Students on a budget with a craving for Asian food will have another option in Statesboro today with the opening of Orchid’s Asian Restaurant, a Vietnamese-Japanese restaurant.

“I saw the need for a good place and I wanted to focus some of my country’s food in the area because there was a variety of so many others but no Vietnamese food,” Lan Doan, owner of Orchid’s, said.

The restaurant is located on Fair Road inside Southwind Plaza.

The types of food will center on a Vietnamese-Japanese theme, including sushi, traditional noodles and soups and salads, among multiple other options, Doan said.

Doan grew up in Vietnam but has lived in Statesboro for the past 17 years. Her restaurant has a similar design to what she saw at home.

Eagle Express will be accepted as a payment option, along with Visa, Discover and MasterCard.

Pricing is intended to be cheap but the food itself will be just as delicious as more expensive Asian cuisine, Doan said.

For example, an easy chicken, rice and veggie plate will amount to seven dollars.

“We want students to be able to share the experience as well so the prices are reasonable,” Doan said.

Many Georgia Southern University students eat Asian food often and are excited about a new Asian restaurant opening in the area.

“Yeah, of course [I like Asian food]. I eat Asian food say, once every two weeks,” Rogette Sands, junior accounting major, said.

Having an Asian restaurant available is good because it provides something different, Blake Brunson, freshman biology major, said.

Hiring took place in August and many GSU students were hired on, accounting for about 80 percent of workers at Orchid.

“There were many applicants, mostly Georgia Southern students,” Doan said.

Orchid’s hours will be Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be a soft opening today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.