M vs $123.5M, roughly 2.4× El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 5.0% vs 5.3%, a 0.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, CAVA GROUP, INC. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (19.9% vs 8.1%). El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($5.1M vs $1.4M). Over the past eight quarters, CAVA GROUP, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (30.0% CAGR vs 3.1%).
Cava, also referred to as Cava Grill, is an American Mediterranean fast casual restaurant chain with locations across the United States. Cava is owned by the publicly traded Cava Group, which purchased Zoës Kitchen in August 2018. The combined company is the largest restaurant operator in the Mediterranean category in the U.S. restaurant industry. Cava also produces a line of Mediterranean dips, spreads, and dressings that are sold in grocery stores across the US. As of May 2023, all Zoës Kit...
El Pollo Loco, Inc., is a restaurant chain based in the United States, specializing in Mexican-style grilled chicken. Restaurant service consists of dine-in and take-out, with some locations offering drive-through options. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, and operates about 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants in the Southwestern United States.
CAVA vs LOCO — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 2025 vs Q4 2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $292.2M | $123.5M |
| Net Profit | $14.7M | $6.5M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 5.9% | 8.3% |
| Net Margin | 5.0% | 5.3% |
| Revenue YoY | 19.9% | 8.1% |
| Net Profit YoY | -17.9% | 9.9% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.12 | $0.22 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align — see 8-quarter trend below.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history — bar widths are scaled to the larger of the two companies so you can eyeball the size gap and growth trajectory without doing math. Quarters aligned by calendar period (report date) so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $292.2M | $123.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $280.6M | $121.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $331.8M | $125.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $119.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $243.8M | $114.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $233.5M | $120.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $259.0M | $122.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $116.2M |
| Q4 25 | $14.7M | $6.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $18.4M | $7.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $25.7M | $7.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $5.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $18.0M | $6.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $19.7M | $6.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $14.0M | $7.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $5.9M |
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 25.7% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 26.7% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 25.2% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | — | — |
| Q4 25 | 5.9% | 8.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 7.0% | 9.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.7% | 9.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 7.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.6% | 7.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.9% | 8.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.6% | 10.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 8.3% |
| Q4 25 | 5.0% | 5.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.5% | 6.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.7% | 5.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 4.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.4% | 5.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.5% | 5.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.4% | 6.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 5.1% |
| Q4 25 | $0.12 | $0.22 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.16 | $0.25 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.22 | $0.24 | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $0.19 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.15 | $0.21 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.17 | $0.21 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.12 | $0.25 | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $0.19 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest filing — the kind of financial-strength check premium terminals charge for.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $284.6M | $6.2M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $51.0M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $769.0M | $291.1M |
| Total Assets | $1.3B | $606.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.18× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | $284.6M | $6.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $290.2M | $10.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $289.4M | $9.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $4.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $367.2M | $2.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $343.7M | $7.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $329.1M | $10.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $9.1M |
| Q4 25 | — | $51.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $61.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $69.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $73.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $71.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $76.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $87.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $80.0M |
| Q4 25 | $769.0M | $291.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $750.7M | $282.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $726.2M | $274.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $265.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $616.4M | $260.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $595.4M | $255.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $580.8M | $248.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $256.3M |
| Q4 25 | $1.3B | $606.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.3B | $602.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.2B | $596.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $590.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $592.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.0B | $590.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.0B | $593.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $598.0M |
| Q4 25 | — | 0.18× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.22× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.25× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.27× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.27× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.30× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.35× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 0.31× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Net income can be massaged; cash flow is harder to fake.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $45.6M | $13.9M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $1.4M | $5.1M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 0.5% | 4.1% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue; lower = less reinvestment burden | 15.1% | 7.1% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit; >1× = earnings back up with cash | 3.10× | 2.13× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $46.6M | $25.4M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years match up.
| Q4 25 | $45.6M | $13.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $60.3M | $15.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $38.6M | $14.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $4.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $43.9M | $5.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $48.9M | $13.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $38.4M | $17.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $11.2M |
| Q4 25 | $1.4M | $5.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $19.2M | $9.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.7M | $9.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $23.4M | $1.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $22.7M | $9.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.7M | $10.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $7.0M |
| Q4 25 | 0.5% | 4.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.8% | 8.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.8% | 7.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 1.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 9.6% | 1.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 9.7% | 7.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.8% | 8.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 6.0% |
| Q4 25 | 15.1% | 7.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 14.7% | 4.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 10.8% | 4.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 2.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.4% | 3.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 11.2% | 3.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 13.0% | 5.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 3.6% |
| Q4 25 | 3.10× | 2.13× | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.28× | 2.08× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.50× | 1.99× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.86× | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.44× | 0.95× | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.48× | 2.11× | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.74× | 2.22× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 1.89× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Sankey diagram of revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company. Charts shown full-width and stacked so both segment hierarchies are readable side-by-side on desktop and mobile.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
CAVA
| Restaurant Revenue | $289.8M | 99% |
| Rewards | $2.9M | 1% |
| CPG Revenue And Other | $2.5M | 1% |
LOCO
| Services | $102.4M | 83% |
| Franchise | $13.0M | 11% |
| Franchise Advertising Fee | $8.1M | 7% |
