The Exchange at 125: Who Remembers the ‘AAFES Burger?’

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The Exchange Post
In 1984, Burger King became the first name-brand burger restaurant to join the AAFES family, opening 185 BKs throughout the world on Army and Air Force installations.

The Exchange’s foray into name-brand restaurants came in 1977 when Baskin-Robbins opened its famous ice-cream shop at Edwards AFB, Calif.

In 1984, Burger King became the first name-brand burger restaurant to join the AAFES family, opening 185 BKs throughout the world on Army and Air Force installations. The first one was at Ansbach, Germany. Other well-known restaurant companies joined the Exchange lineup.

Even as brand names were joining the family, the Exchange sought to meet customer demands for hamburgers. In 1981, the Exchange’s first Run-in Chef restaurant opened at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

The Exchange-exclusive restaurant introduced the “AAFES burger,” which flopped.

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Comments

  1. Donny Avatar
    Donny

    definitely remember the Run In Chef food truck stopping at the base pool when I was a dependent at Altus in the early 70’s

    Reply
  2. Gerald Olson Avatar
    Gerald Olson

    I was the Main Store Manager at Fort Jackson, SC, arriving in 1976, and we had a Baskin Robbins in the mall at that time and I believe that was the 1st franchised AAFES facility.
    Gerald C. (Jerry) Olson

    Reply
    1. Kenneth Kila Avatar
      Kenneth Kila

      Great mall, spent many hours in the arcade

      Reply
  3. Bernard Avatar
    Bernard

    I remember the Burger Bar in Bremerhaven when my dad got stationed there in 1982…. I even worked there in 1988 when Anthony’s Pizza started serving out of the Burger Bar….. good times….

    Reply
  4. Elisabeth Flecker Avatar
    Elisabeth Flecker

    I remember the Burger King opening in Ansbach Germany ( Katterbach), we drove almost 45 minutes just to get a Whopper. It was really good.

    Reply
  5. Elisabeth Flecker Avatar
    Elisabeth Flecker

    I remember the Burger King opening in Ansbach ( Katter Bach) Germany. We drove almost 45 Minutes for a Whopper. It was really good.

    Reply
    1. WILLIAM Avatar
      WILLIAM

      I remember going to this Burger King in Germany when I lived in Ansbach from 1993-96 as a kid (my stepfather was stationed in Katterbach.) I got my first Whopper Junior at this one when I was 9 though I wanted a double cheeseburger. Also had my first Burger King fish sandwich here when they couldn’t cook burgers one day the year before. But I started getting Whoppers here on a regular basis, especially when it was Whopper Wednesday! I also used to go there on school Bowling Field Trips! We went to the bowling center across the spur track after Burger King!

      Cannot believe that that Burger King is gone now or that they put a Subway there although I haven’t been to Katterbach since 1998 (I was living in Sembach Air Base at that time.) Oh the memories!

      William, 35 years old.

      Reply
      1. Lisa Ferguson Avatar
        Lisa Ferguson

        Thank you for sharing your memories with us, William.

        Reply
  6. Robert Avatar
    Robert

    I remember the AAFES Burger, growing up in Stuttgart Germany, going over to Krabbenloch or Flak Kaserne from Pattonville in Ludwigsburg. Those were some good Burgers w/the “AAFES Sauce”. Ah, the memories…

    Reply
  7. Mike Santy Avatar
    Mike Santy

    I remember the Run In Chef trucks, AAFES Burgers, and AAFES Cafeteria’s back in the 70’s and 80’s. The Yokota Main Cafeteria would server breakfast and lunch cafeteria style during the day and then the cafeteria would transform into La Hacienda (Tex-Mex) restaurant for the evening.

    Reply
  8. Robert McAfee Avatar
    Robert McAfee

    What was the AAFES burger???

    Reply
    1. Jack leavitt Avatar
      Jack leavitt

      The AAFES Burger is a very sad story about failure to communicate between purchasing and operations.
      Fortunately this was a learning experience which ultimately translated to the need for branded food such as Burger King.

      Reply
  9. Jack leavitt Avatar
    Jack leavitt

    The AAFES Burger is a very sad story about failure to communicate between purchasing and operations.
    Fortunately this was a learning experience which ultimately translated to the need for branded food such as Burger King.

    Reply
  10. Carl Lofstrom Avatar
    Carl Lofstrom

    A panel of AAFES Food Managers and others, met at Eglin AFB in the early 1960’s, for the purpose of finding the AAFES Hamburger. They evaluated a variety of hamburgers. The one hamburger that was made with a secret sauce was rated the best tasting and won over all others by a wide margin. A long table was setup outside the Run in Chef located at the end of the Eglin Base Exchange for the panel.

    Reply
  11. Matti Bruce Avatar
    Matti Bruce

    It looks like the article cut off towards the end. Where is the rest of the story?

    Reply
    1. Loyd Brumfield Avatar
      Loyd Brumfield

      Thanks, Matti! A period got cut off at the end somehow. Thanks for the catch!

      Reply
  12. lynn beers-whedbee Avatar
    lynn beers-whedbee

    remember Burger King at RAF Alconbury !! great place to work .Whopper wednesday was a great day for everyone of the military family
    Whopper eating contest was a great moral boost for the troops especialy when coming back from Desert storm !

    Reply
    1. Edward McGuire Avatar
      Edward McGuire

      I worked there when the troops came back. It was amazing to see them so happy to get BK!

      Reply
      1. Tim Meyer Avatar
        Tim Meyer

        Hi Edward, thank you for serving those who serve, and for sharing with us!

        Reply
  13. Dave Thacker Avatar
    Dave Thacker

    Oh yes I remember the Run in Chef trucks out on the ranges

    Reply
  14. Michael Wall Avatar
    Michael Wall

    The Davy Crocket Burger!

    Reply
    1. JM Speicher Avatar
      JM Speicher

      And don’t forget the venerable Pizza Burger!

      Reply
  15. Sueann York Avatar
    Sueann York

    I remember eating Hamburgers that were wrapped in saran wrap in Germany (from 1960 – 1972). At the time we thought they tasted good and brought us alittle touch of the USA, but you wouldn’t catch me eating one today. Hamburgers were not well known then in other countries at that time.

    Reply
  16. Lucy Zick Avatar
    Lucy Zick

    I also remember the run in chef when I worked at Military Clothing at Davis-Monthan back in the 80’s The store was near the flight line so it was nice when the truck showed up at our store & we could buy something yummy from it.

    Reply
  17. Sharon Skerencak Avatar
    Sharon Skerencak

    I worked at the AAFES Burger Bar in Hanau Germany in the 70s. Shortly after they turned them into Burger Kings. I worked at the one in Frankfurt. We had 6 registers plus drive thru and lines would be out the door.

    Reply
    1. Julie Mitchell Avatar
      Julie Mitchell

      Very cool — thanks for sharing your memories with us!

      Reply
  18. Paul Stenseth Avatar
    Paul Stenseth

    I was a manager at the Garlstedt Burger King, beginning in late 1985.

    Reply
  19. George Thompson Avatar
    George Thompson

    I worked at a snack bar near B-3-3, then later drove a Runnin Chef snack truck (a.k.a. Roach Coach although they were kept extremely clean) at Ft. Leonard Wood as a part time job after my senior year in high school in the mid to latter part of the 1970’s.

    Reply
    1. Julie Mitchell Avatar
      Julie Mitchell

      Hi, George! Thanks for sharing with us!

      Reply
    2. JM Speicher Avatar
      JM Speicher

      I might have seen you there; I was a Basic Trainee in A-3-3 in 1974!

      Reply
  20. Bret Cantwell Avatar
    Bret Cantwell

    I remember the AAFES cafeteria on Grafenwoehr in the early 80s and teenaged me was very excited at the introduction of the AAFES burger. No one in the civilian world makes SOS like you could get there. Also recall getting an excellent lunch of stuffed cabbage at the Nuremberg cafeteria.

    I guess they and the Stars and Stripes bookstores are all gone now.

    Reply
    1. Lisa Ferguson Avatar
      Lisa Ferguson

      Thank you. Bret, for sharing this fun memory.

      Reply
    2. Robert Garnett Avatar
      Robert Garnett

      A Burger King opened at Graf in the mid-‘80s (1986? ‘87?) while I was stationed there. Reportedly by request of the 7th Army Traing Command commander himself, a one-star whose name escapes me at the moment, the on-post Burger King drive-through was built wide enough to accommodate heavy armored vehicles such as the M1 Abrams tank. I never personally saw a tank use the drive-through, but the lane most certainly was big enough to handle that.

      Reply
  21. George Larson Avatar
    George Larson

    I remember when I first arrived as a dependent to Iraklion Air Station on Crete, Greece (86-92), they had an AAFES cafeteria right next to the BX which made burgers once they were ordered along with the fries. About halfway during my Dad’s tour there, they built a Burger Bar and Baskin Robbins. Unfortunately the quality of the burgers and fries declined, basically they just sat out and were not fresh. Thankfully the burgers at the bowling alley were fresh and good. We also had a Roach Coach right next to the middle/high school and the food to pretty good there as well. I really wish that base was still open.

    Reply
    1. Loyd Brumfield Avatar
      Loyd Brumfield

      Appreciate your great memories, George. Times certainly have changed!

      Reply
  22. Herb C Avatar
    Herb C

    Miss the old AAFES cafeterias, especially the hot entrees or sandwich choices. And desserts. Sad day when the Heidelberg post exchange cafeteria transitioned to a burger bar in 1981, and it went downhill from there.

    Reply
  23. Christine Fisher Avatar
    Christine Fisher

    I’ve had the best Hamburgers of my life at the Snack Bar at Herzo-Base (Germany) 1974 – 1980; and ate at the Snack Bar at Ferris Bks, (Germany) until they closed.

    Reply
  24. Ben D Avatar
    Ben D

    My wife was the Supervisor for the Darmstadt Cafeteria and Anthony’s Pizza at Cambrai Fritsch kaserne from 1984 – 1987 and I served in the US Army during that time, loved the the Aafes burgers, its a shame the kaserne has been torn down now!
    My wife and I really miss the good old days living in Getmany !

    Reply
  25. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    We were stationed at Iraklion AS in Crete from ‘83 to ‘87, they just had an AAFES snack bar, I always had the AAFES burger. I thought it was great!

    Reply

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