Fort Huachuca’s new and modern Weinstein Village Dining Facility, or DFAC, opened its doors for the grand opening on Jan. 3, replacing the older Yardley and Miss Virginia Hall DFACs.
The building was completed in 2011 after 1.5 years of construction. Due to cost restraints, the 32,000 square-foot facility has been unused, until now. There are currently 85 employees who assist in providing a fine dining experience to the Soldiers.
In order to increase the quality of life and the morale of the Soldiers, the dining space is larger and less cramped, with large windows that allow more natural light. The televisions are tuned to Fort Huachuca’s Commander’s Access Channel 97, Fox News, CNN and ESPN. Command Sgt. Maj. Roger Daigle, garrison command sergeant major, said, “It is more of an environment where Soldiers can feel relaxed while they are eating their meals.”
Available primarily to Soldiers attending advanced individual training and all other military personnel, the DFAC is open Monday – Saturday from 6:30 – 8 a.m., 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 5 – 6:30 p.m. On Sunday, brunch is served from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and dinner from 4 – 6 p.m.
Without a meal card, the cost of breakfast is $2.50, and lunch and dinner is $4.60. On Sunday, brunch is $5.25, and dinner is $6.45.
Electronic menu boards are hung inside, providing the daily menu. Features that may be offered in the future include an online menu and free Wi-Fi in the facility.
Weinstein Village DFAC follows a 35-day menu called the Soldier Fueling Initiative. Food options are offered in the appropriate portion sizes, to include a larger salad bar and omelets made to order. Starbucks coffee and flavored vitamin water is now available as well.
Speaking to the Soldiers enjoying brunch on that day, Maj. Gen. Gregg Potter, commander, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca, explained the importance of the new facility. “With this facility, we can feed 1,350 of you [Soldiers] in 90 minutes, which we couldn’t do in Yardley and Virginia [dining facilities] combined. The other good thing is by closing those two facilities, we are going to save $500,000 a year. Not only do we have a world-class facility for you, but we’re going to save money doing it as well,” he said.
Yardley and Miss Virginia Hall dining facilities will now be repurposed into a Warrior Zone and other morale-enhancing facilities, allowing cost-and-time savings for the Army. “The plan is to transition the old dining facilities. One will become what we call a Warrior Zone, for Soldiers that are in training, where they can go in and watch movies, play games, use the phone center [and] use computers that will be available. The intent is that this facility will be available to the Soldiers during hours that are more convenient for them. …
We will end up moving our Army Substance Abuse Program [to the other facility],” Daigle explained.
There was concern with the distance from some of the schoolhouses and personal living areas to Weinstein Village where the dining facility is located. In order to alleviate that, buses will be provided to transport the Soldiers to and from bus stops that are closer to these locations, directly to the Weinstein Village dining facility. These buses will run during breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Drivers should be more aware of the increased foot and mobile traffic in the Weinstein Village area and use extra caution along the streets surrounding the new bus stops as well. Motorists should use an alternate route other than Hunt Road from 6:30 – 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 4:30 – 6 p.m.
The facility is located off of Hunt Road, in Building 85202. For more information or questions, contact Kendall Brown, Food Program manager, 533.8512 or David Roark, Food Service contract representative, 533.6563.
