CAVA has shut down its Westfield Montgomery Mall restaurant in Bethesda for renovations, with signage at the location pointing to a winter 2026 reopening.

The MoCo Show reported the closure on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The posted signage did not detail the scope of the work, and CAVA has not released a public statement about the project.

The Mediterranean bowl chain has deep roots in the Bethesda area. In 2006, first-generation Greek Americans Ted Xenohristos, a Paint Branch High School graduate; Ike Grigoropoulos, a Gaithersburg High School graduate; and Dimitri Moshovitis, a Quince Orchard High School graduate, launched the original full-service Cava Mezze restaurant at Rockville's Traville Gateway shopping center. Moshovitis served as executive chef.

The trio expanded into packaged dips and spreads in 2008, landing products in more than 200 stores including Whole Foods Market. Brett Schulman joined in 2009 as CEO and co-founder of the fast-casual concept, and the first fast-casual CAVA opened in Bethesda in January 2011.

The Montgomery Mall location opened as Cava Grill on Nov. 17, 2014, part of the mall's $90 million Dining Terrace expansion. That project, completed in 2014, also renovated the food court and added other improvements.

The chain has grown well beyond its Montgomery County origins. The Star Tribune reported that CAVA's 500th U.S. location was scheduled to open in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

CAVA is not the only Montgomery Mall tenant undergoing changes. Pollo Campero closed permanently after about two years in the food court, while T-Mobile and Häagen-Dazs closed temporarily for renovations in July, according to a MoCo Show roundup published Aug. 1.

No specific reopening date beyond "winter 2026" has been announced. CAVA has not released a public statement about the renovation's scope or timeline.