After three years on the University of Florida campus, SweetBerries Eatery and Frozen Custard in Newell Hall closed its doors on April 29.
In its place, The Paper Bag, a sandwich deli, will provide a new menu for students to enjoy as they fuel up between studying and classes.
Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services is the official food provider for campus dining and oversees all locations, including SweetBerries.
Jane Osmond, co-owner of SweetBerries, explained that it became a hassle to operate on campus.
“We felt it was a little bit difficult to operate [on campus] because Chartwells and the University of Florida administration wanted certain things that we didn’t necessarily want to do,” Osmond said.
While the Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services staff was nice, Osmond said the company “dictated the hours.” Chartwells also wanted the Newell Hall location to serve breakfast when SweetBerries’ main storefront doesn’t offer it.
“They worked with us a little bit, but they wanted us to be open on certain days that we knew would be a money-loser,” she said. “They needed to have food service in the area for the students, so we agreed to stay open.”
Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services couldn’t comment in time for publication.
Running the campus location was a financial struggle, Osmond said, especially during holidays and breaks when the majority of students aren’t in Gainesville.
Alongside her sister and restaurant co-owner, Janice, Osmond wanted to prioritize the main store, located on 619 NW Fifth Ave., instead of the shop on campus.
“My sister and I are in our 60s, we are tired,” Osmond said. “Having two stores was a burden because we are both still very involved in the business.”
The Paper Bag will be the new sandwich deli at the hub of campus. Richard Sterck, the owner of The Paper Bag, said he always dreamed of opening a campus location.
“When I started this up three years ago, I had a couple of thoughts and dreams, but one was definitely getting on campus,” Sterck said. “The fact that it was in less than three years was that dream becoming a reality.”
The Paper Bag opened its first location in 2022. Newell Hall will be its third location across Gainesville. Despite only having six weeks to open the new location, opening the first two stores made the process easier, Sterck said.
“With everything in life, you grow and learn from your mistakes,” he said. “So this has been the easiest of the process. I’ve got my list down, I've got my contact people down, I’ve got everything that I know I need.”
Sterck hopes that the deli on campus will become a place where students and faculty can wind down and forget about their problems, he said.
Sterck adjusted the restaurant’s Newell Hall menu to keep up with the fast pace of campus. To cut wait times and cater to student preferences, some menu items from the other two locations won’t be available at the Newell Hall location, and some sandwiches were simplified.
He said a lot of students prefer a “simple turkey and provolone on a ciabatta,” so common preferences were implemented into the campus menu.
“Our motto is ‘Changing lives one sandwich at a time,’” he said. “No matter if an exam is on your mind, you’re missing your mom, missing your dad, missing your little sister, brother, whatever. When you're coming into the deli, hopefully we’re going to change [those feelings] for a second.”
Ivana Hernandez, a UF alumna, said that while she’ll miss having a SweetBerries on campus, she’s excited for The Paper Bag to open. She thinks students will love it, she said.
“Newell Hall was my go-to study spot, so I ate at SweetBerries a lot,” Hernandez said. “The Paper Bag is my favorite sandwich place in Gainesville, so I am very happy for them.”
The Paper Bag at Newell Hall is expected to open June 30, the first day of the UF Summer B semester.
Victoria Riccobono is a UF journalism junior.
