During the weekend of March 14-15, the last location of Robin Hood Sandwiches closed at Camp Casey, ending a more than 40-year run for the Exchange-exclusive restaurant.
The first Robin Hood opened in early 1985 at Fort Hood as Robin Hood Sandwich Shoppe (Randolph AFB is often credited as having the first location, but Exchange Post archives show that Fort Hood was first). Associates Susan Dowell and Marion Denniston dressed as Robin Hood and Maid Marian to greet customers, handing out samples. A brief Exchange Post article stated that “The new food facility serves a variety of submarine sandwiches and deli items.”
“If you look at the decor package (reminiscent of jolly old England), you don’t see the generic AAFES snack bar sign out front, and because every franchise in the commercial sector has its own identity and operating procedures, in many cases our customers think there’s somebody out there who owns Robin Hood and is putting it on a military installation,” Bob Poulson, who oversaw the in-house restaurant program, told the Exchange Post in 1989.
The standard menu included seven varieties of sandwiches named after Robin Hood and his Merry Men. The menu also included potato salad, coleslaw and more, including deli meats and cheeses sliced to order. The restaurants baked their own bread, providing an aroma that customers enjoyed.
Robin Hood expanded into Europe and Pacific Regions, and even had a location at the Exchange’s store in Soto Cano, Honduras. But Exchange-exclusive restaurants eventually gave way to bigger name brands. Many of the Robin Hood locations were replaced by Subways, including the one at Camp Casey.
Robin Hood wasn’t the first of the mid-’80s Exchange restaurants to end its run. The last Frank’s Franks closed in 2014. But a handful of Anthony’s Pizza locations remain open in Pacific Region.
Have fond memories of eating—or working—at Robin Hood? Please share them in comments.
SOURCE: Exchange Post archives
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