Mesquite Dining Facility tries new hours

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Corbin
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In an effort to better answer the needs of its customers, the 82nd Services Division is holding a three-day trial program at the Mesquite Dining Facility.

Currently, the Mesquite is the only dining facility open to feed Sheppard's Airmen in Training, temporary duty personnel and permanent party meal-card holders, on weekends and holidays.

For this trial program, the Mesquite will be open the entire day from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Nov. 10-12. Usually, the dining facility is only open from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. for breakfast, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch and 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for dinner.

Gabriele Perry, the 82nd SVS food service officer, said the trial program is intended to alleviate the high-number of Airmen eating at the same time and to give the students larger windows of time to eat. On average, the Mesquite Dining Facility will feed 1,200-1,500 personnel at dinner on the weekends but have had numbers as high as 1,900.

"Students are our business," she said. "We want to make sure everyone gets to eat."

She said the change is focused on those who may have a different schedule or a person who's dormitories/lodging are a large distance away from it.

For someone like Airman 1st Class Karina Whittington, an Airman in Training in the C-130 crew chief course, the change, if made permanent, would make a world of difference in their odd schedules.

Airman Whittington is assigned to the mid-shift and goes to school from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. during the week, leaving her weekend schedules far from normal.

"I think it will really help mid-shifts," she said. "Sometimes I barely catch it before they close. (With the new schedule) I won't be so restricted; I won't have to wake up just to go eat."

She said her odd hours sometimes lead to her missing the assigned dining hours on the weekends.

The new system would also allow Airmen on regular shifts that may miss a meal the opportunity to still eat at a dining facility.

"If you miss a meal, you won't have to go hungry while you wait (for the next meal time)," said Airman Basic Chris Fraziar, an Airman in Training in the B-1 crew chief course.

After the weekend trial, the food services division will go over the numbers and see if any issues cropped up, and will make a decision on whether to keep the program, Mrs. Perry said.

She said if it's decided to make the new hours permanent, the changes will take effect in January following Holiday Exodus. Look to www.sheppard.af.mil for a follow-up story on the decision.

For more information on the Sheppard dining facilities, visit the food services division site at http://www.sheppardservices.us/foodservices.htm.