3 Natives, which changed its name and branding Saturday, will begin offering lower prices and new menu options.
The restaurant changed its name to 29° 82° In The Swamp, which stands for the GPS coordinates of UF’s campus, after the owner parted ways with the franchise 3 Natives LLC, manager Steve Taylor said. Although management and ownership will remain the same, menu items and prices have already begun changing.
“The franchise was going in a different direction,” Taylor said. “3 Natives is a franchise, and we are no longer a part of that franchise anymore.”
As of Monday, the blue and white awning that read “3 Natives” was blank. Taylor said it’s expected to be re-done within a week.
Taylor said the owner, Monica Cripps, is in the middle of litigation with the franchise according to court records. The lawsuit, which was filed by 3 Natives LLC against Cripps on Oct. 23, regards trademark infringement and a breach of contract.
While some changes to the menu were made on Saturday, Taylor said the restaurant will continue lowering prices and adding new menu items. Customers can already order acai squares instead of acai bowls, and the smoothies on the menu were replaced with flip cups, which are fruit purées containing granola.
Taylor said customers appreciate the lower prices.
“We’ve gotten great feedback,” Taylor said. “A lot of people are kind of stunned initially when they realize it’s the same staff and same people making the recipes.”
Prices are broken down to allow customers to only pay for the toppings they want, Taylor said.
The management plans on adding chips and salsa with wraps, which are now called boats, for the same price of $9.
Taylor said management is still working on lower prices on menu items including acai bowls.
The nautical decor in the store will remain the same.
Taylor Logue, a UF microbiology freshman, visited the store Monday afternoon with a friend. When she ordered her usual acai bowl, she didn’t immediately notice anything different.
“(The manager) had to tell us ‘oh, it’s not 3 Natives anymore,’” the 19-year-old said. “The (menu) signs on the wall were a little different.”
Taylor said the changes the store has made and hopes to make will better serve students, who are the restaurant's main customer base.
“We wanted to cater to our customers, which are mostly students and people in the community, and the franchise was more of a one size fits all,” Taylor said.
