JANUARY 15, 2026 — Stack Ivy Warrior Restaurant closed its doors Dec. 8, 2025, for renovations in preparation for Army’s Campus-Style Dining Venture (CSDV) pilot which will provide Soldiers with a more flexible eating schedule and healthier food options.
“Campus-Style Dining is an initiative to provide warfighters the healthiest meal options possible in an environment that’s different than any other Ivy Warrior Restaurant,” said Sgt. Maj. Kevin Rainey, Fort Carson food program manager.
The initiative aims to solve common issues with the Soldier dining experience after the Army surveyed Soldiers regarding the quality of meals and service at dining facilities.
“Based on survey findings, leadership took feedback and decided to implement changes,” Rainey said.
Under the initiative the facility will be run by the contractor, Compass Group, instead of military personnel. Army culinary specialists will return to their units and continue training for large-scale combat operations.
“(The contractor) will bring in their own team of chefs and will be operating the building full-time,” Rainey said. “Their designated hours of operation will be outside the scope of a normal dining facility.”
Master Sgt. Brandon Lamb, senior culinary management NCO with the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, said a contractor-operated facility benefits the Soldier.
“Before, if you missed lunch you weren’t eating until 5 p.m.,” Lamb said. “Now Soldiers won’t miss a meal because they were in the field training.”
The new restaurant will remain open throughout the day, similar to a food court, as opposed to having set breakfast, lunch and dinner hours commonly found at on-post dining facilities.
In addition to expanded hours of operation, the initiative brings in culinary experts. Rainey said Soldiers can expect a wider variety of nutritious food options.
“The CSDV will bring in experienced chefs who have mastered the art of providing better quality meals,” he said. Some physical changes Soldiers will see upon the building’s reopening are seating with expanded social spaces and improved lighting.
Rainey said the initiative is an investment in the fighting force.
“Bringing in trained chefs and renovating the building will improve not only the quality of life, but the lethality and fitness of the Soldiers,” he said.
Spc. Jack Fogelberg, 1st Battalion, 68th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd ABCT, currently eats at Wolf Ivy Warrior Restaurant while Stack, the dining facility closest to his unit, undergoes renovations.
“I’m excited about the restaurant having more flexible hours,” said Fogelberg. “If I want to work out after work and they (usually) closed by 6:30 p.m., but now they’re open until 8 p.m. for example, I’ll have more time to get food. With extended hours, you’re able to be more flexible with the time you choose to eat.”
Before it’s closure, Stack Ivy Warrior Restaurant served about 800 Soldiers daily between breakfast, lunch and dinner. The facility will reopen in spring 2026.
For updates on the opening and hours of operation, download the free My Army Post App.
Story by Brea DuBose
Fort Carson Public Affairs Office