Students may now find their money going a little further at the Reitz Union Pollo Tropical.
After students cried foul over high prices, Aramark, UF's food service provider, lowered them to more closely match the prices at other locations across the state.
The biggest changes were made to the menu's value meals, with one meal - the quarter-chicken with two sides - seeing a 33 percent drop in price from $6.69 to $4.49. Other value meals are between 50 cents and $1.70 cheaper.
Meals in the TropiChops section saw price drops of up to $1.40.
Students have also complained about the prices at Cheeburger Cheeburger, which replaced the cheaper Wendy's chain.
Aramark may add cheaper items to the menu. Possibilities include a smaller burger - perhaps a 4-ounce burger in the $4 range - and smaller milkshakes, said Bob Miller, UF's associate vice president of business affairs. Fries and drink combos might also change.
As for Pollo Tropical, Miller said the price changes were made to reflect the prices at The Florida State University's on-campus location, but Aramark spokeswoman Jill Rodriguez wrote in an e-mail that the changes were made to bring the location in line with other corporately managed locations in the state.
Menus requested from other Florida locations indicate the prices are similar, though there are differences. Some regular size meals in the TropiChops section are still 40 cents more at the Reitz Union location, while large size meals are 10 cents cheaper.
Rodriguez wrote that because there are no other Pollo Tropicals in Gainesville, Aramark initially set the prices based on prices at similar restaurants in the area.
Some students weren't deterred by the higher prices at the Reitz Union, however.
Pollo Tropical posted almost $73,000 in sales during the first two weeks of fall. By comparison, Capeesh - which was replaced by Pollo Tropical this summer - sold about $25,000 in the first two weeks of Fall 2008.
Cheeburger Cheeburger did well too, but it didn't top Wendy's old numbers. It saw about $75,000 in sales, versus about $92,000 by Wendy's in the first two weeks of Fall 2008.
There are other changes at campus restaurants that may help students on a budget. The Moe's Southwest Grill at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center, for example, is now offering a line of junior burritos.
Miller said the corporate office decided to make the change when students complained about the absence of the cheaper burritos.
The Reitz Union Subway is also offering $5 footlongs for the first time. Aramark put the cheaper subs on the menu after it took over operations from the franchisee, who had refused to offer them, Miller said.
On-campus restaurants will still not be able to offer free drink refills, as is common at off-campus versions of the chains, though, because of logistical hurdles.
"It's just logistically difficult to have a drink island for customers but not for people just sitting there studying," Miller said.
Nonetheless, students will likely be happy with many of the menu changes. Environmental engineering junior Katie Graf said she's glad Pollo Tropical dropped its prices. The first time she ate there she didn't realize how expensive it was until they rang her up.
"I was kind of put-off," Graf said. "I was like, 'I'll probably be going to Subway more.'"
"Now," she said, "I'll think about going here [Pollo Tropical] more."
