Sounds of conversation and the clanking of dishes echo off the restaurant’s deep red walls which are decorated with flowers, circles and a bumper sticker that reads, “Love animals, don’t eat them.” In the center of the room, people sit on mismatched chairs at small tables, eating vegan meals prepared by the Red Herring staff.

The Red Herring Restaurant is considered an official program of the Channing-Murray Foundation, the Unitarian-Universalist Campus Center at the University, said Claire Szoke, program director.

The Red Herring’s purpose, Szoke said, is to provide vegan food to the campus community and offer educational information about vegetarianism.

“It serves as a place for people to have good food and a pleasant environment,” she said.

The Red Herring started as a coffeehouse in 1968 for antiwar protesters. It was converted into a vegetarian restaurant in 1990, and, in 1997, became completely vegan.

Today, it is the only vegan restaurant in town, said manager Katie Martell.

Martell started working at the Red Herring last spring and said that this year, it has been making a lot of money.

The restaurant is non-profit and financed by their sales, she said.

“We’ve got a good crew this year,” Martell said.

In addition to several full-time employees, many of the restaurant’s workers are volunteers. People interested in helping can come in and get put to work, doing anything from washing dishes to preparing sandwiches, Martell said.

An hour of work earns volunteers $5 worth of food, which Martell said is basically a meal, adding that many people work longer and eat less then they earned.

“We have very loyal volunteers,” she said.

Michael Sutton said he has worked at the Red Herring since August 2003.

“I was walking by one day, and a guy asked if I wanted to volunteer,” he said.

After working hard, Sutton was hired full time.

“It’s been the best job I’ve ever had,” he said.

One thing he appreciates is the customers. Sutton said the restaurant has a base of friendly people who come in regularly.

Madeline Oklesen, freshman in LAS, said she eats at the Red Herring at least once a week, usually for lunch. Oklesen said she is a vegetarian for moral and economic reasons. Pollution from slaughterhouses also bothers her, she said.

“It sickens me to think that the by-products of slaughterhouses go into our drinking water and land,” she said.

Unlike Oklesen, some of the restaurant’s customers choose to eat meat.

“Most of our regulars aren’t even vegetarian,” Martell said.

Many people like eating at the restaurant because it provides a fast, non-greasy food option, she said. Martell added that the staff cooks with high-quality oils and organic food when they can. Although the menu changes daily, the restaurant always offers a choice between two entrees, three types of soup and sandwiches and dessert.

Martell said she likes to push the health benefits of veganism.

“I just want people to experience good food that’s good for them,” she said.