Despite being almost $300,000 over their estimated budgets, Moe's Southwest Grill and Chili's Too are set for their UF debut on Aug. 17.
Both Moe's and Chili's Too, a scaled-down version of Chili's Grill & Bar, will open on time at the Racquet Club Dining Center, but the addition of a new air conditioning system and bathroom renovations set the project over budget.
Lionel Dubay, director of UF's Business Services Division, wrote in an e-mail that Aramark, UF's food service provider, funded $750,000 of the project and the Business Services Division paid for the remaining $1 million, including the extra costs.
UF will pay for the renovations using the 10.4 percent commission the Business Services Division receives on all campus food sales, Dubay wrote.
The two restaurants replaced six vendors that previously occupied the building, including Burger King and Java City. Except for a few details, construction will be finished on Friday, said UF's manager of the project, Chandler Rozear.
The plan to bring Moe's to UF began about two years ago with a non-binding referendum that asked students if they wanted a Moe's on campus. The referendum was approved by almost 87 percent of the 7,000 students who voted, according to the SG Web site.
In April 2007, Bob Miller, UF's associate vice president of business affairs, wrote a letter to Aramark asking it to look into the possibility of adding a Moe's to campus.
Tommy Jardon, a third-year law student at UF and one of the students who originally pushed for the Moe's, said the restaurant's opening proves that it's important for students to voice their opinions.
"You don't know when, you don't know how, but eventually someone might just listen to you," he said.
The Chili's Too menu is composed of appetizers, salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches and a few seasonal items, such as grilled salmon and ribs. The Moe's menu is almost the same as a typical version, but there isn't a special menu for kids.
Malvina Binjaka, a UF freshman, said she is excited about Chili's Too.
"It's my favorite restaurant," Binjaka said. "It makes me feel like I'm at home."
