An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

380AEW Article

Deployed bid farewell to last CDK in AOR

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Christopher A. Campbell
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  A new facility will be replacing Roy's Diner in the near future, but for those who frequented the small cafe-style dining facility, it will not be forgotten.

Roy's has provided food to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing's flightline personnel for over four years. It is the last Containerized Deployment Kitchen being utilized in the Area of Responsibility.

A CDK typically provides an expedited kitchen and eating facility for bare-base operations.

Master Sgt. Robert Keyes, noncomissioned officer in charge of Roy's Diner, stated, "You can literally have this thing up and running in five hours serving people." The 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron NCO further explained how the diner is employed, "Set it down, open it up; it expands to serve up to 1,100 people."

Roy's will be broken down and sent to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to train force support squadron members about deployed work environments. CDKs are no longer being made, so Roy's will still be a valuable asset with the different parts that can be used in the future. They still have some CDKs in the inventory for bare-base operations, so it's still important to provide the training.

"After four years of 24-hour operations, Roy's is not really suitable to be set up and used again; but a lot of the parts are no longer made so they're going to ship them to Tyndall as spare parts for Silver Flag training." Sergeant Keyes said.

CDKs will still be used in the future until a newer version of the Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen is standardized. The CDKs primary function is to hit the ground running with meals. Since bare-base operations are still a vital part of Air Force deployments, expeditionary kitchens are the primary dining options for those bases.

These units are powered completely by electricity. Sergeant Keyes explained, "It is a step up from the Mobile Kitchen Trailer, which is what they used before. It used gas; it was dangerous and messy."

The new facility, scheduled to open before January, will be able to facilitate more options in dining. Roy's is more of a heat-and-serve DFAC while the newer facility will have the capability of creating meals from scratch.

Sergeant Keyes said "It will be a fully functional kitchen, six ovens, five grills, large cauldrons ..."
The new DFAC will provide a wider variety of choices for flightline personnel as opposed to Roy's limited menu. The facility will also have a larger staff - nearly double - and with that be able to serve more people. Roy's employs eight workers serving 1,000 hungry customers.

Though Roy's will be gone, it will not be forgotten, according to Sergeant Keyes. A few of the commanders would like to take a wall out of Roy's and place it in the new facility.

Sergeant Keyes reflected on what people might miss about Roy's, "There is a bit of charm to the place. You feel like you are deployed when you come in here to eat, but it's as comfortable as you can get. If you like camping, you'll like this place."

"The thing I will miss most is the Sunday-night steak cookouts. They cooked (the steaks) just right, not well done and tasting like the bottom of a boot." The noncommissioned officer in charge of antiterrorism looked forward to his Sunday visit. "I loved going out there to get a great steak dinner once a week." Master Sgt. Johnny Russell a frequent customer at Roy's, said.

The new dining facility will be behind Fire Station 1 and will also be called Roy's.