MARCH 3, 2026 – The Army announced March 2 a solicitation to expand the service’s Campus-Style Dining Venue pilot, which aims to move beyond traditional dining halls and provide Soldiers with a flexible dining experience, to six additional locations.
The Army awarded Compass Group USA, Inc., a concession contract Aug. 28, 2025, to establish the first tranche of dining venues at Forts Hood, Carson, Bragg, Drum and Stewart. The first Campus-Style Dining Venue, named 42 Bistro, opened at Fort Hood in February 2026.
A Request for Proposal released on SAM.gov seeks proposals from qualified vendors to design, renovate and operate one of these dining spaces at Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Irwin, California; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Riley, Kansas; and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
“We were not getting it right, and we heard the Soldier feedback,” said Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, Army Materiel Command commanding general. “The team has been working diligently to meet Soldiers where they are with additional food options to give that whole-of-enterprise approach to the way that we feed soldiers.”
These new facilities will provide the installations, and Soldiers residing in unaccompanied housing at those installations, more convenient, affordable and healthy dining options. The pilot will leverage the experience of industry experts to operate a dining venue on each installation that provides more options with better service, ambiance and hours. The contract includes a five-year base period with five one-year extension options.
Under the CSDV model, contractors will manage the venue and provide the food, similar to a commercial restaurant, being paid only for the meals served to Soldiers. Other customers, including other Soldiers not on a meal card, military dependents, veterans, Army civilians and contractors, will pay for their own meals.
The Campus-Style Dining Venue pilot is part of a larger effort to expand food options for Soldiers, including the Flexible Eating and Expanded Dining (FEED) initiative, meal prep programs, grab-and-go options, kiosks, food trucks and Victory Fresh. These options are designed to supplement traditional dining facilities, ease the burden on the Army’s culinary specialists, and meet Soldier preferences.
As the Army continues to transform, modernizing the Army Food Program is critical.
“When young men and women join the Army, there is an expectation to their families that we’re going to treat them well and we’re going to look after them,” Mohan said. “This is a critical part of it. We owe it to our Soldiers and their families to get this right.”
Story by Samantha Tyler
U.S. Army Materiel Command