CULINARY OUTPOSTS: A NEW WAY TO SERVE THE U.S. ARMY
Location:
Colorado Springs, CO
Scope:
Design, Equipment Sourcing & Installation
For people serving in the U.S. Military, life doesn’t stick to a traditional 9 to 5 schedule, and neither do meal times. At the U.S. Army base in Fort Carson, Co., the Boelter team recently partnered with culinary specialists of the 4th Infantry Division to design and source two culinary outpost kiosks to enable more flexible meal options for the men and women serving our country.
The two buildings, Warfighter IWR and Ready Company, serve two purposes. They allow soldiers to get food with their meal card at times when the dining facilities might be closed, and they also provide more options for food choice in what was deemed a food desert on the base. “They wanted to be able to offer soldiers an option of good food that could be picked up quick and brought back to the barracks, without having to take time to drive and spend their money at gas stations and convenience stores,” says Chris Liesch, project manager, Boelter.
Making Grab and Go Convenient
Each of the kiosks are equipped with a variety of refrigerators, freezers, open air merchandisers and dry merchandisers. It’s all stocked with a variety of prepackaged items and beverages, as well as some items prepared fresh at the base kitchen and delivered to the kiosks. A microwave on-site allows for people to prepare food if needed, eliminating the need for a microwave in the barracks.
The set up allows the soldiers to get in and out quickly. All the food is on display in easily accessible cases. The grab-and-go format helps eliminate lines and payment is processed quickly by swiping their meal card or paying with cash or a phone app.
In addition to providing more flexible meal options for busy soldiers, the kiosks also help ease the staffing burden faced by the base’s culinary specialists. The kiosk can be run with only two staff, as it eliminates the need for meal prep and serving that is found at the base’s other traditional dining facilities
Boelter’s Benefits
Partnering with Boelter meant the Army had access to in-depth knowledge of the foodservice industry and years of strong relationships with equipment manufacturers. The Boelter team was able to recommend and source merchandisers that fit the kiosk experience well. They took into account the need to have a variety of types of foods displayed, from shelf-stable to cold and frozen, and utilized equipment from manufacturers that will provide appropriate food safety features while displaying food attractively. Custom millwork put the finishing touches on the project giving the kiosk a streamlined, modern look.
Boelter’s work on the project went above and beyond equipment sourcing. In order to add the outpost kiosks in a place convenient to the barracks, the spaces chosen weren’t initially built with foodservice equipment in mind. That meant the project included overseeing utility upgrades and coordinating with the Department of Public Works (DPW) and working with an outside electrical contractor. Boelter handled the communication and logistics, storing the equipment and millwork until the kiosk was equipped for installation.
Finding Success
Since opening, the Outpost Kiosk has been so popular that the base has had to adjust the amount of deliveries in order to keep up with demand. “The highlight of this project is being able to see how popular this Outpost Kiosk is with the soldiers,” Liesch says. “They have been so receptive and appreciative of these food options close to the barracks, which shows how great the need was for something convenient that offered good food choices.”
