As many as 500 students may wait for lunch outside of Pfeiffer Dining Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:15 p.m when students are released from class.

There are approximately 300 seats in Pfeiffer, leaving students to either wait or find an alternative place to eat.

“We have an effective, make to order program,” said Vince LoVan, general manager of Sodexho Campus Services.

According to LoVan, the reason there is often a hold up in the line is because the sandwiches and pizza are made to order.

“This keeps the food fresh and hot,” he said.

There can be delays because of the made to order system and an overflow of students.

LoVan suggested that students wait a few minutes after class before standing in line. Administration and foodservice staff understand that the lines are long and the seating in Pfeiffer is limited, but there is little that they can do right now, according to LoVan.

“They are looking at maybe re-structuring the class schedule,” he said. “In order to add seating to Pfieffer, there will have to be an addition made to the building.”

Changes have been made to Pfeiffer since last year.

“We have tried to incorporate things according to the students’ needs and wants,” LoVan said.

Some of these changes include a specialty sandwich, an expanded menu that fits the needs of vegetarians and added staff.

Although the dining hall continues to make changes to accommodate students, some are not happy about the services.

“The lines do get really long, and there aren’t many people from my floor that like Pfeiffer,” said freshman Katie Anderson.

Some students complain about little variety and variation. The menu for Pfieffer is on a four-week cycle.

“It seems like I end up eating the same thing almost everyday,” said Anderson.

LoVan said that Pfeifer continues to make improvements based on comments he and the foodservice staff hear from students.

There are close to 20 people on staff at Pfeiffer, trying to serve all the students. There are eight full time positions and many of the evening and weekend hours are filled with work study students, making the foodservice work study second largest on campus.

An alternative to waiting in line at Pfeiffer is to eat at the Storm Street Grill.

The grill has added many new grab-to-go items such as cereal bars, a larger variety of juices and pre-made sandwiches. They also have bags so students may bag up the food that they order and take it to class or wherever they are headed.

“We are trying to suit everyone’s needs,” said LoVan.

Students can check the weekly menu by going to Simpson’s website and clicking under dining services. Although the menu is listed for the week, it is subject to change.

Until students are totally satisfied, food services looks to students for comments.

“If you would like to see changes made to Pfeiffer, make a suggestion,” LoVan said. “We can always try it out to see how it works.”