With the hustle and bustle of students filling campus to capacity, the first week of classes is always busier than an average week in the semester.
The energy has carried over to nearby businesses, which saw an influx of customers as students poured back into the city.
Raising Cane’s, a popular restaurant among University students, saw an increase in business last week.
Business for Cane’s was slow during the summer, but the amount of customers has doubled since the semester began, said Bryan Weatherman, operations manager at Cane’s on Highland Road.
“The first week is a little busier than a normal non-football week,” he said. 
Weatherman also said he’s noticed more freshmen coming into the restaurant.
“Freshmen will usually find Cane’s during orientation and know where to come on the first week,” he said.
This trend seems to be prevalent at Highland Coffees on the corner of Highland Road and Chimes Street as well.
“We’re constantly busy and see steady business throughout the semester, but the first week is a smidge busier,” said Jillian Musso, barista at Highland Coffees and literature senior. “During the summer, it’s dead, but at the beginning of the semester, we see more new faces come Stadium.”
Jeanne Michel, animal sciences freshman, said she had a similar experience and she’s been taking the bus since her second day.
In order to combat parking problems, Julia Winters, coastal environmental science sophomore, said she bought a bike and also plans to take the bus.
Despite students’ complaints about parking, Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said there are still thousands of parking spots available on campus. He recommends students check updates from LSU Parking on Twitter at @LSUParking to find available parking spots on campus before driving to the lots.
“Our lots are filled slightly more than usual at the beginning of the semester, but it’s nothing that we can’t accommodate,” he said. “Until students are settled into classes, things will be a little life.”
Braden also said GroupX exercise classes are consistently filling up throughout the day, but she thinks those numbers will remain high.
“Once participants familiarize themselves with the new GroupX check-in procedure, I believe participant numbers will continue to increase,” she said.
However, some students believe the first week of each semester is standard compared to the rest of the year.
Zachery Elbourne, creative writing junior, said he hasn’t been affected by first week adjustments.
“Because I live off-campus and eat at home, I don’t really notice any difference in the first week,” he said.
 
____
Contact Kate Mabry at [email protected]