JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. – The long-awaited Warrior Restaurant, called America’s Kitchen, served its first meals during the grand opening June 12, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
The ribbon cutting included the sounds of The President’s Own Marine Corps Band, along with brief remarks from garrison commander, Col. Tasha Lowery, and commanding general of Joint Task Force-National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp.
“As a commanding general, it’s pretty rare to get to see a project like this come to fruition,” said Bredenkamp. “I wish I could stand up here and take credit for such an incredible facility, but it’s really the outcome of years of hard work from many people.”
The $21.5 million design-build contract was awarded in September 2020 with the idea of making the warrior restaurant modern and welcoming.
Bredenkamp acknowledged the project wasn’t ‘smooth sailing,’ and that it took longer than expected to complete.
“Despite it all, I couldn’t be more proud of the facility we are opening today,” he said. “It is hands-down the nicest warrior restaurant I’ve ever seen.”
America’s Kitchen, a state-of-the-art facility with several Made-to-Order stations, giving service members healthy and fresh food options and a seating area complete with tables, lounge areas and big screen TVs.
The line was out the door for over an hour as Soldiers, Marines, and DoD Civilians lined up to check out the dining hall and sample the food, which had some special features including Cornish hen, steak, lobster and cake, as the opening aligned with celebrating not only the opening, but also the 249th Army Birthday on June 14.
“We are truly excited to provide service members and civilians with a top tier dining experience," said Sgt. First Class Lucie Kamga, senior culinary management NCO. "Our goal is for everyone, whether near or far, to come check us out. Our culinarians have worked extremely hard and I am proud to see their hard work on display."
The building is much more than a dining facility, boasting many unique features that will benefit service members, such as a culinary training center and space for the Transition Assistant Program and Armed Forces Wellness Center.
“At the end of the day, we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to take care of our service members,” said Col. Tasha Lowery, JBM-HH commander. “Places like this, that offer a variety of services in an area easily accessible to the service members, help us make that happen.”
America’s Kitchen is open daily serving breakfast, lunch and dinner through the week and brunch and dinner on weekends costing $5.35 to $7.05 depending on the meal service. The dining hall is open to military service members and DoD ID Card holders.
For more joint base news, visit: www.army.mil/jbmhhnews
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