AAFES Opens Burger King, Pizza Hut for Troops in Tikrit September 24, 2004


DALLAS, Texas - Just days after opening Iraq's first Subway restaurant, Camp Speicher's Commanding General Brig. Gen. Stephen Mundt and soldiers of the 216th Engineers cut the ribbon to open the Army and Air Force Exchange Service's newest Burger King and Pizza Hut restaurants.

The Subway, Burger King and Pizza Hut are co-located to create a food court for troops in Tikrit.

"The response to the Subway was overwhelming," said AAFES Vice President of Food and Theater Richard Sheff. "The modest sandwich trailer generated more than $10,000 in sales in just its first two days of operation. Numbers like that reinforce to AAFES the troops' desire for name brand fast food wherever they are called to serve."

Both the Burger King and Pizza Hut have also been well received with combined opening day sales of more than $8,000. Take a seat at the food court at Camp Speicher and you'll quickly see how a cheeseburger, turkey sandwich or pepperoni pizza can quickly provide a needed morale boost to troops subject to conditions that are often harsh and austere. Military personnel visiting the AAFES food court smile and laugh as they taste a bit of home and relax over familiar meals with friends and co-workers.

The opening of the BK and Pizza Hut restaurants brings the total number of AAFES name brand fast food operations in Iraq to eight with four Burger Kings, three Pizza Huts and one Subway. The BK, Pizza Hut and Subway at Camp Speicher are the first three name brand fast food concepts of the 19 that have been approved for immediate development in Iraq. AAFES plans to open more than 50 name brand fast food facilities over the course of the next twelve months in Operation Iraqi Freedom.