Dining facility operator serves up Golden Plate Published Feb. 10, 2006 By Mara Minwegen 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFMCNS) -- The owner of Vick’s Vittles, the contract company that operates the Thunderbird Inn Dining Facility here, is well known for the operation that has brought home two Hennessy foodservice awards for the best dining facility in the Air Force. In order to win the Hennessy, a dining facility must first compete and win at the major command level. In the Thunderbird’s case, the facility won the Golden Plate award from Air Force Materiel Command. The criteria for the award are based on every phase of food service from the planning through the presentation of the meals. Every inch of the kitchen is inspected for cleanliness, proper equipment usage and safety. When a facility wins this award, it means that there is a vision of excellence and a team to carry it out. But Robert Vick, the owner, doesn’t attribute the success of this or any other project to his individual effort alone. When he was 19 years old, Mr. Vick was studying to be an architect and working at a grocery store. He was assaulted while on the loading dock. The blow to the back of his head with a lead pipe blinded him. Another blow fell when injuries from a car accident forced him to give up the career as a natural therapy specialist that he had pursued after he was blinded. He overcame both setbacks to return to the business he knew from childhood, when his parents ran a hotel and restaurant business. “When you’re blind, you’re always trying to prove that you can succeed in society,” Mr. Vick said. He gives credit for many of his early accomplishments to the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, which encourages blind individuals with an entrepreneurial bent to develop businesses. When it comes to the Thunderbird Inn Dining Facility, he said that it’s all about the team. “Everyone helps me do this, it’s the entire team. They’re the ones who make it work,” Mr. Vick said. And it does work, according to anyone who has eaten at the Thunderbird Inn Dining Facility. Vick’s Vittles took over the dining facility in February 2002. Since then, it has gone from an ordinary military chow hall to the award winning Thunderbird Inn Dining Facility. More importantly, it’s a place where Airmen can enjoy an excellent meal in a pleasant atmosphere, he said. Once again, Mr. Vick gives credit for success to someone else. Tech. Sgt. Montrealle Parker of the 377th Services Squadron, shared her military food service experience, and he shared his commercial experience. Together they looked for innovative ideas to improve the dining facility. “She taught me that it’s all about the troops,” he said. The daily operation of the Thunderbird Inn Dining Facility is a combination of efficiency and good spirits. Everything from the dining room to the storage room is maintained on a schedule. The dining area and the food lines are spotlessly clean. The food is beautifully presented as well as famous for its quality. Everyone strives to do his or her job in the best possible way. Belonging to a team that has won the Air Force’s highest food service award is part of what keeps the operation running so smoothly. “The dishwasher isn’t just a dishwasher. They’re a dishwasher in the finest food service operation in the world. They love being involved in a place that’s the best,” Mr. Vick said of his staff. 31 of the 50 to 52 employees have disabilities in varying degrees. Some are just now learning English. They all work together in a seamless performance. “Everything we do here is about training,” Mr. Vick said. Every single position has been broken down into separate tasks, and each task analyzed, step by step. That analysis led to the creation of training materials. Most of the manuals are in English and Spanish, and they’re working on Korean. The manuals include pictures for those with reading difficulty, he said. Every piece of equipment, every stage in the food line, is labeled with instructions and reminders, clearly stated in print and pictures. Training videos run above the hand washing sinks and the time clock. Every worker is cross trained. An employee can be an expert in his own job, but have a working knowledge of other jobs so that there is never a break in the smooth running of the operation. Continuous training and maintenance, and emphasis on customer service all sound like a lot of work, but morale couldn’t be higher at the Thunderbird Inn Dining Facility. Lots of that can be attributed to Mr. Vick’s participation. “I’m here. I cook, I clean, I fix equipment, I get my hand in the drain, and I weld. I do everything they do,” he said. Motivation also comes in the form of tangible reward. The pay is good. The cooks win high quality knives in friendly competition, everyone gets jackets with the awards on the sleeves, and there is an achievement award program with five levels and various rewards, he said. More importantly, there’s a feeling of family in this kitchen. Pride, compassion, and hard work are a powerful combination. You can see them at work every day at the Thunderbird Inn Dining Facility.