"The Scoop" on Mitchell Hall
You'll often see us mention, "the basics were at Mitchell Hall eating lunch." Well, that's a good thing since Mitchell Hall is the Dining Facility.
Each year, I put up the blog entry I posted about Mitchell Hall from a few years ago - part of a "WebGuy Nostalgia Thing." I do so again today. However, as a special treat, at the end of my old post, I've placed a link to a neat 6 minute video our Communications team put together about Mitchell Hall called "Food Factor - The Story of Mitchell Hall." Since your sons/daughters will be eating there for the next four years (give or take a delivered pizza), you might find it an interesting story. While you're in the AOG Video collection on our main site, you may find other videos of interest today.
Old Blog
Mitchell Hall has always amazed me. The fact that the staff can serve 4,000 cadets, family-style, in 20 minutes just stuns me.
Some facts about the place:
The dining are covers more than 1.7 acres.
Mitchell Hall under construction, cs. 1958 (Photo: USAFA, Special Collections)
- Three walls of the dining area are glass from floor to ceiling.
- Erecting the roof was a problem when it was constructed. It was so large, that the roof sections had to be welded together on the ground and then the entire thing jacked up to the proper height.
- They serve over 3 million meals a year.
- All cold food items -- bread, salad, beverages, etc. -- are placed on tables and hot carts are positioned by the tables before the cadets arrive. One waiter is assigned to 10 tables, and the cadets receive their hot food within two to three minutes after sitting down.
- A first-class cadet at each table is designated as the "table commandant." A fourth-class cadet seated at the foot of the table pours beverages and passes food.
Circa 1962 (Photo:USAFA, Special Collections)
Ring Dining-Out May 2010 (Photo: WebGuy)
June 24th, 2011 - Executioners (Photo: WebGuy)
Now, check out the cool video!
Click here to see the video Food Factor - The Story of Mitchell Hall