Waymon Hallmark, Precinct 3 Jefferson County Commissioner, called it “gorgeous” and “fantastic.” Don Pumphrey of Entergy Texas called it a beautiful place., while Thomas McDonald said he expected to see something like it in Dallas or Houston, but not Port Arthur. The new Luby’s obviously left a definite first impression for these diners.

The new Luby’s Cafeteria at U.S. 69 and FM 365 in front of Central Mall opened up to rave reviews. The restaurant held a sneak preview for invited guests prior to the official opening day on Thursday.

“We’ve been watching it go from the ground up. The inside is so beautiful,” Hallmark said. “We’re proud to have it here and they put it in the busy part of what I call the new Port Arthur. We couldn’t wait to come. Everyone’s been so nice and polite.” His wife, Sarah, said she wouldn’t have to cook or wash dishes at home.

“Everything is good. It’s delicious. It’s a beautiful place,” Pumphrey said. “The woodwork is fantastic. I think everyone enjoyed dining here.”

Chris Pappas is the chief executive officer of Luby’s Cafeteria, Inc. and said the new Port Arthur Luby’s is the second of two prototype design models. The first prototype was built at U.S. 290 and Spring Cypress in Houston and opened last August.

“This is a new model. It’s quite different from the other models with a lot of features,” Pappas said. “We wanted to create the ambiance of a casual dining place. We wanted the customers more involved in the action with the serving line. It’s more in view while dining and the management can keep an eye on things better.”

Other changes made are salads on the serving line look more like an upscale grocery store, Pappas said. There’s more showmanship of the foods displayed and they are served in casserole dishes rather than the steam table trays. The dessert display has a different look to it, as well.

Pappas said booths are more popular and there are more of them for seating. There is a milkshake/cappucino bar area for single diners. Multiple flat-screen television sets hang on the walls throughout the interior. There is also a patio in the front the of the building so diners may eat outside in the nice weather.

The ceiling has a loft-like feel and an airy feel to it instead of the regular drop ceilings, Pappas said. At the beginning of the serving line, there is an electric menu board along with a plasma television set that shows announcements for customers or what positions the restaurant is now hiring.

Pappas said another plus is the serving line is not placed directly at the front door as other Luby’s are situated, but separate from it and the dining area is like a casual diner. The restaurant also wanted to connect their food-to-go business with the serving line.

“We feel it to be better (the restaurant’s layout), to enhance the nighttime dining,” Pappas said. He hopes the new design will bring a younger generation to eat at the cafeteria.

He added a job fair the company sponsored earlier in the month had a good turnout and they are still accepting applications. Rick Black, director of investor relations for Luby’s, said the restaurant is roughly 10,000 square feet and seats 260.

Black added the company wanted to build a new restaurant to replace the old one inside of Central Mall that was destroyed by Hurricane Rita.

“This has been such a good market for us,” Black said.

“The service was excellent, the food was superb, the atmosphere was wonderful and the service was friendly,” Hope Miller said.