While students were happily munching away on Thanksgiving leftovers over break, shock waves rippled through State College as a beloved College Ave. hotspot, Qdoba, closed for good.

The list of Mexican food chains scattered among downtown State College, including Chipotle and Yallah Taco, just shrunk. Now that this prime real estate spot that is simultaneously close to campus and town, is available, our staffers were left dreaming of the best possible Qdoba replacement.

Anthony Fiset: Popeyes

Popeyes — Give the people what they want and bring the chicken sandwich wars to State College! The closest Popeyes’ chicken sandwich is in Altoona. Altoona?! The old Qdoba is the perfect location for a Popeyes, especially if it wants to take over the late-night food market.

I have only had the Popeyes sandwich once, and I would sacrifice a lot of things to have it within walking distance.

Owen Abbey: Chick-Fil-A

The only real Chick-Fil-A restaurant (the HUB’s franchise doesn’t count) is on North Atherton Street. Students could walk downtown, grab a nice chicken sandwich, some waffle fries, and a 12-piece nugget, and walk back to their next class. This would also cut the insane lines down at the HUB location, and help students cope with the fact that the HUB Chick-Fil-A closes at 3 p.m.

Students can get easier access to Chick-Fil-A breakfast, milkshakes, and that wonderful mac and cheese. These delicious items are all things not offered at the on-campus location. Plus, late night pit stops at a special open-late Chick-Fil-A could become an iconic staple in the Penn State lifestyle.

Will Pegler: A Good Pizza Place

I’d like to have a place in downtown State College where I could grab a solid slice of pizza. Canyon sucks, and Snap Pizza is okay, but the latter represents what I would like to call “fancy pizza” — great presentation without the satisfaction. Faccia Luna does offer a great pie, but its main issue comes from the fact that it’s a drive away.

So, quite simply, I would love a place that can bring me a solid, New York-style pizza right on College Ave. If someone does make that happen for me, I’d be eternally grateful.

Anthony Colucci: Another Yallah

Hitham Hiyajneh has been of the few bright spots in State College’s food scene during the last few years. While long-running and well-loved establishments continue to close their doors for a variety of reasons, it seems like Hiyajneh’s restaurants like Yallah, Underground Burgers and Crepes, and Pita Cabana are the only non-commercialized ones popping up in town.

After opening the first Yallah in McAllister Alley in 2016, Hiyajneh expanded his empire east when he added a second location a year later. We’ve seen Yallah Taco and Yallah Burrito, but I think it’s time for Hiyajneh’s fare spread to the other side of downtown State College where we now have a Mexican fast-casual hole. I present to you: Yallah Enchilada.

Ryen Gailey: Bring. Back. Qdoba.

Qdoba was, by far, my favorite downtown restaurant. I had been visiting this location for years before I came to Penn State, as I frequently ate at Qdoba on weekends when I visited my sister at school.

The North Atherton Street location is just too far away and inconvenient when I’m looking for some delicious chips and queso. And oh yes, Qdoba’s queso is far better than Chipotle’s. Sorry, not sorry!

All I want for Christmas is for Qdoba to come back.