Services opens two new KMC dining facilities

Airman Edward Drescher
Kaiserslautern American

The 435th Services Squadron is preparing to open two new dining facilities in the KMC.

The renovated Lindberg Hof Dining Facility on Kapaun is scheduled to open Wednesday.

The renovation to the Lindberg Hof cost an estimated $2.2 million and took almost three years to complete. The facility received new sewers, new walls, a new design, and other special features such as new pastry area and salad bar. Also, the renovation food preparation and storage area were doubled. The seating capacity was expanded and the facility is open to all meal card holders.

“It’s amazing,” said Master Sgt. Dan Jalbert, 435th SVS food services superintendent. “The place is professionally designed and now has state-of-the-art equipment.”

A new flight kitchen located by the passenger terminal on Ramstein is the second facility opening. The flight kitchen is co-located with 435th Logistics Readiness Squadron Fleet Management in Bldg. 3332. Fleet management is responsible for servicing and cleaning planes but also must bring flight meals out to the crews and planes.

The current location of the Jawbone Flight Kitchen calls for fleet management to drive to the opposite side of the flight line, pick up the meals, drive back and then drive out and distribute the meals to crews. The new co-located building will allow fleet management to go right upstairs, grab the meals and distribute them, said Sergeant Jalbert.

The new flight kitchen is scheduled to open June 3 and has been in the works for almost three years. The whole building including fleet management was a $4.2 million project.

The new kitchen, on top of serving ground support meals, flight meals and box meals, also serves as an eat-in or carry-out facility for flight crews or people with line badges. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serves a variety of things such as breakfast sandwiches and chicken sandwiches. The flight kitchen also provides ground support meals for those who work nights and other late hours.

“With the Rhein-Main Air Base closure, the kitchen is expecting close to 1,000 ground support meals per day. This building gives us the capability to complete the mission,” said Sergeant Jalbert.

The main goal of the new kitchen is to take some pressure off the Rheinland Inn Dining Facility and give flightline workers more time to eat.

“The new facilities are amazing, they have a great design, great equipment and will be very beneficial,” said Siegmund Steiner, 435th SVS quality standardization inspector, who was been involved since the beginning of both projects.