Aggieville is once again welcoming a new restaurant to its ever-growing population of establishments within the downtown Manhattan business district. The newest addition is an extension of the famous Cozy Inn located in Salina.

Steve Howard, owner-operator of the original Cozy, confirmed last Wednesday that plans are being finalized for the new restaurant to be built on the site of the former barbershop located at 1109 Moro St.. Howard plans to have the restaurant open by Aug. 1, in time to be up and running before students return for the fall semester.

The new location will be slightly larger than the original, with eight stools instead of six. Howard plans to have a convenient and, hopefully, popular walk-up window to target people "on the go" in Aggieville.

The company plans on adding homemade potato chips and possibly other items to the menu for the new location as well.

The original Cozy Inn in Salina was opened in 1922 after Robert Kinkel purchased a tiny six-stool diner. Kinkel shaped his business after the newly popular White Castle burger stands, which had opened a stand in Wichita the pervious year. He started selling burgers for five cents apiece and it quickly became the talk of the town.

Cozy Inn served palm-sized hamburgers grilled with a heap of onions. These mini-burgers quickly became known as "sliders," most likely from the fry cook's practice of sliding the sandwich down the counter on a sheet of waxed paper. These burgers were adorned with a pickle, catsup and mustard, but never cheese.

The restaurant remained successful throughout the Depression by providing a satisfying, yet inexpensive meal. The menu has remained unchanged since first opening with the exception of pricing. The burgers are currently 75 cents apiece with deals offered for bulk purchases.

The new location in Manhattan is already facing challenges, one of which is making a final decision on a name. Howard and his business partners have considered a few options including Cozy Burger, or Kozy Burger in recognition of K-State, but they are also considering naming it after the original.

Another challenge lies in the traditional taste of the Cozy Inn burger patties. As any die-hard Cozy fan will tell you, the taste comes from the grills. The same grills have been used since the 1930s and have been seasoned for decades with the distinctive flavor of the onion-laced patties.

Howard and his business partners found almost exact replicas of the original grills, and plan to use those in the new location with hopes that this is will help reproduce their famous flavor.

Howard is scheduled to meet with architects today to finalize the project.