The U.S. Army is aiming to open new dining facilities—those similar to college dining halls—at posts in five U.S. states next year, with a goal to provide nutritious, tasty, appealing food for soldiers and their families.

Troops stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Carson, Colorado; and Fort Drum, New York, could see “soft openings” of the Campus-Style Dining Venues, or CSDV, during the first six months of 2026, according to Army officials speaking Oct. 13 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C.

The pilot evolved as the Army has struggled with feeding its soldiers in some locations. Media reports in 2023 found only two of 10 dining facilities at Fort Cavazos, now Fort Hood, were open that summer, and three were operating during limited hours, which impacted service members. In 2024, soldiers at Fort Carson experienced food quality issues and shortages.

The new facilities will not replace traditional dining halls, according to Army leaders, but will explore new approaches to feeding service members by allowing flexibility in menu planning and substitution, input from businesses experienced in running top-quality dining halls and feedback from soldiers.

“We're really trying to expand the ecosystem of food options on our installations, from kiosks to food trucks to bistros and now, campus-style dining,” said Maj. Gen. Gavin Lawrence, director of operations for Army Materiel Command.

The concept is to have “food court-type environments” where soldiers can select from different serving stations—traditional meals, ethnic foods, made-to-order omelets—and swipe for their meals using their Common Access Cards.

Of top concern for the service is collecting data and feedback to ensure that the initiative, which will be run by private companies, upholds standards, and service members have access to nutritious, enticing foods that contribute to overall health.

Given the issues that the Pentagon has previously had with privatized initiatives, including housing and permanent change-of-station moving contracts, it’s understandable that there is concern about the CSDV program, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer said.

But, Weimer said, soldiers will be able—and will be encouraged—to provide instant feedback, while the Army plans to collect data that looks at overall health across the installations as well as satisfaction with the program.

“These five pilots … they're going to be getting plenty of oversight, and there's going to be plenty of feedback,” Weimer said. “We have responsibility in this relationship, and so I think you'll see us be incredibly active in the way forward.”

The solicitation for the contracts included requirements that the contractors run the facilities and cover renovation costs. They also could be allowed to sell upscale food items and even alcoholic beverages, with a mandate to share profits with the Army.

But Sydney Smith, director of supply policy and programs in the office of the deputy Army chief of staff for logistics, G-4, said that some of those allowances—especially regarding booze—will require buy-in from the installation commander.

“Just like any other [Morale, Welfare and Recreation] restaurant on any installation, it’s the senior commander's decision on how that's utilized,” Smith said.

Meanwhile, Army leaders are excited to see how the pilot is received and its impact on service members. The program is just one part of the service’s journey “on holistic health and fitness,” Weimer said.

“We’re trying to change the culture of fitness of the United States Army,” Weimer said. “I am curious to be able to see what installations have the highest Holistic Health and Fitness programs, and then to be able to see the output on the back end, to see how soldiers are choosing on the menus. So, it'll be neat to see that coming up in the future.”

— Patricia Kime for AUSA