CAVA Taps into Blind Box Trend: Inside the Viral Harissa Bowl Launch that Drove 20K+ Engagements

CAVA tapped into the blind box trend by partnering with Kale to launch a campaign pairing its new Harissa Chicken menu with surprise plushie giveaways, encouraging social sharing, authentic UGC, and buzz.

Background & Objectives

The blind box craze took over social media this summer, with collectible toys like Labubus fueling a wave of unboxing content. CAVA, famous for its healthy, customizable mediterranean bowls, capitalized on the trend to launch its new Harissa Chicken menu in an unexpected and playful way.

To drive buzz, CAVA introduced a limited-edition line of pita chip inspired plushies. Customers who ordered select Harissa menu items received a mystery plushie alongside their meal, creating a suprise and delight moment perfect for social sharing.

CAVA leveraged Kale's platform to achieve the following objectives:

1. Generate authentic UGC and manufacture a viral moment, tapping into a culturally relevant topic

2. Promote their new menu item, Harissa Bowls

Strategy

CAVA launched a creator challenge via Kale, encouraging creators to visit their nearest CAVA, try the new menu item, and reveal which plushie they unboxed. The campaign merged food and fun, inviting creators to showcase both their meals and their mystery plushie in one cohesive piece of content.

Results

In just 2 weeks, CAVA generated authentic UGC around its blind box trend and new menu item. The challenge generated 70+ total videos, with over 200 creators on a waitlist to continue the trend. Creator videos received a 7% average engagement rate, with over 20K+ individual engagements including likes, comments, shares, and saves. Social mentions for CAVA grew by 15% as a result of this trend.