ROCK ISLAND ARSNENAL, Ill. – It is said that an Army marches on its stomach. Plentiful and healthy food is vital for Soldiers’ success in battle. Nowhere is this more important than at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where 4,400 cadets are training to lead tomorrow’s Army.

Meals at West Point are managed by the Logistics Readiness Center-West Point, which feeds the students three times a day, providing more than 13,000 meals daily. This operation is supported by nearly 200 Department of the Army Civilians, contractors and two Soldiers. LRC-WP is part of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, which ensures that Soldiers have everything they need, when they need it, and where they need it, including at home station.

Unlike most Army dining facilities that serve meals over a 90-minute period, West Point mealtimes are condensed into 25 minutes because the cadets have extremely regimented schedules that include classes, military training, athletics and leadership development.

“Feeding the cadets is a challenge,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jason Page, LRC-WP food service division chief. Planning for meals is done days and weeks in advance, and the cooks begin preparing the day’s meals at 3:30 a.m.

Page works with Rodrequis Ward, the head chef, to ensure they come up with options that meet West Point’s dietary guideline standards as well as the desires of the cadets.

“We operate off of a four-week rotating menu for all meals,” said Page, who added that meals are updated and changed at the end of each semester.

However, if a menu option is not well received it is removed from the menu and replaced with something else.

“Cooking for large amounts of people can generate a lot of waste,” said Ward. To mitigate this, Ward said it’s important to know your audience. “I had put pork chops on the menu a few times, but most weren’t being eaten, so I took them off.”

While pork chops aren’t very popular, spicy chicken sandwiches, all types of pasta and one specific type of fish are in great demand.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of pasta it is,” said Ward. “They love pasta. I have tried to order Chilean sea bass or cod, but the only (fish) that resonates with (the cadets) is the salmon.”

“You can tell when a menu item is popular,” said Page. “The cadets will rush to see if there are any extras available and those will run out within a few minutes.”

Menus include a variety of meats as well as a vegan option. There is also a salad bar that the cadets can utilize.

“We try to offer the cadets as much variety as possible,” said Page. “They rely on our meals to provide them with the energy they need to stay alert in class and stay active throughout the day.”

There are two types of meals at West Point; mandatory meals, which the entire Corps must attend, and optional meals. Mandatory meals are breakfast and lunch during the week, as well as Thursday dinner.

All meals are eaten at Washington Hall, the 68,000 square-foot dining room. The entire Corps can be fed at the same time, making meals a highly efficient and organized operation.

“(Mandatory) cadet meals are not served buffet or cafeteria style like you would see in regular Army facilities,” said Page. “They are served family style.” This type of dining speeds up the time cadets must wait for their food.

For family-style dining, food is prepared by Page’s staff in the kitchens located below the mess hall. Once it is ready, it is portioned into servings and put into large warmers which are staged around the dining facility to wait for the cadets to enter.

“Time management is important,” said Ward. “Especially for breakfast and lunch, there is such a tight window to prepare and serve the food.” To speed up the process, the food is portioned into servings and placed on warming carts that are then pre-positioned around the dining room.

The cadets have assigned seats at Washington Hall, and 10 minutes of the meal period is allotted to entering and leaving the facility. Once the cadets are given the command to take seats, Page’s staff springs into action.

“Each waiter has 10 tables they support,” said Page. Page said his staff has six minutes to get the food from the carts onto the tables. Once the cart is brought to the tables waiters will move the food from the warmers to the table. Once this is done the cadets begin serving themselves and eating. They have about 10-15 minutes to eat, before moving on to their next activity.

“We use the family-style serving system out of necessity,” said Page. “It would be impossible to feed all 4,400 cadets during the extremely short window they have for breakfast and lunch if we served a buffet-style meal.”

Non-mandatory meals are served buffet style. During weekday evenings Washington Hall is open from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 5:30 to 7 p.m., where the cadets can come in at any time and get food.

The team also runs a grab and go facility with healthy snacks and beverages in the basement of Washington Hall for cadets desiring a between class snack.

“(The grab and go) is like a rehydration station,” said Ward. “We have protein bars, fresh fruit and vegetables for the cadets, as well as milk.” While the options lean towards healthy, Ward also understands that the cadets are still college students. “I’ve talked to them, and sometimes they just want chips, so I make sure they are available as well.”

Regardless on how the cadets are fed, the staff at LRC-WP works tirelessly to ensure they’re well-nourished and ready for whatever the day brings.

“Much like elsewhere in the Army, food definitely has an impact on morale,” said Page. “It’s rewarding to know that we are playing such a pivotal role in fueling the cadet’s success.”