By Benjamin Gonzalez

Workers at the College Park shopping center could be seen walking in and out of the former RadioShack Oct. 20 as they prepare the space for its new purpose. That new purpose is a Cava.

Cava, a “chef-casual” Mediterranean restaurant with locations around Maryland and the U.S., is coming soon to College Park, according to the food chain’s website. The Diamondback reported that the restaurant is expected to open in November.

The as-of-yet unopened Cava is adjacent to Jason’s Deli and a few spaces down from Chipotle.

Edwin Reyes, a general manager of the Chipotle in the College Park Shopping Center on Route 1, is not worried about Cava opening in the same plaza.

“Students here love Chipotle,” Reyes said. “I don’t think [the hit to business] is gonna be that much.”

He has never tried Cava, and he’s not opposed to giving them his business.

“I want to go in, and I want to try it,” Reyes said. “I’ll be a new customer.”

Reyes wants to see firsthand how Cava treats their customers. He views it as an opportunity to learn how to improve.

“What we’re all about is our customer service…and food safety,”he said.

Reyes is not alone in being unfamiliar with Cava’s offerings. A group of students on the Washington quad had either never heard of Cava, never eaten at a Cava or were not aware that a Cava was opening in the College Park shopping center.

Some students in the University of Maryland co-op had heard of Cava, but didn’t know about the upcoming location.

Lexi Schultz, a junior transfer student majoring in Japanese, likened Cava to a “Mediterranean Subway” because of the ability to build-your-own meal.

Sean Hewitt, a junior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, double-majoring in information systems and global studies, said he thought of it more as a “Mediterranean version of Chipotle with more healthy options.”

For Hewitt, Cava “is one of the first places he thinks of” when he’s thinking about healthier options. He said he would choose Cava over fast food if he thinks he needs to try eating better.

Schultz doesn’t eat out much, but she would “definitely choose it over Chipotle and other fast food restaurants.”

She added that it “is a little expensive,” and that “it seems like a good place for vegetarians to go.”

Schultz also believes that Cava is a safer choice, specifically for people with “food-related issues.”

Odri Videz, a junior biology major, only knows that Cava is a Mediterranean chain that has been expanding.

She says she would try Cava, especially if she could try “something small first.” Videz hopes to get opinions from friends with similar taste before she ultimately tries Cava, but a chicken option might entice her enough to go.

“I would go there over Moby Dick because it’s a new experience,” says Videz. Until she tries Cava, Videz says she will choose Chipotle over Cava when she is making a dining decision.

The owner of Marathon Deli would not comment on whether Cava represents competition. Marathon Deli, along with Kapnos Taverna, is one of the only Mediterranean dining option in the area surrounding the University of Maryland.