Mediterranean Chain Cava Set to Replace Whataburger on the Strip

An extremely popular fast-casual Mediterranean chain is coming to the Strip, taking over the University Boulevard storefront that Whataburger left last winter.

The 2,400-square-foot space is steps from the Quad and Bryant-Denny Stadium at 1130 University Boulevard.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System voted Friday to approve a commercial lease agreement with Cava Mezze Grill LLC for space in the University Town Center, clearing the way for the chain's first Tuscaloosa location.

Mike Rogers, the system's assistant chancellor for construction management, presented the item to the board's Physical Properties Committee on Thursday, and the Friday vote authorizes the university to negotiate and execute the lease.

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"Cava is a Mediterranean-style restaurant with over 400 locations across the country," Rogers told trustees.

The chain already operates in Birmingham, Hoover, Huntsville, Madison, Montgomery and Mobile, but has never had a store in Tuscaloosa.

Cava traces its roots to three friends who grew up around Greek food and community, spending Sundays around tables of slow-roasted lamb, lemon-and-herby potatoes and bowls of tzatziki, and that spirit led to the first Cava opening in 2010.

The chain has since grown to more than 400 restaurants nationwide on the strength of a build-your-own model of bowls, pitas and salads. Cava says its menu offers billions of possible combinations.

The healthy, fresh Mediterranean option is surging in popularity and sales across its stores, and will replace Whatburger.

The Thread first reported the Texas burger chain was coming to the Strip in April 2021, when trustees approved commercial leases for both Whataburger and the city's first Mediterranean Sandwich Co. in the same shopping center.

The on-campus Whataburger opened in August 2023 and drew national attention when its signs went up entirely in white, with none of the brand's signature orange - a condition of Whataburger's lease in the University Town Center.

It lasted a little more than two years, and Whataburger closed the location last December along with a handful of others across Alabama and the Southeast.

Mediterranean Sandwich Co. is thriving and open a few doors down.

Under the terms Rogers outlined on Thursday, Cava would take an initial five-year term with three five-year renewal options, subject to mutual agreement. Base rent during the initial term is $43 per square foot, or about $8,700 a month.

The university will also provide Cava an improvement allowance to renovate the space, which is capped at $243,200 total.

Trustees approved the Cava lease without further discussion as part of a package of 11 University of Alabama construction and real estate items.

For more exclusive stories about restaurant and retail development around West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.