Air Force proposes changes to base dining program

The Air Force Manpower, Personnel and Services community has issued a Food Transformation Initiative that is poised to offer Airmen enhanced food quality, variety and availability while saving money for the Air Force dining facilities and non-appropriated fund food operations. Six bases will begin seeing changes associated with the initiative this fiscal year -- Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; Patrick AFB and MacDill AFB, Fla.; Fairchild AFB, Wash.; Little Rock AFB, Ark.; and Travis AFB, Calif. Depending on the results of the site surveys, Airmen here at Hill Air Force Base may see projects ranging from significant expansion of food offerings to minor building enhancements.

"What they may do (here) is combine Club Hill and the dining facilities into one facility," said Food Services Director Mike McCoy. "Currently the Air Force is spending money for the upkeep of two facilities and two sets of equipment to serve the same purpose of feeding our Airmen. The initiative will merge the appropriated and nonappropriated funds into one fund to operate one facility to serve that one goal."

The Air Force currently operates more than 270 dining facilities and flight kitchens and more than 300 NAF food and beverage operations, such as the golf course and bowling center snack bars and clubs. During fiscal year 2008, more than 91 million meals moved through the dining facilities and flight kitchens, and NAF food and beverage operations generated more than $193 million in sales.

"Merging the appropriated and nonappropriated funds will benefit everyone," McCoy says. "Customers will still get nutritious meals within the guidelines recommended by the agency, and clubs that are not doing well in this economy will benefit as well."

In addition to providing nutritionally-balanced meals to more people on Air Force installations, the initiative also aims to improve workforce morale and productivity, restore a sense of community and improve efficiency. For example, combining the facility workers under government funding will provide more training options.

"The military is diligent about providing ongoing training," McCoy said. "Providing ongoing customer service training to our employees will greatly increase the level of service provided to our Airmen and make for a better morale environment all around."

Other changes in the works include changing the dormitory residents' meal card charging option to reflect that used by college dining commons. "The details of that plan are still to be worked out, since it involves working out the budgeting and accounting issues, but it aims to benefit the Airmen in the long run."

McCoy says that the initiative aims to reduce costs by eliminating duplications of services offered at Air Force bases. "The intent is not to close facilities. The intent is to find better ways of doing business."

McCoy presumes that if the pilot projects at the six Air Force bases show favorable results, Hill AFB could see changes resulting from this initiative between 2012 and 2015. He is planning to attend a follow-up meeting about the Air Force Food Transformation Initiative in July 2010 to learn more about the six pilot projects.

For updates on the initiative, visit www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/news.

April Rowden, Air Force Services Agency Public Affairs Office, Randolph AFB, Texas, contributed material to this article.