Mediterranean Fast Casual Luna Grill Rides Consumer Health Shift to Record Growth

The U.S. continues to gravitate toward Mediterranean cuisine, and Luna Grill's caller occurrence is wide proof.

The 60-unit marque completed its 5th consecutive twelvemonth of same-store income maturation and 11 consecutive quarters of transaction growth, momentum that has carried into 2026. In the archetypal quarter, same-store income accrued 13.3 percent, fueled by a 9.3 percent emergence successful transactions. On a two-year basis, same-store income are up 22 percent and transactions person climbed 15.2 percent.

Amid this income streak, Rich Pinnella was promoted from president to CEO past twelvemonth aft six years with the company. Founder and erstwhile CEO Sean Pourteymour is present enforcement president and president of the board.

"I judge our relevance is compounding," Pinnella says. "The user has shifted, and what we basal for arsenic a brand, we're precise overmuch successful alignment."

Pinnella describes the improvement of edifice eating done 3 chiseled eras. In the 90s, nutrient was fuel. In the 2000s, nutrient was experience. Today, nutrient is performance. More specifically, guests are present paying person attraction to longevity, recovery, and constituent transparency, and Luna Grill is being rewarded for its wellness proposition, consistency, and assemblage connection.

Menu boards prominently show nutritional information, including macromolecule and fibre counts, portion integer channels let guests to personalize recommendations based connected dietary preferences.

"We are precise GLP-1 friendly," Pinnella says. "It's conscionable becoming precise transparent and allowing consumers that prime and control. The much prime and power we tin supply consumers, the much they privation to devour it however they privation it, wherever they privation it."

Dine-in, digital, and some first- and third-party transportation income are increasing. In fact, integer present accounts for implicit 55 percent of sales.

The wellness inclination has besides influenced however Luna Grill thinks astir value.

While galore brands person introduced dedicated menus, discounts, oregon smaller portions, Pinnella views worth done a antithetic lens. He separates it into terms value, abundant value, and prime value. The chain's pita sandwiches correspond terms value, household meals and catering supply abundant value, and premium offerings specified arsenic salmon and steak showcase prime value.

Despite ostentation and rising nutrient costs, Luna Grill hasn't wavered connected prime oregon moved to smaller information sizes. Instead, the accelerated casual chose to bring improvements to its pita sandwiches. These changes person resonated with younger consumers.

"Gen Z, the cohort that has the slightest disposable income, values bully nutrient that's bully for you astir the most," Pinnella says. "I'm not seeing a driblet disconnected successful our Gen Z consumer. If not, it's conscionable increasing arsenic they find retired much and much astir our brand."