Soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia, will soon be able to use their meal cards at Subway, Starbucks, Burger King and QDOBA on base, according to Army officials.
On Aug. 3, the base will become the first Army installation to implement a new program that the service calls Flexible Eating and Expanded Dining Program, or FEED, Capt. Destinee Johnson, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, told Task & Purpose.
Soldiers will be able to use their Common Access Cards to buy pre-approved menu items at chain restaurants, Army Materiel Command officials said. The restaurants included in FEED are contracted by the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, which varies depending on the base.
FEED is one of the Army’s new dining initiatives that aim to give junior enlisted soldiers living on base more food options. The Army ran a test pilot last August with 200 soldiers from the 61st Quartermaster Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas. The Fort Stewart program will serve as a model for other bases, said Samantha Tyler, a spokesperson for Army Materiel Command.
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Traditionally, soldiers who live in the barracks are given meal card plans wherein they get three swipes to use at a dining facility for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But the old school meal plan is changing as the Army overhauls its food options with revamped dining halls, takeout apps, food kiosks and, now, food from chain restaurants, courtesy of a meal card swipe. At the newest campus-style dining venues, like Bistro 42 at Fort Hood, soldiers with meal cards get $39 worth of “freedom dollars” to use for the day.
FEED, however, does not use freedom dollars. Instead, soldiers will be able to use their meal cards to buy pre-approved menu items, Tyler said. An Army graphic shows several examples of what breakfast could look like, ranging from a bacon, egg and gouda breakfast sandwich with a drink of 2% milk, almond milk or apple juice; to egg bites with roasted red pepper with 2% milk, almond milk or apple juice.
The Army is also allowing soldiers to redeem missed meals, given the restaurant is still serving it at that time. For example, if a soldier misses breakfast, they can redeem both breakfast and lunch at that restaurant. Each meal must be redeemed as a separate transaction, Army officials said.
Soldiers will be able to see which menu items qualify for FEED on the restaurant menus and on the My Army Post app, Tyler said.
Last month, Navy officials announced plans for a similar program where sailors can use meal entitlements at chain restaurants on base. A pilot program is currently being tested at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington, where sailors can swipe their meal cards at Navy-branded food spots like Bombers Fresh Mex.
