New Military Dining Offer Launched By Sodexo As Part of Army EATS Programme
To mark Armed Forces Week 2022 Sodexo has announced the opening of a new dining facility at the Army Training Regiment in Winchester with a brand new offer, JRD by Kitchen Works Co. Specifically developed to improve the lived experience and meet the changing needs of service personnel the new offer delivers a modern, high-quality, attractive and value-for-money mess solution and aligned to the Army EATS programme.
Junior Ranks Dining (JRD) by Kitchen Works Co. includes Sodexo’s recently launched Mindful Active educational tool and has been developed as part of the pioneering Army EATS programme, which aims to:
- Encourage service personnel to eat more nutritionally balanced meals on base
- Provide easy access to a choice of nutritionally balanced meals at convenient times
- Encourage service personnel to get the most out of their time on base, socialising outside of their accommodation
- Ensure service personnel are generally more satisfied with the food and services provided
As part of the development of this new food offer Sodexo commissioned bespoke research into the Lived Experience of armed forces personnel, giving a deeper insight into what service personnel want and how they want it delivered on-site.
Sodexo’s Kitchen Works Co. was initially developed for the corporate environment and takes its inspiration from modern quick service restaurants with a home-from-home feel.
Using its Lived Experience insight Sodexo has taken Kitchen Works Co. and adapted it to respond to the needs of the modern military.
JRD by Kitchen Works Co. provides a mix of familiar favourites with more aspirational dishes offering seasonal and global flavours, delivered as plated meals as well as grab-and-go options all in a relaxing environment. Fresh ingredients are used to create healthy, balanced, tasty food through a wide-ranging menu. Meal deals and promotions complement well-balanced, consistently sized portions, which offer great value-for-money.
Mindful Active is a holistic health and wellbeing tool designed on four pillars: fuel, focus, perform and restore which provides nutritional information, wellbeing signposting, recipes and cooking advice.
Paul Anstey, CEO Government, Sodexo UK & Ireland said: “We’re pleased to launch Junior Ranks Dining (JRD) by Kitchen Works Co. This launch represents our commitment to meeting the dining needs of the modern military, delivered in partnership with the Army and DIO. It’s fantastic to see our vision brought to life in this vibrant new environment, and to know that we are contributing to the wellbeing - and ultimately the operational capability - of our armed forces.”
WO1 (SSM) Colin Sinclair, HQ Regional Command said: “Army EATS is about recognising the customer’s needs, recognising how the customer works, and that they may not want three meals a day or any kind of restrictive menu; they want a more welcoming environment with modern technology, and a menu that responds to their needs.
“By addressing timings, technology, the offer and the environment in which our customers dine, we know that we can have a positive impact on the wellbeing and ultimately retention of our service personnel. Investing in facilities like JRD by Kitchen Works Co. is a positive step forward in how we elevate the Lived Experience of our people and show them that we’re investing in them.”
