Yokota restaurant in step with transformation Published Sept. 8, 2009 By Daniel Elkins Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- The grand opening of a Chili's restaurant Aug. 14 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, is another step in the sustained efforts by Air Force leaders to care for their people by improving quality of life. Several hundred Airmen, their families and civic leaders from the Yokota AB community took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the multimillion dollar restaurant, operated exclusively by the 374th Force Support Squadron's community services flight. "This facility is the culmination of nearly seven years (and) $5 million of planning, coordinating training and construction, and the result of numerous individuals and agencies from our host nation as well as our U.S. counterparts," said Louis Van De Mark, the 374th FSS director. Yokota AB's latest signature restaurant in the name brand casual dining arena is strategically located adjacent to the base military community center and the Yokota AB Airman and Family Readiness Center. It is one of several quality-of-life initiatives by the Air Force to provide Airmen the best possible support through a range of facilities, programs, housing and morale-enhancing activities. The Chili's restaurant at Yokota AB is the fifth to open across the Air Force and creates more than 75 new jobs for the community. Other Chili's restaurants are located at Kadena AB, Japan, Ramstein AB, Germany, and Osan AB, South Korea. An additional Chili's Too also opened at Kadena AB. The new restaurant also provided officials from the Air Force Service Agency near Randolph Air Force Base an opportunity to train and develop its people. Members from the agency's food and beverage division provided information technology and operational support throughout the development of the project to include assisting with the grand opening. As the acting community services flight chief at Yokota AB, Tony Cala praised the partnership between Yokota AB Airmen and all the parties involved over the "many long weeks filled with energetic training." He lauded the direct support of the Air Force Services Agency, which is responsible for research and development of branded concepts within the force support community, and a large training team from the Brinker International, owner of the Chili's franchise. Initiatives by the Air Force Services Agency to bring better food and beverage operations and variety to Airmen and their families extend beyond the addition of branded restaurants. In an effort to better serve Air Force communities and improve Airmen's quality of life, the Air Force Services community identified in January 2007 the transformation of food operations as its highest priority initiative. The concept calls for transforming traditional dining facilities and nonappropriated fund food and beverage operations in the coming years by benchmarking industry best practices. Called Food Transformation, Services officials said the initiative will provide improved efficiency of facilities and manpower by integrating those services into a hybrid military and civilian operation that preserves training to meet deployed skill competencies.