Sodexo transforms military dining with new service – Image from Sodexo
To mark Armed Forces Week (20-25 June) Sodexo is opening a new dining facility, JRD by Kitchen Works Co, at the Army Training Regiment in Winchester.
Developed to meet the changing needs of service personnel, the service delivers a modern value-for-money mess solution.
Junior Ranks Dining (JRD) by Kitchen Works Co., includes Sodexo’s recently launched Mindful Active educational tool and was created as part of the Army EATS programme, which is designed on four pillars: fuel, focus, perform and restore – providing nutritional information, wellbeing signposting, recipes and cooking advice. It aims to:
- Encourage service personnel to eat more nutritionally balanced meals on base.
- Provide easy access to a choice of nutritionally balanced meals at convenient times.
- Encourage service personnel to get the most out of their time on base, socialising outside of their accommodation.
- Ensure service personnel are generally more satisfied with the food and services provided.
Sodexo commissioned research into the ‘lived experience’ of armed forces personnel, giving a clearer insight into what service personnel want and how they want it delivered. Sodexo’s Kitchen Works Co. was initially developed for the corporate environment and takes its inspiration from modern quick-service restaurants with a home-from-home feel.
JRD by Kitchen Works Co. provides a mix of familiar dishes along with more seasonal and global choices, delivered as plated meals as well as grab-and-go options in a relaxing environment. Fresh ingredients are used to create healthy, balanced, tasty food through a wide-ranging menu.
Paul Anstey, CEO Government, Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “This launch represents our commitment to meeting the dining needs of the modern military, delivered in partnership with the Army and DIO. It’s fantastic to see our vision brought to life in this vibrant new environment, and to know that we are contributing to the wellbeing - and ultimately the operational capability - of our armed forces.”
WO1 (SSM) Colin Sinclair, HQ Regional Command, added: “Army EATS is about recognising the customer’s needs… and that they may not want three meals a day or any kind of restrictive menu; they want a more welcoming environment with modern technology and a menu that responds to their needs.
“By addressing timings, technology, the offer and the environment in which our customers dine, we know that we can have a positive impact on the wellbeing and ultimately retention of our service personnel. ”
