Ron Shaich

About Me

Ron Shaich is the chairman of Mediterranean fast casual chain Cava and an investor in multiple fast-casual food brands. Shaich cofounded the bakery-cafe Au Bon Pain in 1981. With Shaich as its CEO, Au Bon Pain bought the predecessor to Panera Bread in 1993. In 2017, Shaich sold Panera to JAB Holdings for $7.5 billion; he pocketed nearly $400 million (pre-tax) from the sale. The next year, Shaich reinvested $300 million of the proceeds in Act III Ventures, a new fund he founded to back emerging restaurant chains. The fund's first big bet was on Cava, which went public at a nearly $5 billion valuation in June 2023. Shaich owned nearly 10% of Cava when the company IPO'd but has since sold more than half his shares for at least $600 million (pre-tax).