The cash registers have been getting a workout at the new Moe's Southwest Grill and Chili's Too at the Racquet Club Dining Center.
Even though many students complained about the lack of a kids' menu at Moe's, customers spent more than $11,000 at the two restaurants on Thursday, the only day for which figures were available, said Lionel Dubay, UF's director of business services, in an e-mail.
This is considerably higher than the $3,000 earned on a typical day last year by the six eateries that previously occupied the building, including Burger King and Java City, Dubay said.
UF receives 10.4 percent of the money from all campus food sales.
The two restaurants, which debuted Aug. 17, will employ about 110 people, compared to the 18 employees who worked at the previous stores, Dubay said.
He said one of the reasons for the larger staff is that the restaurants have longer hours. The hours for both locations are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
The opening of the two restaurants caps a two-year process that was introduced to the public in fall 2006 when students voted on a referendum asking if they wanted a Moe's on campus.
Almost 87 percent of the more than 7,000 students who voted approved the referendum.
As a result, Bob Miller, UF's associate vice president of business affairs, wrote a letter to Aramark, UF's food service provider, asking it to look into the possibility of bringing a Moe's to UF.
Chili's Too was suggested in later discussions between Aramark and UF's food service committees.
The UF Moe's is the first one on a college campus, according to a Moe's spokeswoman.
Brittney Davidson, a UF business junior, said she is excited about the two new restaurants.
"You can definitely tell it's a lot busier," Davidson said while eating a meal from Moe's on Tuesday afternoon.
However, she said she misses the kids' menu, which was omitted from the on-campus Moe's menu.
"We're college students. We like to get our cheap kid's meal," she said.
Jill Rodriguez, spokeswoman for Gator Dining Services, wrote in an e-mail that kids' menus were not included because they are geared toward children under 12, which is not their customer base.
Another complaint made by students was that the restaurants do not offer free drink refills.
Rodriguez wrote that Gator Dining Services has an on-campus drink refill program that allows students to purchase reusable 32-ounce cups. The cup and drink cost $1.99 initially. Refills are $1.29 at any on-campus location that sells fountain drinks.
Moe's and Chili's will begin participating in the drink refill program this week, she wrote.
