Original Cava Location Closes in Arlington, Va.
By Chava Gourarie November 10, 2023 1:51 pm
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The Mediterranean restaurant that birthed the publicly traded chain Cava has closed in Arlington, Va., after 12 years.
Three local friends opened the first fast-casual Cava Mezze at 2940 Clarendon Boulevard in 2011, which they later rebranded to Cava and grew to a national chain that went public earlier this year.
The Clarendon location was up for lease as of early November, Arlington Now first reported, with CBRE’s Kelly Silverman marketing the space. The retail space is part of a mixed-use office and retail building at the corner of North Fillmore Street, across from the Crossing Clarendon shopping center, owned by Bush Construction Company.
The trio of first-generation Greek Americans — Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos and Dimitri Moshovitis — had been in the restaurant business together since 2006 when they opened Cava Mezze Grill as a full-service restaurant in Rockville, Md.
The restaurateurs still have two Cava Mezze locations, including the original one at 9713 Traville Gateway in Rockville, and close to 50 Cava locations throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
In addition, the founders recently announced plans to open Bouboulina, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant named for the first Greek female admiral, at Pike & Rose in Bethesda. They also operate the Greek-inspired Melina and French Mediterranean concept Julii at Pike & Rose.
Cava and CBRE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Chava Gourarie can be reached at cgourarie@commericalobserver.com.
