Page 24 - gfs0717_Magazine

NRA MILITARY TRAINING

age with convenient access for preparation and then on with other healthy entrée and starch choices. The salad
to serving. bar has tubs of lettuce, spinach and romaine, along with
toppings and condiments. A variety of specialty options
DESTINATION DINING are scheduled Monday through Friday to vary the menu,
When working to design Freedom Hall, one of the other such as pasta on Thursday.
contenders, the primary challenge its team recognized A judge on the panel, Steve Rubin, Kitchens to Go,
was that the dining facility needed to compete for the asked how the team expected to successfully maintain
meal-card-carrying population on base against alternatives interest in the dining facility when service members are
inside and outside the gate. confined to the base.
To meet the challenge, the team emphasized that it In response, the team, recognizing from the beginning
understands the service members, and created a dining the need for service members to make the dining facil-
facility that has what they want. Planners designed the din- ity their own, asked themselves what they wanted and
ing facility as a single destination offering service members interpreted their ideas to create a diverse menu offering
the same options they would find at assorted competing something different every day.
locations inside and outside the gate. A marketing plan to get word out about the dining
For convenience, access to meals facility and drive traffic uses social
in Freedom Hall is available 24 hours media to reinforce the message and
a day with grab-and-go availability. increase effectiveness. Knowing that
The to-go area offers premade and millennials are 60 percent of the din-
prepackaged meal options for cus- ing facility’s available population and
tomers that want convenient, fast nearly all have cell phones, social
service. An outdoor gazebo gives an media is an essential tool to get the
alternative dining experience, and message out. “The first thing we want
a mini playground for kids adds to do is inform them that we ex-
“wow” factor. ist,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer
Customer traffic flows into the Moss, a member of the team work-
dining hall through two entrances ing on marketing for the Freedom
and out from four exits, and the Hall project.
entire operation is visible through In addition, customers will be al-
a glass window in the manager’s of- lowed to make suggestions, which
fice. A designated parking lot was will be highlighted on social me-
part of the plan as a convenience to dia with credit given to the service
customers that helps attract a mobile member who made it.
population. Making the relationship with cus-
There are six serving lines, in- tomers closer, the team planned to
cluding a main, snack and self-serve make a more personal connection
pastry. Centering the square floor between staff and customers. One
plan are three different stations, step is to feature a chef of the month,
two rectangular and one oval.
Adding menu variety, one of
the rectangular stations is con- Mark Jones, a judge on the panel from the
vertible to different purposes Ranger Group, shares his expertise and
insight with the culinary specialists before
and specialty items; the other a winning team’s design was selected.
offered salads, sandwiches and
grilled items. The center oval
featured desserts and ice cream.
Plans also call for access to
an outdoor smoker patio for
barbecues, plus use of inside
smokers.
Service is seven days a week
across the three meal periods:
breakfast, lunch and dinner. A
rotating item each day adds
variety to the core breakfast
menu.
A seafood item is always
an option on the menu along
24 GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • JULY 2017