Worth the wait

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. James R. Wilson
  • 919th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
DUKE FIELD, Fla. --  A popular local eatery will once again offer its coveted home style meals to employees at Duke Field who want a convenient place to dine without having to leave the installation.

Desi’s Downtown Restaurant will operate a satellite location at Duke Field serving buffet-style hot lunches as well a variety of short order menu items.

“Desi's will bring back real hot food to the installation after a long hiatus,” said Mr. Kevin Smith, 919th Special Operations Wing services business manager. “They have a long standing restaurant on Main Street in nearby Crestview (Florida), with traditional American-style menu.”

The restaurant opened a location here in 2005. However, the restaurant closed a year later citing a change in the number of base employees as a contributing factor in fluctuating sales. Since then, Duke has increased its mission set and added new employees to fill ongoing requirements for Air Force Special Operations Command.

“For the last few years, we have been approached about reopening at Duke but the timing was not right,” Mr. Tim English, manager for Desi’s location in Crestview. “We believe this is a great opportunity at this time. We are committing long term to this endeavor, believing great food and service that you get at our Crestview location will be the same at Duke Field.

A (one trip) buffet-style lunch is available for $8 which will include a drink. Customers can also purchase a plate to go for $4 a pound which can include meats, veggies, desserts or food from the salad bar.
Those who desire a local flair can order the “Duke” Angus burger or other items off the grill, such as a Philly cheese steak sandwich, classic Reuben sandwich or a buffalo wing basket.

Desi’s will operate out of the facility commonly known as the Outpost providing an indoor dining environment with several televisions to keep members up to date on the latest news, weather, sports, etc. The base recently upgraded the exhaust hood duct work and ventilation system in preparation for the new concessionaire.

“We have served the local community since May of 2000,” said English. “The local bases have always been a great supporter of Desi's. Being born and raised in Crestview, the Department of Defense is part of the English's life. We are proud and honored to serve our military.”

Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 4:30 – 6 p.m. for the dinner meal on Saturdays for the monthly drill weekend.