Base lines

03 February 2000 by
Base lines

A new wave of combat chic is at work at the US Air Force's (USAF) base at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. Out goes military tradition, pomp, circumstance and stuffy menus. In comes fun food and entertainment in the form of the Galaxy Club, the USAF's new $9m (£5.6m) club for enlisted airmen, housing three restaurants, a sports bar and a basketball court. And that's just on the ground floor of the airy, two-level complex.

Upstairs, airmen can check out the music in one of two dedicated entertainment lounges, which stay open at weekends until 2am, serving alcohol long after the off-base pubs have closed.

"This operation is here for the military to enjoy in their leisure time. People have fun, they relax, and their morale is higher and their work productivity better," says complex manager Nola Maloney, herself a former USAF recruit.

It's a far cry from the original, one-storey Galaxy, which was in dire need of a facelift. In a dramatic move, its unremarkable restaurant, stuffy banqueting room, lounge and games room were demolished to make way for a car park, and a new Galaxy Club was built.

Partly driving the USAF's decision was the fact the club needed to compete with the outside world. The increase in the number of married airmen, dual-career households and USAF families living outside the base, as well as a swing towards healthier lifestyles, forced a rethink of an institution that had not kept pace with a force raised on computers and MTV.

Unlike the US army, which has closed its clubs after deeming them outdated, the USAF has kept its separate social centres for officers and enlisted personnel. They receive no US taxpayer funds, however, so have to be profitable.

"Force structure, demographics and changing values have definitely had an impact on clubs," says Sue Campbell of the Air Force Services Agency in Texas, which oversees USAF clubs.

The new Galaxy, which opened on 7 October 1999, is seen as being at the vanguard of new USAF clubs. Two of the USAF's six Signature Brand restaurants, each with their own menu and decor, have been installed. They are: Popo Loco's, featuring a Tex-Mex and burger menu; and New York Pizza and Deli (NYPD), serving sandwiches and pizza.

"It's similar to a franchise," explains Maloney. The agency, she says, provides an idea of everything that's needed, "what equipment to buy, what small wares, the types of food - even the companies you buy from. They can even tell you how many staff you're going to need."

Meals cost customers less than at off-base establishments because many ingredients are bought through the tax-free US commissary; others come from the military's prime vendor, Joseph's Foods, at a significant discount.

For example, a large pizza with everything on it at NYPD will cost $13.25 (£8.12), compared with £12.90 off-base at Millennium Pizza in nearby Ely. Chicken fajitas at Popo Loco's cost $6.95 (£4.26), compared with £9.99 at Chili's Bar and Grill in Cambridge. Fajita nachos at the Galaxy cost $5.95 (£3.65), whereas at Chili's, a similar dish costs £7.89.

The Galaxy's third eaterie opened last month. It is not a Signature Brand but features a "core menu" of agency recipes. Maloney expects it to attract a more mature audience than the Galaxy's clientele of 18- to 24-year-olds. She hopes to lure those in search of "a place on Mildenhall they can take their spouse for a nice, ‘It's our anniversary/birthday' type of dinner".

Maloney's staff of about 180 exceeds the former club's workforce by 40. Even so, about 25 more are needed. Staff turnover is high among US workers because they move on frequently, thanks to their spouses or parents transferring jobs. Turnover among British staff, however, is not so high (see below, right).

Not only does Maloney want more staff, but she also wants more patrons. There are 10,000 Americans on the base, and the Galaxy's doors are open to the 5,397 airmen, the 1,045 US civilians working for the US government, as well as the families and British workers on the base.

Airmen and US civilians may become club members for a monthly charge, but membership is not required as non-members can pay a surcharge on their meals, typically $2 at lunch and $3 for dinner. Membership fees contribute less than 10% total revenue.

Officers and their families may eat at the Galaxy's ground-floor restaurants, but can't use the first-floor bars. Instead, they have to use the officers' bar at their own club nearby.

Weekday lunches are busy, with 180-200 customers daily. Weekends bring in about 800 customers every Saturday and Sunday night - about 600 for entertainment, 100 for home-food deliveries and 100 eating in-house - but Galaxy attracts about 120 customers only on a typical weeknight. "I'd like to see about 400 people during lull times," she says.

Maloney's problem is that the club can't compete with local pubs on everything: smoking is prohibited and some of her ideas to bring in customers, such as ladies' and gentlemen's nights or two-for-one drinks, aren't acceptable in today's politically correct airforce, which is trying to promote sexual equality and deglamorise alcohol.

Indeed, the club's rebirth has not been painless. The August 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa and 1999's three-month air war over Kosovo brought tighter security, sharply reducing the number of non-Americans patronising the base.

The situation was made worse by the fact that many airmen were deployed away for the war, meaning long hours for those staying behind and the cancellation of the base's annual air show.

All of this hit Galaxy's revenues dramatically - "to the tune of more than $1m". This was despite costs being slashed by $600,000, Maloney says. "We ended the fiscal year in the black, but there were challenges for everyone on base." n

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