By Michael Behlin
3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Helping transient and tenant Soldiers make recommendations and improvements to dining facilities throughout the Iraqi theater is the Dining Facility Advisory Council.
Started many years ago, the council was originally known as the enlisted dining facility council. Enlisted Soldiers were more likely to eat their meals in the DFAC because they lived in the barracks. To some, the dining facility was their main source of meals.
Over the years, however, with the rising amount of deployments, the DFAC Council became a way to help service members regardless of rank and branch of service.
"The DFAC council was formed to receive feedback from our diners on what they like, what they would like to see and what could be improved within the facility," said Chief Warrant Officer Tiffany Alexander, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) food advisor.
"We have an open dialogue between the folks that work in the food service arena and our customers that come through the facilities to help make better choices," said Alexander.
Through monthly meetings, the DFAC Advisory Council obtains feedback from service members using the DFACs to assist KBR in improving the quality of service provided on Joint Base Balad, and other posts throughout the Iraqi and Afghanistan theater.
While there are DFAC advisory councils on military posts in the United States, the operation is usually different than those in war zones since there are items that can't be obtained. This is relevant because, at times, there can be gripes and complaints that can't be accommodated in these areas.
"One of the requests that have come out of the council meetings is just having more healthy choice items, you know, really small things," said Alexander. "Sometimes, we do get really odd requests and when those requests come, we have to let them know that it's not going to happen and that they're still in Iraq."
The council may want to provide more options among dining facility items, but it's not as if the council is just a JBB entity. When there are requests, the item requested has to be included in the catalog, and that request goes up the chain to include other bases – even bases in other countries.
"We may want to provide our customers with something, but it's not just the folks on JBB that requests go up to," Alexander said. "It has to be the same request throughout theater, and then we take it up to Army Central Command, and then they not only have to think about Iraq, but they have to think about Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan."
Sitting on the council are key personnel from KBR and tenant units across theater. These personnel include unit representatives such as Alexander, as well as DFAC non-commissioned officers in charge.
One of the more popular items discussed at meetings is the addition of fresh milk to the DFAC menu. While fresh milk is available to some bases throughout Iraq, JBB's location and the location of the distributor make it hard to obtain. Due to logistical challenges such as road conditions and truck delays, it's not feasible to have fresh milk due to its short shelf life.
While most people automatically think of food products when hearing of a DFAC council, facility conditions are also a topic of discussion. The council is responsible for setting and upholding dining facility standards.
These standards include the requirement of everyone washing their hands upon entry and DFAC cleanliness.
"The mayor cell does walk through inspections when they check temperatures of water being used to clean dishes, types of solutions used, oven temperatures and the proper thawing of meats," said Master Sgt. Karen Wilkerson, 3rd ESC senior food management NCO. "All of the folks that work in the facilities have to be qualified and go through classes on sanitation and preparation."
These steps are important in the preparation and finished product that the dining facility produces. But ultimately, the customer's input is what the council is looking to gather. With their input, the dining facilities can look to improve what is thought to be deficiencies theater-wide.
"Service members need to continue to come out and provide us information about what they see in the facilities," said Alexander. "They can fill out comment cards to provide us with feedback because we do look at those."