The ground floor of the Reitz Union can be a lonely place.
After shops began closing their doors in summer 2007, there have been fewer reasons for students to venture downstairs.
The exodus of stores began with Lange Eye Care in June 2007. Then, The Studio retreated to the basement in May and STA Travel closed in June.
Mike Mironack, director of operations at the Reitz Union, said it's unusual for the Reitz to have three locations vacant.
That's all about to change.
By spring, the space in the Reitz Union ground floor will be occupied by a new restaurant and a convenience store, said Eddie Daniels, Reitz Union executive director.
Daniels said he couldn't disclose what restaurant would be coming to the Reitz Union because negotiations are in progress.
The two food-service locations will join Pollo Tropical and Jamba Juice, which are scheduled to debut in the Reitz Union Food Court next year.
Daniels said there are no estimates for the cost of the restaurant, but the convenience store will cost UF about $250,000 and Aramark, UF's food service provider, about $100,000.
Instead of paying rent to the Reitz, the locations, like all of UF's food-service operations, will pay UF a 10.4 percent commission on sales.
However, until the new tenants move in, the Reitz will continue to miss out on money it could be making on leases or commissions.
STA Travel used to pay about $57,000 a year in rent, Mironack said, and Lange Eye Care paid about $16,000 a year. The Studio didn't pay rent because it was part of a Reitz Union-funded program.
Lange Eye Care left about a year ago after UF asked to terminate its contract, Daniels said. The request came shortly after the store's owner, Dr. Michael P. Lange, was arrested on charges of solicitation of prostitution, indecent exposure and lewd and lascivious behavior.
"There were questions around that arrest and how that might impact the relationship with the university," Daniels said.
The Studio closed during the summer and moved to the basement of the Reitz to make room for commercial vendors because of budget cuts.
STA Travel closed less than two months later in a cost-cutting measure that closed 47 other locations across the country.
Mironack said the sagging economy is one reason it has taken the Reitz officials so long to find replacements for the previous tenants.
Troubled times have meant less interest in the open spots, he said.
Mironack said the spots have also remained vacant because officials wanted to know what students wanted in the space.
A UF survey of about 1,000 students in last fall showed that students primarily visit the Reitz to eat. The most frequent responses for what the building was missing was a grocery store and more variety of food, according to a summary of the answers.
UF decided to listen to the students but had to wait for UF's food-service contract with Aramark to be signed, which happened in August, Daniels said.
In addition to giving students what they wanted, the new food locations will also relieve some overcrowding in the Food Court during lunchtime, Daniels said.
"We're not just gonna put something in there for the sake of filling the space," Mironack said. "We want something that's gonna be around a while."
