UF students will soon be able to savor subs and smoothies alongside their stash of Turlington fliers.
A new building housing Subway and Jamba Juice will be built on the southwest corner of Turlington Hall, near where the UF Information Booth is located, wrote Lionel Dubay, the director of the UF Business Services Division, in an e-mail.
Dubay said the project’s contractor has begun clearing the area where the new building will stand in preparation for construction.
The construction will be completed around May.
He said the Business Services Division and Aramark, the campus food service contractor, will pay for the project, which will cost about $1.5 million.
“We are very optimistic that this new food service facility will provide added food service options and convenience to our students, faculty and staff,” Dubay wrote.
Dubay said the UF Information Booth, run by Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity, will remain standing and open during construction but will be demolished once the new facility is open.
A new booth connected to the building with the restaurants will replace the old UF Information Booth, Dubay said.
Dubay said demolishing the old booth will help minimize some of the congestion near Turlington Plaza, an area filled with traffic that will keep Subway and Jamba Juice busy.
Ben Meyers, a UF sophomore and a member of the Food Service Advisory Committee that helped approve the project, said the new restaurants will be designed as more accessible eating options for students on the go.
Rather than running into the Reitz Union Food Court or the Hub and waiting in line, students can grab food on their way to class or as they step off the bus, he said.
“I think it’s really in the center of campus for most undergrads, and it really serves them a lot better,” Meyers said.
