How Annapolis Cooks Feed 4,400 Navy Midshipmen In 20 Minutes | Boot Camp | Business Insider

Every day, a team of cooks and waitstaff serves 13,500 meals at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Midshipmen gather for every meal in the historic King Hall, the dining hall in T-shaped Bancroft Hall - the largest single-building dormitory in the world. Staff at King Hall can prepare 2,000 pounds of shrimp, 3,000 hamburgers, or 2,500 pounds of chicken a day for the 4,400 midshipmen seated at the 392 tables in the dining hall.
Business Insider visited King Hall to see cooks prepare an estimated 500 pounds of sauerkraut and 7,500 wursts for their annual Oktoberfest dinner and celebrate the Navy’s 248th birthday by slicing a cake with a ceremonial sword.
MORE BOOT CAMP VIDEOS:
How Air Force Commandos Train To Protect VIPs In Combat Zones | Boot Camp | Insider Business
• How Air Force Commando...
What Citadel Military College "Knobs" Go Through On Day One At The Controversial School | Boot Camp
• What Citadel Military ...
Every Survival Technique Army Jungle Soldiers Learn In Training | Boot Camp | Insider Business
• Every Survival Techniq...
------------------------------------------------------
#businessinsider #bootcamp #insider
Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, retail, and more.
Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: www.businessin...
Insider Business on Facebook: / businessinsider
Insider Business on Instagram: / insiderbusiness
Insider Business on Twitter: / businessinsider
Insider Business on Snapchat: / 5319643143
Insider Business on TikTok: / businessinsider

[@johnbeans2000]

Respects to all cooks serving meals to children in school, military or any big institution! Such an underappreciated service!

[@mztweety1374]

True

[@electrodynamicorb6548]

It’s their job 🙄

[@sdiz3509]

@@electrodynamicorb6548ignorant

[@johnbeans2000]

@@electrodynamicorb6548 yeah and we can be thankful and show appreciation to the people not getting enough praise. When your mom made dinner for you as a child did you just sit down and eat like an ungrateful spoiled child or did you show appreciation? Or do you think your mother did her job?

[@JhonnyTeam]

Well said😂​@@johnbeans2000

[@maddiej2165]

Mad respect to all of the staff who work in giant mess halls. As someone who lives on campus with a large residence population (about 14 buildings), the amount of time and effort our cafeteria staff do for us to get our meals is incredible. And the food is actually pretty good to say the least

[@unknownwolf8555]

I always wanted Join the Marnies or navy I did sign up before but got rejected due to my medical condition

[@Freedomcustom]

@@unknownwolf8555 medicals always the b**** that catches u

[@Prince-ho8ms]

Wastage of taxpayer money

[@patriciaoreilly8907]

Very hard work in the kitchen & hope they are appreciated 😂😂😂 they know by the empty plates returning to the kitchen . German food dishes & where is the beer ?

[@patriciaoreilly8907]

Well fed & decent food & many different varieties in a lovely clean dining room 😊 love the man with the twinkle in his eye 😊 as he says put it this way 'We spoil them ' 😊

[@tomawen5916]

Salute to all the staff who feed the Navy Academy's midshipmen. Young bodies need fuel to learn and prepare to serve our country in war and peace. Go Navy!!

[@AlanNguyenMD]

lame, wasteful of manpower, shouldve sent them to Ukraine instead, every now and then US would hire other mercenary to fight for them, so no need for enlisted foot soldiers, no one would dare challenge US directly so naval, marine, shipmen are waste of resources.

[@CroiaCallahan]

Providing meals to military folks, away from their loved-ones, was my honor.

[@parkerchernoff3262]

thank you for your service! i'm not in the navy yet, but even in school i wouldn't have made it without the people who made meals for us, so i know none of them would have gotten as far as they did without people like you 🫡

[@appleseeds5825]

Thank you for your service! ❤

[@a73426]

from the partner of a service member, thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you did for those soldiers

[@gregalfred8916]

I went to West Point, and while i didn't enjoy EVERY meal, we ate pretty well. I never knew how complicated the service was until I watched the video on West Point's Mess Hall and now this one on Navy's wardroom. Always appreciated the kindness of the staff's kindness and their willingness to give us extra food if it was available. Seems like nothing has changed

[@RaceGrifterExtraordinaire]

War criminals get hungry, of course ....

[@ThatGuy68580]

what did it take to get into West Point?

[@barraindymacneil6256]

I served with a Naval Academy Graduate. He was better trained, better educated, and more confident than my measly ROTC training would allow. He was able to work effectively for weeks on end on 4-5 hours of sleep. His shipboard routine was flawless, and I have never seen anyone able to eat so quickly. A large piece of lasagna, salad, and two breadsticks in less than five minutes. And he must have consumed 15-20 cups of coffee a day. His only problem came when we were in port. The guy had no idea what to do with free time.

[@Khazandar]

Sounds like a well indoctrinated, and well programmed drone.

[@AudieHolland]

That's just a workaholic.

[@oaktree1626]

We got mister independent free-thinker over here 🤦🏿‍♂️​@@Khazandar

[@jamesphillips5868]

@@Khazandar…No, sounds like they produced a well oiled machine with first class leadership qualities.

[@HillaryLinnea]

@@Khazandar remember the process to even apply to this world pronoun. Institution is extremely aggressive and acceptance rate is like 14%. It takes a very very special person to finally get fully accepted to this school.

[@rachelle2666]

My Grandpa was a Navy Man 🛳 Go Navy RIP W. Bishop 🌺 Salute to everyone including the Staff

[@lisabishop6266]

😂 my Dad was Army, older brother is ret. Navy. Both names are W.Bishop. Wonder if we are related somehow?

[@lauragriffin7702]

My dad was a Navy man... RIP Jearold E. Phillips...miss and love you

[@needmoreramsay]

Food and family style dining, goofy traditions all serve a critical role in helping everyone to bond and have a positive experience while serving in positions that don't always have a lot of upside.

[@mistergtx4584]

8:33 love how he throws one away accidentially

[@manueldelarosa7430]

5 second rule applies.😁

[@TheonewhomJesusloves895]

The American military is the best!! May God protect and guide each one of them. We pray for them all the time

[@MsMorganGirls]

Yes, 40 years later, I still remember standing in formation for the chow hall. "You have 20 minutes and 20 minutes only" and "don't step on the brightwork."

[@JustinCoats-o6q]

I once had 23 seconds to eat chow. But I was in the Army, soooooo.....

[@russelldavis1152]

5 minutes for enlisted.

[@telall]

I remember eating for only 20 minutes during basic training for the air force

[@annedavis6090]

aaahhh...the brightwork🫣😅

[@cluckhead1913]

@@JustinCoats-o6q and 3 minutes to puke it up.

[@washedupwarvet2027]

was a Marine, did a westpac between Iraq deployments. I’ll say, sailors work so much harder than I imagined while at sea. Now to the officers, holy shit are they spoiled on ship with food. They had an area of the ship called officers country, hardwood floors, single rooms, own chow hall, etc.. way better food than the rest of us, as much as they want and eggs to order. I couldn’t believe it. We used to say our officers were spoiled but nowhere as close to navy officers.

[@tuberNunya]

Those westpacs were tough, but they were real eyeopeners for kids that had never traveled much. Sleep? What's that?

[@willywatkins-zh9xd]

this is better then entire netflix documentaries.

[@Hello-pl2qe]

The Navy served some of the best omelets I've ever had.

[@Adventuregirl96]

They do have good omelets.

[@rd9102]

Yes they did, the best meal of the day ship board.

[@mcfarofinha134]

true. Especially on little boys. My favorite time of day was breakfast when Tim would fry me up something great. I gave him a carton of newports and ever since, my food was always the best

[@SecondsOfAnOrdinaryLife]

As a Marylander we're already pretty proud of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, but to see the pride and joy with which the people preparing the meals exude, makes me very happy. Go Navy!

[@cameronchiesa1031]

God Bless the men and women who have chosen to attend the Naval Academy and defend our great nation! We all need to be appreciative of the choice they have made!

[@olegBas]

So much cheap pathos. They don't protect anyone, and there's nothing great about them. They invade other people's countries and kill people.

[@phammond8155]

Don't forget, they're getting free tuition, room & board and meals. They only have to give the Navy 5 years of service. Do you know how long other collage grads are paying back their student loan? WAY longer than 5 yrs.

[@pressftopayrespects6325]

They’re living the most comfortable life a lot of us can really only dream of, they should be thanking tax payers.

[@alwillk]

Chosen? They get chosen to attend the Naval academy. The acceptance rate is only 11%.

[@marksmithcollins]

@@pressftopayrespects6325 They be one of them, not be ching them.

[@christinaweinmangeriatrics1689]

I live about 15 minutes away from the academy in Pasadena. We always run into the shipman in Annapolis and they are always so friendly. I always make sure to tell them how much we appreciate their service and bravery.

[@ghost4-6]

😮brave? Not yet it's like every job unless you in harms way. Respect tho

[@mayonnaiseeee]

Love these military academy videos. It's a massive operation to do day in and day out and vital to the students' success. Love that the football team gets 200% portions. Hats off to all the staff and the cadets as well for working hard at what they do.

[@brandongreen2052]

Thank you to all of the men and women for helping to keep my family and I safe.

[@DelectableDays]

They are only fighting to keep Israel safe.

[@ziolp]

Safe from what?

[@realtruth716]

From the Buffalo N.Y. area we are proud to share all our our culinary delights

[@davewinst1]

All them chefs look absolutely knackered

[@AlyMewGaming]

I wish they gave them more time to eat and enjoy the meal that these hard working cooks serve.

[@erpollock]

At the Naval Academy, respect is given and received. The midshipmen respect themselves, the cooks and staff respect the midshipmen for their enormous effort in athletics and academic subjects. At the Ivy League, there is no respect, only sloughing off of all standards.

[@tommyvigil306]

Well if we are talking about standards? Talk about a shit show.

[@ciai7317]

Full belly, happy heart ! Thanks for serving the country.

[@HellfireComms]

The level of precision and timing to pull all this off is mind boggling. Gotta respect it.

[@juniorcj82]

Smart sailor seasoning her food at 9:32.

[@OrioleBeagle]

You know you are in Maryland when you see the Old Bay Seasoning on the table!

[@jondstewart]

Yep, put it on crab, potatoes, or pretty much anything to make it taste better!

[@alwillk]

It’s just celery salt and paprika.

[@ConWWW]

@@alwillkthey think they’re onto something, don’t ruin it for them 🤫

[@fxdpntc]

Some of these Midshipmen will become Marines. This is the best food they will ever have. 😂

[@robvandam5560]

I have worked in many restaurant kitchens. I have very much admiration and respect for the cooks, dishwashers, food runners, etc. showcased in this video. They should be proud of a tremendous job. Thank you all and thank you to all the service men and women in all branches of the US Armed Forces! This is a great video

[@baggyshirt8120]

20 minutes, that's about the time some students in the US get to eat as well. it's crazy

[@eugenewright-4p1l1ba6]

King Hall has more natural light than I remember. Those skylights really make a difference.

[@lohfilive3963]

Hey, Midshipman here! Oktoberfest was a hit this past year, and it always is. Often times when you sit down in King Hall, you’ve got 100s of things you need to do racing in your brain. Just being able to chill with your squad and eat some good food can really make a difference, we all appreciate KH workers so much. Their efficiency is 100% noted and we appreciate them a ton. Also, Dave O’Malley (the guy with short hair in black) who ran King Hall for years passed away very suddenly after Oktoberfest. His years of hard work meant a ton to us, RIP.

[@Rs500ybd]

Happy Birthday Us Navy from the Royal Irish Regiment . 💯👌

[@khushikakiba1515]

India we need to learn from this. Hygienic and energetic food matters.

[@michaelpacak3401]

As a veteran, mad respect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ruk2023--]

Buffalo chicken in any form is the bomb. This looks particularly good.

[@alwillk]

I used to work at a 250 bed hospital. And everyone would order Buffalo chicken wraps off the menu. They had to discontinue them because it wasn’t economical viable. Then mangemet just had them Sundays for the few L2K patients because they couldn’t have forks or knives.

[@Ascension646]

watching that serviceman service that peanut butter jar with extreme prejudice was pretty cool.

[@jasongriffin1127]

Watching this makes me so glad I’m Army…

[@invista4134]

Kudos to the kitchen staff. They have to be on the ball, plus it is a naval establishment, so double kudos.

[@kakugod7013]

respect to all future servicemen

[@OrioleBeagle]

I saw on another video that Coast Guard Academy Cadets do not have wait staff. They get their food cafeteria style.

[@erindanelleavilaavilaguerr7251]

Yes. We just cant handle the world of our kids without us and hate stopping proper training

[@SarahLovesBoobahandErEr]

It was amazing watching my older brother go through the academy. He is doing quite well these days. Go NAVY!

[@dopeheathen]

I love watching videos of people cooking for large numbers of people, especially the military I think the Navy eats better than anyone.

[@juliajohnson6022]

Thank you for spoiling our soldiers.👏❤️🇺🇸🙏🏻

[@danielcowan4901]

Salmonella be like "I'm about to paint your navy brown".

[@HelloWacko]

My brother has been accepted to go here. Everyone is super excited!!!

[@AmbientWalking]

Wow! Amazing!

[@AtheismProd]

those chicken patties and curly fries looked good

[@wasclit11]

Dad was made a cook in the Navy because he didn't get sea sick. He was only 15 but his Dad told the Navy he was 17. Dad said that if you are in food service - you will always have a job.

[@PapaFunDip]

Why does navy food look so good. Don't remember getting food that nice looking back in the airforce

[@momkatmax]

My Dad was Army and always said the Navy boys had the best chow!

[@onlybetasgetoffendedbystri8030]

chairforce doesnt even deserve funding much less food like in the great navy 😗

[@PapaFunDip]

@@onlybetasgetoffendedbystri8030 i know a navy cook and from what i know, on ship they are your God

[@JayaNarayanBhusal2]

These young guys must eat a lot of beet and greens too! Great culinary team: Salute to you all!

[@calendarpage]

Doesn't eating that fast, and eating a lot of relatively heavy food, make them sick?

[@alwillk]

These people are in boot camp. So the are most likely highly active. They are young with a high metabolism and burning a shit ton of calories a a day.

[@TonyAlfonzo-p9h]

Highly recommend touring the Naval Academy campus in Annapolis MD. It is a beautiful campus on the water with so much history.

[@JimMorrison-m8x]

Way different than when I was a midshipman (class of 76). We had white linen tablecloths on every table. No canned soda. The all Phillipino steward staff served us like officers mess on a ship. Milk came in half gallon containers from the Naval Academy's own dairy which supplied every dairy product including butter ice cream and cheese. The food overall was very good and since I was on the football team I ate on a training table with a high protein upgrade to the regular chow. Steak and eggs, stuff like that. I wonder if they still serve "Cannon Balls" which were baked apples in a pie shell crust with a vanilla "hard" sauce . If you ate a dozen for desert the upperclassman in your company had to "spoon" you. (Shake your hand) And then you could call him by his first name.

[@JangersTheDog]

Imagine trying to give feedback to the cooks at bootcamp. LOL

[@tj-kv6vr]

Thank You for taking care of our Military

[@ron56pvi13]

The best food I ever had in the Navy was on a Unitas cruise of South America in 1973. From Brazil to Uruguay, we had a steak option at every meal. The cooks actually would ask how we wanted it cooked and I would tell them to hit it with a hammer to make sure its dead, sear both sides and serve it up. Still eat my steak that way.

[@kerry-j4m]

The best food I ever had was at a mess hall at Qatar ( I had a 3 day pass there,this was 2005 and I was in an infantry unit fighting in Iraq ) the food was-AMAZING !!! No other restaurant in america had food this-GREAT-every item was GOOD. And the food service workers were from different arab countries ( so no attitudes or snide remarks like americans workers would do ) LOL. I actually ended up getting an extra day there,because our FOB ( Camp TQ ) was getting hit very hard with mortars and rockets ( heavily ) the day I was supposed to fly back to TQ. I was a very happy camper,one more day of the-GREAT-food there. LOL. SEMPER-FI

[@DarrellBalancio]

Whether they are at the academy or the fleet, they get fed better than the enlisted.

[@Nny11YT]

I chuckled when I saw the student with a tenor drum and thought, "Man that sure looks like my bagpipe tenor drum set up!" then squinted and said, "Wait, those are TyFry mallets." and I was so focused on that I didn't notice the bagpipes until they started playing. I swear I play both bagpipes and tenor drum, but we can see which one I obsess over lol.

[@chillbro1010]

There is only one source of love in the military, and it comes on a plate.

[@benjaminblakemore9704]

WOW! 😂😊 MAN, IF I HAD MY TIME OVER! BEST OF LUCK WITH LIFE STUDENTS!! 😊

[@derpcow]

I was not expecting to see a RCN Cadet in this video. Im glad we're actually sending Jr officers to the US to learn instead of letting all of them rot in RMC.

[@douggalliart3023]

We in the Foodservice industry never get a thank you for feeding them. Sad

[@machopi]

now imagine being stuck in a desert hole in bumsville nowhere choking down MREs while the boat brigade shovels sausages and buffalo chicken in they faces but hey, still better than the chair force

[@JimmyDoggy-b1c]

When you are on war field whatever available to you . U must eat . If you are in enemies territory u know the situation

[@NELLIE-41388]

The Scottish Bagpipes stole my heart! Awesome video! Thank you.

[@BillGatesBuilds]

Respect to the chefs and crew for cooking this all, huge task to do. Should we also consider more fresh items?

[@vivienmartin225]

I go visit the Naval Academy often. It’s very beautiful.

[@joewojcik258]

Don't even have to pick their plates up. This is the future of the Navy!!!! DAMN

[@dariuswoods5312]

1:00 "Beat army!" *Army proceeds to win 17-11*

[@all4hisglory510]

Thank you for your service. God bless y’all and stay safe. ❤️🙏

[@adamstoneman3795]

Imagine living in a place where all farts smell the same cuz everyones diet is identical an not being able to identify a culprit 😂😂😂

[@IT-ry8xt]

Army march on it stomach after all. Logistic and cooks are often a strong pillar of good army

[@idontwanttopickone]

That's a lot of beige food

[@PoiPoi5189]

Could be a lil healthier without compromising on taste. I dunno, I see what our allies Korea and Japan eat and I don’t think it breaks the bank, looks tasty and is comparatively more nutritious. That being said the staff is wonderful and the cadets are happy and just cause I think kimchi or gyudon look good doesn’t mean everyone will.

[@paulsuprono7225]

In the Navy, you sail the seven seas . . . In the Navy, you could put your mind at ease . . . . . 👍 🇺🇸

[@Gamingandlipstck]

I Remember eating here in 1998, yes, 1998 and the food was horrible. I was in D.C. for a NYLF conference and we were able to visit the Naval Academy and the National War College. The hall is huge and filled with the midshipmans but we were given hotdogs and beans… They have stepped up their food in the years that have passed!! I joined the Navy and I’m not going to start about the food in the Navy… I think men will eat anything… lol. 😂 God Bless OUR VOLUNTEER MILITARY!!

[@plumeria66]

The east coast has the best architecture in the country. The further you go out west, buildings starts looking like boxes.

[@DelectableDays]

I hate it but I have to agree

[@Freedomcustom]

Logistics, Preparation and a Good Team

[@Green-6027]

My favorite meal is also buff chicks

[@dereks1264]

Table service? That's luxury.

[@JosifSuclea-ue6kz]

GBY USA Troops

[@all4hisglory510]

Thank you for your service.

[@yngtadpole]

Fascinating and impressive getting all the food out with 47 staff to 4700 midshipman in FIVE minutes. Honestly jealous, as the Marines on base and in field had nothing like this. It was cool to see some of the culture and but most of all seeing Clarisee Absalon's smile OMG- I'm smitten bad. 🤣

[@DaPegMeister]

Me: i want buff chicks! Government: We have buff chicks in the navy The buff chick's in the navy:

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

This had me craven so I went shopping it made me feel a little better ,Mac all played out don't think it's the same

[@nourishedmedia]

Oktoberfest with the band?! Prost! 🍻

[@edhavingalook]

I’d like a documentary on the waste to and the clooged up toilets

[@bustercherry2054]

I love these business insider videos

[@drpamelatomcruise4517]

🚛 being on schedule with attitude, I'm hungry damnit ,nothing can stop me

[@T.C.216]

Nice. Check out West Point dinning facility, now.

[@aGumball]

they all look so neat and well groomed

[@Duke-g5x]

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing.

[@alwillk]

Sounds like something they tell you to make you feel better after “failing” so much.

[@sunrain4820]

Thank you 🥰✌🏽💐

[@stephengneri2136]

well I used to think doing the plans shop cook serve meals for 12 was a biggee. congrats.

[@BrBCatsOnFireLuL]

I bet those combi ovens cost atleast 120,000 a piece if not more.

[@Woysla]

Really no skill here, frozen food cooked in ovens. All junk food except the salad bar lmao

[@johnnyman2268]

Must be nice. I am a retired Chief Petty Officer and in 26 years I never had chow like that!

[@bigsmalls8354]

Proud to say I fed them this year to victory against Army