On March 10, popular Binghamton University Marketplace vendor Chick-N-Bap will be opening a new location in College-in-the-Woods’ Nite Owl.

Since the Nite Owl location in College-in-the-Woods closed in late 2015, Nite Owl dining options are only offered in Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center and Appalachian Collegiate Center. Sung Kim, ‘14 founder and CEO of Chick-N-Bap, said that this empty space conveniently aligned with his desire to expand the business.

“It’s an ideal situation: Everyone goes out on the weekend, they come back and is the closest dining hall to the bus stop,” Kim said. “That’s why it was the most popular Nite Owl, but then it closed. With a central place like [College-in-the-Woods] and a staple item, we’re trying to make that signature item at Chick-N-Bap.”

Kim said he’s been collaborating with Sodexo dining services executives such as John Enright, Rich Herb and Sunil Adhikari to make this happen and that he’s confirming that the location has the appropriate equipment, and he’ll be confirming the plans by the opening date.

His approach, Kim said, is to offer yellow rice and original chicken with various sauce options, but also to create a new signature sandwich item.

The Chick-Wich, Kim said, will be a Korean fried chicken sandwich, with lettuce and homemade cucumber kimchi. Kim said that the business has been successful for its simplicity, efficiency and taste, so it was looking to expand while maintaining its core foundation.

“Having some sort of a staple sandwich on campus is what I’m trying to create, while also giving it a completely different flavor,” Kim said. “We’re keeping the original Chick-N-Bap, but we’re adding the sandwich to give it a Nite Owl flair to attract a new pool of customers.”

In addition, Kim said the team is exploring a potential beverage option to be sold at the new location. Right now, Chick-N-Bap employs 35 workers, but Kim is currently interviewing over 30 applicants for 13 to 16 new positions.

Upon hearing the news, many students said they were looking forward to a late-night dining option returning to College-in-the-Woods.

“I was ecstatic when I heard that Chick-N-Bap would not only be opening up during Nite Owl, but also in [College-in-the-Woods] making things uber convenient for me,” said Boaz Dolny-Lipsy, a sophomore majoring in business administration. “For the first time, I’ll have a real option for dinner if I miss the 8 p.m. cutoff for when dining halls close — [College-in-the-Woods] is open until 8:30, but they close most stations by 8 p.m.”

Abigail Davis, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she was also enthusiastic to not have to leave College-in-the-Woods to eat at Nite Owl.

“Having Chick-N-Bap in [College-in-the-Woods] would be awesome,” Davis said. “I miss being able to go to a Nite Owl that’s right in my community, especially during the winter. Sometimes it’s too cold to walk to other Nite Owls, so I would definitely love to have Nite Owl back in [College-in-the-Woods].”

However, students like Matthew Tellstone, a sophomore majoring in history, expressed their disappointment with the expanded menu options.

“I’m disappointed they’re not expanding their menu to include vegetarian options, because I feel that Chick-N-Bap lends itself to be a falafel-like place,” Tellstone said.

Kim said that the company is potentially looking to expand to other campuses and retail dining locations, but for now, he believes that its popularity at BU and how retail dining works here made expanding it a good idea.

“I already have a strong presence on campus where everyone passes it on through word-of-mouth,” Kim said. “The way we have our dining programs in comparison to other schools is good here, so why not make it as great as we can here?”

The new location will be open on Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.