U.S. Army to Transform Dining with Campus-Style Facilities
The U.S. Army is embarking on a mission to overhaul its dining facilities by implementing a new contract for creating modern, campus-style dining options at key installations. This initiative seeks to enhance the culinary experience for soldiers, as announced on September 30.
Compass Group USA has secured a concession contract from the Army Nonappropriated Fund Contracting Office at Installation Management Command, G9. This contract, awarded on August 28, will introduce college campus-style dining at Fort Bragg, Fort Stewart, Fort Carson, Fort Hood, and Fort Drum.
According to Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, Army Materiel Command deputy commanding general, “The Army is focused on creating a positive seismic shift in food service operations. It’s all about taking care of the warfighter by increasing healthier, more easily accessible food options that are convenient to them.”
The contract spans five years and includes options for extension for an additional five years.
Earlier this year, the Army outlined its objective to revamp and modernize its dining facilities in a request for proposal, as reported by the Army Times. The proposal emphasized the need for facilities that resemble college cafeterias, offering dine-in services, online ordering, healthy food, and delivery options.
The Army’s vision also emphasizes employing privately contracted chefs to meet specific nutritional standards, including sourcing food that is local, organic, sustainably sourced, and free from antibiotics and hormones.
Notably, Compass Group USA, the company awarded the contract, recently settled a legal issue by agreeing to pay $6.94 million. This settlement addressed overcharging customers via credit card transactions at vending machines from 2014 to 2025.
This dining initiative is part of a broader effort to improve on-post dining experiences. In August, a pilot program at Fort Hood allowed soldiers to use meal entitlements at Army-approved vendors, further advancing the campus-style dining concept.
On-post dining facilities have faced criticism, with soldiers expressing dissatisfaction over portion sizes and meal quality, as seen in reviews on the Hots&Cots app.
In response to such feedback, the Army has been working to transition to campus-style dining over the past three years, according to Mohan. The new Compass contract will bring enhancements such as multiple food stations, a professional chef, and a dietitian to manage nutritional standards.
Soldiers will access these upgraded facilities using their military ID cards, while civilians will need to pay out of pocket. Plans are underway to allow soldiers to use their ID cards for select menu items at on-post restaurants.
The Army Materiel Command conducted a comprehensive review of dining experiences at 35 installations in 2024, incorporating feedback from soldiers. This feedback was collected through focus groups and surveys.
Contractors will manage the dining venues and are responsible for sourcing and serving food, being compensated solely for meals provided to soldiers.
The first of these new dining venues is slated to open at Fort Bragg in January, with other installations to follow suit. “We’re really, really pleased,” Mohan commented.
