CAVA Appoints John Ludeke as Chief Marketing Officer

Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand CAVA has appointed a new Chief Marketing Officer. 

The appointment of John Ludeke, effective October 12, comes amid a period of growth for the brand, as it increases its restaurant footprint and looks to deepen its relationship with its guests. 

In his role, John will lead CAVA’s marketing organisation and partner closely with key functions to help the company strengthen brand differentiation, deepen guest loyalty and engagement, advance its digital experiences and more directly connect marketing to the overall restaurant experience. 

“CAVA has built something truly special: a brand rooted in great food, warm hospitality and a clear point of view on how food should make people feel,” says John 

“The company has tremendous momentum and a powerful opportunity to shape the future of the industry. I’m excited to join this team, learn from the team who has built CAVA and help bring CAVA’s Mediterranean spirit to even more guests and communities.”

Building up challenger brands 

John has more than 17 years of experience in building up high-growth, culturally relevant consumer brands and helping to transform them into category leaders. 

In his most recent role, he served as the Chief Brand Officer of men’s personal care brand Dr Squatch – where he led global brand, creative, retail media, social, public relations, retail marketing, partnerships and marketing strategy. 

During his tenure, John helped to grow Dr Squatch to US$500m in revenue, establish it as a leading men’s personal care brand, guide its marketing through an acquisition by Unilever and expand its social presence through large-scale campaigns and celebrity, creator and entertainment partnerships. 

Commenting on his experience of leading challenger brands on LinkedIn, John says: “The biggest advantage of being a challenger is psychological: you're unencumbered by an established rule book.

“That gives you permission to take calculated risks, break conventions and build something people haven't seen before.”

Before joining Dr Squatch, John spent more than a decade at Monster Energy – first joining as a Brand Manager in 2010 and progressing through the company to a role as Senior Director of Global Marketing in 2021.  

During this time, he spent more than six years based in Shanghai and Seoul, and led marketing across the Asia-Pacific region – spanning Japan, Korea, China, India and Vietnam.

New marketing leadership amid growth 

In his new role as Chief Marketing Officer, John will help translate the company’s ethos into brand experiences to deepen guest connection, strengthen loyalty and support CAVA’s continued growth. 

The appointment follows the news that CAVA has opened its 500th restaurant – putting it ahead of schedule to reach 1,000 restaurants by 2032. 

“Reaching 500 restaurants is a defining moment for CAVA and a reflection of how far we’ve come,” says Brett Schulman, Co-Founder and CEO of CAVA. “It represents the passion of more than 15,000 CAVA team members, the strength of the brand we have built together, and the deep connection our food and hospitality have created with guests across the country. 

“As we look ahead, we remain focused on thoughtfully scaling CAVA while bringing bold Mediterranean flavours, warm hospitality and a spirit of generosity to even more communities.”

Who are CAVA’s key partners?

• Hyphen: CAVA partnered with kitchen automation startup Hyphen in August 2025 by participating in a US$25m Series B financing round with an investment of up to US$10m.
• Whole Foods Market: Serving as CAVA's primary retail customer, Whole Foods Market stocks the brand's packaged consumer goods across its supermarket network nationwide. This wholesale distribution puts signature dips, spreads and dressings directly into home kitchens, expanding brand reach beyond physical restaurant locations.
• Trustwell: The restaurant chain relies on Trustwell’s cloud software platform to digitise its supply chain operations and food safety tracking. By automating supplier compliance and ingredient traceability, CAVA maintains quality control and rapid recall capability as store numbers expand.
• DoorDash: Functioning as a key digital logistics partner, DoorDash integrates directly with CAVA’s online ordering channels to handle last-mile delivery.