Applebee's Sends American 'Flavor' to Baghdad

    Business Editors

    BAGHDAD, Iraq--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2005--With the handy work of some 1st Cavalry Division mechanics and help from an American restaurant chain, the dining facility on Forward Operating Base Union I took on a whole new look.
    Its once lackluster and barren walls are now festooned with an assortment of antiques, collectables and memorabilia donated by the restaurant chain Applebee's International, Inc. in Overland Park, Kan.
    When the facility was constructed last May, 1st Sgt. Keith Mayberry from Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team and assistant mayor of the FOB, decided to come up with a special way to decorate the building's interior.
    "I didn't want it to look like an Army place," the Colorado Springs, Colo. native said. "I wanted it to look like a restaurant that everybody goes to -- a place to relax,"
    So, Mayberry went to work contacting numerous restaurant franchises in the United States hoping that at least one would be willing to donate anything they could to help liven up the scenery inside the building.
    After months of contacting one franchise after another he finally received an answer from Applebee's.
    "I got the best response from Applebee's," Mayberry said. "So I stuck with them."
    The people at Applebee's were so thrilled with the idea they sent five large boxes containing decorative artifacts that are commonly seen hanging in their restaurants throughout the United States.
    "I was so excited that 1st Sgt. Mayberry requested Applebee's memorabilia for the dining hall," said Jenny Truman, charities coordinator for Applebee's International, Inc. "I hope these items help the Soldiers feel like they're at home. We are so proud of the work they are doing."
    When the boxes arrived in late November Mayberry drew out the plans for the interior makeover that included adding new walls, a serving line, condiment bars and some booths. Unfortunately, due to a supply issue, the booths had to be put on hold.
    "The booths would have been nice," Mayberry said, "but I guess we can live without them."
    Mayberry gave his plans to a group of mechanics with Company D, 215th Forward Support Battalion, attached to brigade the headquarters, and turned them loose. Working five to six hours a night they completed the transformation in a little less than two weeks.
    "Building it was a nice change from what we normally do," said Noe Gonzalez of Corpus Christi, Texas. "It was a chance to be creative and we had a lot of fun doing it."
    The memorabilia Applebee's donated, which included celebrity photographs, vinyl records and sporting equipment, came from two restaurants the company had just remodeled, one in Rolla, Mo. and the other in Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
    Applebee's International interior design supervisor, Debbie Hudson, explained that this donation was a very important project for them.
    "Although we are known as 'America's Favorite Neighbor,' we don't want to limit our commitment to just our local neighborhoods - everyone serving in Iraq is one of our neighbors, too," she said.
    Hudson added that Applebee's International is proud of the commitment United States servicemen and women are making.
    "I think it is really exciting to have the opportunity to send a little bit of home out our troops in Iraq. It is such a small token compared to what they are sacrificing," she said. "If our artifacts for the mess hall make just one of their days a little brighter and bring a smile to their face, then every minute we spent putting it together was worth it."
    She went on to say that they tried to send several large posters but postal size restrictions wouldn't allow them.
    Once the construction was finished and the decorations hung, the brick and stucco building lit up with a new ambiance.
    "It's much better in here now," said Sgt. Chase Catell from Headquarters Company, Division Support Command. "The place is much more relaxing. Before, I thought it was depressing and I usually ate somewhere else."
    Spc. Deanna Mistler, a food service specialist from the 215th FSB who works in the facility, echoed Catell's sentiments.
    "It's a lot cozier now," she said. "It's not like a prison anymore and people can come here and enjoy themselves."
    Several soldiers who eat at the dining facility commented that the place almost looks like a restaurant now.
    "We've been getting a lot of admirers," said Spc. Ariana Vargas, from Los Angeles, Calf., food service specialist. "I think it's awesome! It looks much better and I like it a lot."
    "People come in here and they like the changes and they really appreciate it," added Mistler, a resident of Clairborne County, Tenn. "I just wish they would have done this a long time ago. It's making the time go by a lot smoother and it's just more relaxed."
    According to Hudson the artifacts Applebee's displays in their restaurants come from hundreds of sources. A number of companies actually go out and acquire them from auctions, flea markets and antique stores.
    The wooden 'Welcome to Applebee's' sign that hangs over the dining facilities service line, she said, was made by a company in South Carolina.
    Mayberry, satisfied with the outcome of the dining facility, said that Applebee's will always have his business because of their generosity.
    "They'll have a lot of the other guy's business, too," he said.
    Although the food served at the small dinning facility is still Army food and can't match the taste of a 'Clubhouse Grill' and a frosty mug of beer, the decorations covering the walls serve as a reminder for many Soldiers of hometown America and the taste of freedom.

    Note to Editors: DIGITAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE.
    Contact: vikki.watson@applebees.com, 913.967.8117

    Cutlines:

    Applebee's sign.jpg

    Spc. Raechel Avallone fights a never-ending battle with dust as she cleans off the welcome to Applebee's sign displayed over the facility's serving line. Applebee's International Inc. in Overland Park, Kan., donated five large boxes of antiques, collectables and memorabilia to help decorate the camp's dining hall. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Queen, 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs)

    Vargas bat.jpg

    Part of the memorabilia sent by Applebee's International, Inc. was various pieces of sporting equipment. Here, Spc. Ariana Vargas places a baseball bat back on its holder in the 'sports section' of the dining facility. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Queen, 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs)

    Swayze dust.jpg

    With a grin on her face Spc. Raechel Avallone, an intelligence analyst from St. Petersburg, Fla. assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, dusts off a picture of actor Patrick Swayze as she helps clean the dining facility before lunch. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Queen, 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs)

    Mistler prep.jpg

    Spc. Deanna Mistler, a food services specialist with 215th Forward Support Battalion, prepares the salad serving line before lunch at the dining facility on Forward Operating Base Union I. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Queen, 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs)

    Chowhall.jpg

    The dining facility in Baghdad near midnight on New Year's Eve.

--30--DJM/dx*

CONTACT: First Cavalry Division Public Affairs Office Camp Liberty Baghdad, Iraq APO AE 09344 011-964-790-192-4073 or Applebee's Vikki Watson, 913-967-8117 vikki.watson@applebees.com

KEYWORD: KANSAS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ADVERTISING/MARKETING RESTAURANTS FOODS/BEVERAGES RETAIL SOURCE: Applebee's

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