Several months after the news broke that Cava was coming to College Park, officials say the fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant is slated to open in November.

A flyer posted downtown in April indicated Cava would be coming to College Park in the summer. But Cava CEO Brett Schulman said this week that the restaurant was originally slated to move into the College Park Shopping Center — taking over RadioShack’s former space — in October.

The company pushed its opening to November due to the “existing conditions at the site,” Schulman said. Since the previous tenant wasn’t a restaurant, the inside of the store had to be completely redone, Cava spokesperson Ben Famous said.

[Read more: Route 1 rent went up, BookHolders moved out — and some UMD students aren’t happy]

Junior government and politics and math major Claire English said the delay is “kind of annoying” because she and all her friends had been looking forward to it.

“It was annoying that it wasn’t here when we all moved in, but as long as it’s coming it doesn’t really matter,” she said.

Freshman finance major Joely Frankel shared similar thoughts.

“I wish it would have been open when school started, but I’m not that mad about it,” she said.

English said she frequently goes with her family to the Cava in her hometown of Columbia. It’s her friends’ favorite hangout spot.

“For one thing, it’s not pizza, so that will be good,” she said. “I think it’s just gonna add a healthier option for people that don’t necessarily want drunk food all the time.”

[Read more: College Park is getting a new fitness studio this fall]

To open by its new projected start date, Cava will need an occupancy permit, which it will receive as soon as the contracting work is finished, said Ryan Chelton, the city’s economic development coordinator.

Chelton said he thinks the business will have a high demand in the city.

“There’s certainly been a lot of residents asking me when it’s going to open,” he said.

Zarek Peris, a junior computer science major, used to go to Washington, D.C., specifically for Cava. He said he’s glad that Cava will expand options for spicy food in College Park.

“A lot of times I feel like eating a healthier meal, so I’ll go to Cava,” he said. “If you really like Mediterranean food, it’s the perfect spot to go.”

In addition to the variety it’ll add to the College Park food scene, Cava will also provide jobs at a starting wage of $13.50 per hour, Schulman said.

Employees will be provided with other “robust benefits” such as paid sick leave and parental leave and vacation time for both part-time and full-time workers, Schulman said. Hourly workers will also be able to opt in to health care.

“We believe that our success is a direct result of our amazing team members, and we want to support them as competitively as possible,” he said.

As a University of Maryland alumnus, Schulman said he always wanted to bring one of his restaurants back to where he went to college.

“We certainly find that we’re a great offering for college students who are looking for healthy, mind-blowing meals during their studies,” he said. “Really kind of no-compromise food that can fill the need for their culinary preferences or dietary preferences.”