New era in food service coming to Fairchild AFB Published Jan. 26, 2010 FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- A new look and feel is coming to the Air Force dining experience here through the Air Force Services Agency's Food Transformation Initiative. Fairchild has been selected as a pilot base for the services initiative that is designed to offer greater variety, availability, and flexibility in food and beverage options to Airmen. As the Air Force has changed in recent years, so have the needs of Airmen, services officials said. The Manpower, Personnel and Services community sees updating Air Force food operations as the highest priority initiative to better serve the Air Force community and improve Airmen's quality of life. Airmen here will see a new look to its food and beverage offerings as a result of FTI. Through this initiative, the Warrior Inn and Roger A. Ross Dining Facilities will be open to all members of the base community including military members, civilians, retirees and contractors. Also, The FunSpot will add a bar and other amenities to its expansive program offerings and could become a contemporary meeting place for members of the base community. The Flightline Feeding Facility will undergo renovations to add a banquet room for special functions like Airman Leadership School graduations. The benefit to Airmen is more food choices for everyone on the base. "We plan on offering a portfolio of services for everyone from retirees to young Airmen," said Col. Robert Thomas, 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander. "Airmen will have more options in the dining facilities and will be able to use their meal cards at other Fairchild food venues. This helps address the number one issue raised by Fairchild Airmen during our Airmen's Summit late last year." By integrating dining facilities and nonappropriated fund food operations, the Air Force Food Transformation Initiative will offer Airmen several advantages such as enhanced food quality; variety and availability, including additional healthy choices that support the Air Force's continuous emphasis on fitness and overall well being; convenient locations with hours of operation aligned with customer needs; an improved community-oriented atmosphere; and a continued focus feeding Airmen at home and in deployed locations. "The Air Force has a long tradition of taking care of its Airmen," said Charles Milam, director of services for Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters Air Force. "By providing enhanced facilities with more food choices that include more nutritionally balanced meals and are available to more people, we are helping Airmen and their families succeed personally and professionally." Currently, Air Force food services specialists operate more than 270 dining facilities and flight kitchens and more than 300 nonappropriated fund food and beverage operations, such as 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. "As with any Air Force program," Mr. Milam said, "we constantly look to see where we need to focus our attention and to make certain that we give the best service with our available resources. We can do that by giving the best product to our Airmen, providing more diverse training to our fighting force and supporting the Air Force community." Along with Fairchild, five other installations will begin seeing changes associated with the food transformation initiative in 2010: Elmendorf AFB, Ala.; Patrick AFB, Fla.; MacDill AFB, Fla.; Little Rock AFB, Ark.; and Travis AFB, Calif.