Long lines and crowded tables fill the North Campus cafeteria, The View, more than ever before.

Todd Empanger, director of Dining Services, said The View has almost doubled the number of meals served daily since its transition from Murray-Herrick to the Anderson Student Center last January.

He attributed to the cafeteria’s booming business to the different serving style and location.

“The View is just brand new. We’re able to make food in front of you, and we’re able to make themed menus,” Empanger said. “It’s sort of centralized too, so I think that attracts a lot of people.”

Junior Alex Lovejoy has a meal plan and goes to The View about twice a day, but said he remembers the cafeteria in the Murray-Herrick Campus Center.

“It got boring eating the same stuff over and over at the old (cafeteria),” Lovejoy said. “There’s more variety here.”

Sophomore Dan Saunders said he eats in The View two or three times every day. He decided to get the same meal plan even though he ended up with 70 meals left over last year.

“It’s a lot nicer looking with all the windows,” Saunders said. “That would be the deciding factor for me I suppose, if it’s not as pretty where I’m going. And the food’s a bit better here.”

Senior Talon Beck is a student manager at The View and said the new cafeteria became popular for a couple reasons.

“We’re very fortunate to get a new place, and it’s a big step up,” Beck said. “It’s a higher quality of food to everybody, and I think a lot of people do notice that.”

Dining services sold 144 more meal plans, and has seen 9 percent more participation than last year. Empanger credits this increase to commuter students who decided meal plans were a good deal.

“We had more commuter meal plans sold,” Empanger said. “It’s a pretty good value compared with the door price. We try to do that.”

Students like Saunders, sophomore Eyerusalem Lemma and sophomore Caity Kubicek said the “Your Call” station is their favorite. The station normally has a long waiting line because for St. Thomas students, “Your Call” is still a novelty, but Empanger said the idea isn’t a new one in his business.

“All schools have them,” Empanger said. “The ‘Your Call’ station is fun just because you’re making your own decision rather than someone else just dishing it up and handing to you.”

Even though Kubicek and Lemma like The View, the numbers of people it attracts makes them want to eat there less.

“The lines are really long,” Kubicek said. “It just took me 20 minutes to get a piece of pizza. It was very annoying.”

“I feel like I’m always running into someone,” Lemma said. “If you can’t make up your mind, you’re circling all over like a mouse in a cage trying to figure out what you’re going to eat. It’s not organized.”

Empanger explained that the only way to alleviate the wait is to change the class schedules around, which he doesn’t foresee happening in the future.

“If they would spread out the class breaks that would be helpful,” Empanger said. “But I don’t think there’s a way to change that.”

Laura Landvik can be reached at land7854@stthomas.edu.