Fort Carson’s privately run dining facility to open this week

Compass Group USA has begun serving meals at the Stack House Bistro at Fort Carson, Colo., and will officially open the privately run dining facility on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (U.S. Army)

When the Army’s first privately run dining facility opened two months ago at Fort Hood, Texas, the lines got long.

There weren’t enough ordering stations. Plus, there was a bit of initial confusion around how the lines functioned and a slow checkout process as soldiers learned about “freedom dollars” and the need to load a special code on their military ID card in advance, according to the Army and Compass Group, the company behind 42 Bistro.

Regardless of the early hiccups, 42 Bistro has been popular among those junior enlisted it is focused on feeding. About 43% of all soldiers with meal card entitlements have tried it at least once, according to Army Materiel Command.

Averaging nearly 2,100 meals each day, 42 Bistro is serving more than double the meals the Army-run dining facility once housed in its building served during the same time frame last year, according to Materiel Command.

Officials said they are trying to mitigate having the same problems when a second privately run dining facility opens Wednesday at Fort Carson, Colo. It has already started some operations during a soft opening.

“We learned a lot from 42 Bistro that will help us deliver a more efficient launch at future sites,” Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, commander of Army Materiel Command, said in a statement.

Fort Carson’s Stack House Bistro will mirror its Texas predecessor in many ways, offering longer hours than a traditional dining facility, locally sourced ingredients, a specialty coffee bar and smoothies. Serving stations at each location have similar names and food offerings.

There are local touches to recognize the units and history of each location. While 42 Bistro uses blue Le Creuset serving dishes to match the III Corps unit logo, Stack House will use green dishes to honor the patch of the 4th Infantry Division, also known as the Ivy Division.

To get soldiers at Fort Carson ready for the new facility, units have begun to ensure that all soldiers who live in the barracks and are eligible for meal card entitlements have a special code on their military ID cards that will allow them to pay using “freedom dollars.” This is the name Compass Group gave the $39 each barracks soldier can spend each day in dining facilities.

Soldiers without the code were not turned away at Fort Hood; it just slowed down checkout lines for the first month. About 83% of eligible soldiers at Fort Carson have updated ID cards, according to Materiel Command.

The base has also begun social media campaigns with videos explaining “freedom dollars” and showing the ordering and payment process within Stack House, since it is slightly different than that of a traditional dining facility.

To start with a better flow of service, Fort Carson will open with eight computer stations for ordering, Materiel Command said. Fort Hood began with five and then added more in response to congestion.

“What has been most meaningful is hearing directly from soldiers about how they are using the campus-style dining venue in ways that work best for their individual schedules and needs, along with how they make the best use of their meal entitlements,” Donna Turner, Compass Group vice president of government engagement and sales and project lead for the Army bistros, said in a statement.

Compass Group will open locations later this year at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Stewart, Ga.; and Fort Drum, N.Y.