Dining facility changes driven by feedback from troops

  • Published
  • By Airman Ty-Rico Lea
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Constructed in 1995, the Iditarod Dining Facility is one of the newer facilities on JBER
and since its inception, has continually adapted to the requests of service members.

The DFAC is one of four facilities Air Force-wide to be a part of the Food Transformation Initiative, which was developed to change the way the Air Force provides food service to its service members and communities. 

The initiative is designed to be efficient and customer-driven, and enables Airmen in the Force Support career field to maintain  vital wartime skills and capabilities.

The DFAC serves more than 1,000 customers daily.

With a volume that size, tips on menu items, nutrition, and efficiency are always welcome, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Mireisy Torres, 673d Force Support Squadron, a DFAC storeroom clerk.

As an example of the changes and improvements the DFAC have made at the request and inputs of Airmen, Torres pointed out renovations made in 2012.

"The dining facility made modifications to its facilities, which included the addition of a 'cooking light' station offering nutritional choices of fruit and salad," Torres said. "The construction accumulated a total cost of 1.2 million dollars."

The DFAC also features quick response codes placed throughout the facility.

Scanning the QR codes with any smart phone shows menu options they can choose from.

Significant improvements such as these are in large part due to customer input, Torres said.

Customers have the opportunity to voice their opinions by filling out comment cards regarding the facility's appearance, quality of staff, and a recommendation for an exclusive food product, or rating the service of the facility.

To maintain menu consistency and allow gradual, structured implementation of new features and food items, the DFAC's menu runs on a 23-day cycle.

Many of the options are made Air Force-wide to take nutritional needs into account.
Everyone's opinion matters, Torres said. DFAC staff wants people to know they have a voice in this process.

One Airman taking advantage of the state-of-the-art facility is Airman 1st Class Dustin Nichols, a firefighter with the 673d Civil Engineer Squadron.

"It is a healthy place to get a quick bite to eat if you are not in the mood to leave base," Nichols said.

In addition to "quick bites to eat," full-course meals and holiday-themed feasts are a regular occurrence at the DFAC, with an upcoming special menu for Easter.

For additional information on menu options, or on how to leave comments, call 552-3114 or visit the DFAC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Iditarod-Dining-Facility/. The DFAC operates from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

The DFAC also offers midnight chow from at 11:00 p.m. to 1 a.m.