If 7 Brew and CAVA had a kid, it might look a little something like Konala.
Hear us out…
They’re obviously two very different restaurant concepts, but both have tapped into something important happening in the industry. 7 Brew has shown just how powerful a small-footprint, drive-thru-focused model can be, while CAVA has shown there is serious demand for fresh, health-forward food that people actually want to eat on a regular basis.
Konala sits in an interesting space somewhere between the two: healthy, high-protein food built around the convenience of the drive-thru, with an operating model designed specifically for franchising.
That combination is exactly what founder Trace Miller set out to create.
What We Can Learn From 7 Brew
One of the things we’ve always appreciated about 7 Brew is the simplicity of the model. The buildings are small, the drive-thru is the focus, and the operation is designed to move people through quickly.
And clearly, that model is working. According to QSR Magazine, 7 Brew reported average store gross sales of $1,989,229* in 2024, After royalties, brand fund and tech fees, EBITDAR was 20.09* percent.
QSR Magazine: “7 Brew is One of the Most Compelling Growth Stories in America”
Those numbers are a good example of something Trace has believed for a long time: a restaurant doesn’t necessarily need to be complicated to be successful.
Before opening the first Konala, Trace spent years studying restaurant brands and how they operated. He looked at everything from labor and kitchen flow to knowing the drive-thru times of different concepts. He’s still constantly looking at that data today and asking where Konala can improve.
A lot of Konala’s operating model came from that same idea of removing unnecessary complexity while still serving really great food. The goal was never to replicate what another brand was doing, but to learn from what works across the industry and build a system that makes sense for Konala.
What We Can Learn From CAVA
CAVA represents another shift that we think is equally important.
More consumers are paying attention to protein, ingredients and nutritional information, but they still want food that is convenient and tastes good. CAVA has done an incredible job building a concept around that demand and taking it to scale.
What’s interesting to us is that this isn’t just about CAVA putting up big numbers. They’ve built a concept people work into their regular routine, which says a lot about where consumer demand is headed. Healthy food isn’t necessarily an occasional purchase anymore. For a growing number of consumers, it’s simply how they eat, and we believe there is still a lot of opportunity to make that kind of food even more convenient.
Where Konala Fits
This is where the comparison to Konala starts to make sense.
Konala takes a menu built around healthy, high-protein food and pairs it with an operating model designed for speed and simplicity. There are no fryers, grills or traditional hood systems. The menu is intentionally focused, ingredients are cross-utilized, prep is systematic, and the line has been designed around getting fresh food into guests’ hands quickly.
A typical Konala is approximately 1,000 square feet, with development options ranging from conversions of existing restaurant spaces to modular builds. The model was also intentionally designed around a lean labor structure without sacrificing food quality or the guest experience.
For Trace, great restaurant operations have always come down to having both great people and great systems. You can hire incredible employees, but you also have to give them processes that make it easy to execute consistently.
That’s why so much of Konala has been thought through, from ordering and prep to line flow, equipment and drive-thru speed. It all works together to keep the food fresh, the experience fast and the operation as straightforward as possible.
Food People Actually Want to Eat
Of course, operational simplicity only gets you so far. People still have to want the food.
Konala’s menu centers around six core bowls, including Teriyaki Chicken, Greek Steak, Chicken Burrito and other protein-forward options served over rice, greens or a combination of both, with up to 80g of protein in one bowl alone. The menu is gluten-free, nutritional information is readily available, and the food was designed to fit into everyday life rather than feel like a once-a-week “healthy meal.”
That part of Konala is also personal, Trace grew up dealing with severe epilepsy, experiencing as many as 100 seizures a day at one point in his childhood. Changing the way he ate became an important part of his health journey and eventually shaped the way he thought about food.
Years later, Trace and Jammie found themselves struggling to find genuinely convenient options that fit the way they wanted to eat. That eventually led to a pretty simple question: why should eating healthy require more time? Konala grew out of their desire to make that choice easier.
Built to Franchise
There’s another important distinction in this comparison: CAVA is not currently offered as a traditional franchise opportunity, while Konala was designed with franchising in mind.
Although Konala is still a young brand, its franchise system is already attracting experienced multi-unit restaurant operators. That includes franchisees with backgrounds operating brands such as Jersey Mike’s, Crumbl and Subway, as well as Speedy Foods LLC, a multi-unit franchise group developing 25 Konala restaurants across Northern Utah and Idaho.
We think that experience matters. Operators who have spent years in franchising understand how important things like labor, real estate, training, speed and repeatable systems become as you start adding locations. Those are also the areas Konala has spent a lot of time thinking about from the beginning.
Looking at the Numbers
Konala’s financial performance representation is contained in Item 19 of its current Franchise Disclosure Document.
The comparison is really about what each concept shows us about where the restaurant industry is headed. 7 Brew is a great example of how powerful a streamlined, drive-thru-focused operation can be. CAVA has demonstrated the demand for health-forward food at scale. Konala is building in a space where those two trends meet.
So, What If 7 Brew and CAVA Had a Kid?
Obviously, Konala isn’t literally the combination of two other brands. We have a very different story, menu and operating model. But we like the comparison because it makes something about Konala easy to understand.
Consumers want healthier food, but they don’t want it to be inconvenient. At the same time, restaurant operators are looking closely at labor, complexity, footprint and how easily a concept can be replicated.
Konala was built with both sides of that equation in mind: fresh, high-protein food paired with a streamlined kitchen, small footprint, drive-thru convenience and systems designed to make the restaurant easier to operate and replicate.
We think there’s a lot of room for that kind of restaurant in today’s market, and we’re excited for the future.
Interested in learning more about franchising with Konala? Inquire here.
*Selected financial and operating metrics are derived from publicly available sources and the Konala Franchising LLC (“Konala”) 2025-2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”). Konala figures reflect results from one affiliate-owned location (from September 1, 2024 – August 31, 2025) that is disclosed in Item 19 of the Konala FDD and are not intended to represent or predict the performance of any franchise location. CAVA figures are derived from publicly reported fiscal 2025 results. 7 Brew figures are derived from publicly reported information referencing the brand’s 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. Metrics are presented using each brand’s published terminology and methodologies and may not be directly comparable. “Adjusted Unit Level EBITDA” means earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, calculated after franchise fees/costs but before real estate and owner compensation. This information is for informational purposes only. Some outlets have earned this amount. Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you’ll earn as much. THIS FRANCHISE HAS BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE FRANCHISE INVESTMENT LAW OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. SUCH REGISTRATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE APPROVAL, RECOMMENDATION, OR ENDORSEMENT BY THE COMMISSIONER OF FINANCIAL PROTECTION AND INNOVATION NOR A FINDING BY THE COMMISSIONER THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN IS TRUE, COMPLETE, AND NOT MISLEADING. THIS ADVERTISEMENT IS NOT AN OFFERING CAN ONLY BE MADE BY A FRANCHISE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT FILED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. SUCH FILING DOES NOT CONSTITUTE APPROVAL BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Konala Franchising LLC, 107 E. 7th Ave., Post Falls, Idaho 83854 (775-225-9902)(MN Reg. No. 11571)
Third-party brand statistics are provided for general industry context only and are based on publicly reported information. The concepts have different business models, reporting methodologies, cost structures and operating characteristics and should not be interpreted as direct financial comparisons or projections of Konala franchisee performance.
This information is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, a Konala franchise. An offer may only be made through the applicable Franchise Disclosure Document and in compliance with applicable federal and state franchise laws.
