Two new restaurants - Z-Burger and Sandwish - will open in Tenleytown within the next two months.
Z-Burger will open April 30 and Sandwish will follow a month after, according to the one of the restaurants' owners, Peter Tabibian.
Grete Luxbacher, a sophomore in the School of International Service, said she is excited about Z-Burger.
"It will be nice to have a place like that - kind of like [at] home," she said.
Z-Burger and Sandwish are located in the same building at 4321 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. - just steps away from AU's Tenley Campus shuttle stop.
Z-Burger and Sandwish appeal to AU students because they give them more dining options, said Gertold Hasanbelliu, a sophomore in SIS.
"We don't have many food options, and when we venture into Tenley, there are only so many times we can have Angelico's or Guapo's or even Chipotle," she said. "It is good to know that alternatives are popping up."
Z-Burger offers a variety of burgers made from "only the best ingredients," according to the menu.
Tabibian said the restaurant operates differently from others.
"We have a local bakery that bakes our bread twice a day and a company that brings our meat every day," he said.
Tabibian said everything the restaurant buys is "top of the line," including fresh tomatoes, lettuce, homemade fries and onion rings.
Z-Burger also has many non-burger options on its menu, Tabibian said.
"We have steak and cheese and grilled cheese for those that don't want a burger," he said. The restaurant also boasts the "tastiest hot dogs," including a cheese or bacon dog, according to the menu.
Sandwish, which Tabibian also owns, includes options for vegetarians.
"If you're a vegetarian, the salads are really good for you," he said. According to the menu, the restaurant offers "salad sensations," a list of seven salad options.
"[The salad bar] sounds good," said Luxbacher, who is a vegetarian. "It will be good to have a salad bar that is cheaper than Whole Foods."
Sandwish also offers many sandwich options. Sandwiches include the "vegetarian" - a combination of mushrooms, Swiss cheese, provolone cheese and American cheese, the "pizza sandwich"-marinara sauce, provolone cheese, mushrooms and Italian seasoning and the "pb&j" - the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Scott Colati, a junior in the School of Communication, said he thought the sandwich options sounded appealing.
"For $4.19, that'd be good, pretty cheap," he said.
Tabibian said he is setting the prices relatively low because he wants to make it easy for college students to come and eat.
Because Z-Burger has not opened yet, the Student Government has yet to look into having the restaurant offer the Eaglebucks payment option to students. SG President Joe Vidulich said the restaurants could possibly start to accept Eaglebucks in the future and that "it's a matter of their willingness."
Every summer, the SG evaluates what establishments take Eaglebucks and considers whether to add new venues based on which new restaurants or stores have opened in the area, Vidulich said.
Tabibian said he was very interested in accepting Eaglebucks in the restaurants, and would look into finding out more information on the system.
Z-Burger will have special offers for college students when it opens, Tabibian said.
"All students with an AU ID get a free burger on opening day," he said.
