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.
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[@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 🙄

[@sdizzzzzy3509]

@@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

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Nad Respect? It You've picked up some contentious empathy there on campus. Animal House remains the gold standard for University Cuisine .

[@wolverinefangowings]

You could make one of these for every major university in the country and I'd watch them all. There is something incredibly satisfying about watching food prepared on massive scales.

[@BoldNBrash]

It's the perfect material to watch while eating dinner

[@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."

[@user-um5lb9zk3q]

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]

@@user-um5lb9zk3q and 3 minutes to puke it up.

[@Acaidia]

I actually ate in this cafeteria 3 times a day for 3 days during a sleep away lacrosse camp at Navy. I remember getting the chicken and fries one day and everyone was in love with it. The Naval Academy is an incredible school with a beautiful campus.

[@Ally-jc8ou]

I second this! Beautiful school and campus and AMAZING FOOD. I was expecting like bad cafeteria food but the food was amazing.

[@Acaidia]

@@Ally-jc8ou Exactly! They serve legitimate meals that actually have character. So many cafeterias have the most bland and boring food.

[@christophjannek5398]

They really go the extra mile, putting out genuine German Mustards and Ketchups for the Oktoberfest dinner. Particularly cool if you happen to work for said Ketchup manufacturer and instantly recognize those bottles they put on the table. 😁

[@veiligheidspeld]

lol

[@edenjung9816]

Thats true but i hope they did not choose weißwurst because you cook those and don't grill them. But it looked more like nürnberger bratwurst so that is fine.

[@Nicolai0901]

@@edenjung9816 No matter if Brat or Weißwurst they are not prepared good. Bratwurst should have way more color, most of them where just warm and not done. And the Leberkäse was cut way to thin.

[@noahbohl2127]

I was at the naval academy last year for a conference. We did one of the lunches with the whole academy. It was a spectacle to say the least.

[@gabby20316]

In what way?

[@rkolsen]

As a Marylander we’ve done a few field trips to Annapolis (and personal visits). Watching the actual parade and everything is a thing of beauty.

[@all4hisglory510]

Thank you for your service.

[@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.

[@BeardedDanishViking]

Sounds like a well indoctrinated, and well programmed drone.

[@AudieHolland]

That's just a workaholic.

[@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 ....

[@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!!

[@erpollock]

So much food! And the staff caters to the midshipmen and solicits their opinion. This is a great country, and a wealthy country, to supply so much to midshipmen.

[@t0mn8r35]

This was very interesting and I think that the cooks do a fantastic job feeding those nice young people. It is very heartening to see their happy faces.

[@user-yf8lb4hf2c]

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 🫡

[@rachelle2666]

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

[@mistergtx4584]

8:33 love how he throws one away accidentially

[@manueldelarosa7430]

5 second rule applies.😁

[@LuvSubbin]

While many of the midshipmen in this video will become SEAL's, naval aviators, and our nation's surface warfare officers, that dude at 20:38 has some serious skills...

[@matthewjay660]

Thank-you for feeding and taking care of our future service people, and thank-you for your hard work cooking 👩‍🍳👨‍🍳. 🇺🇸💪🏻🦅⚓️🗽

[@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.

[@garyb5768]

Thank you for all you do and for feeding me while I was there in the early 80s…

[@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

[@ryanlippert480]

Everything comes Frozen or in a #10 can. Very little is actually made from scratch. Ships are no different

[@TheWorldsOkayestUSMarine]

How about you stop flapping your lips, Lippert. You have no idea what you're talking about. Carriers and LHDs have plenty of fresh food. Submarines even carry fresh food for the beginning of the deployment.

[@lancefisher8358]

​@TheWorldsOkayestUSMarine he's far off they only have fresh food for a few of the deployment until they re-port

[@TheWorldsOkayestUSMarine]

@lancefisher8358 Okay, I wasn't a Marine who's been on multiple MEUs on 3 different amphibious assault ships... We had fresh fruit, fresh bread, fresh vegetables etc. for the entirety of the 6 month deployment. Helicopters ferry supplies constantly, even to smaller destroyers. Depending on the region, the US Navy will purchase food from nearby countries, or receive supplies from the various Naval Support Activities around the world. Carriers are even better because they can use C-2 Greyhounds to pick up food and mail. You underestimate the logistical capabilities of the US Navy.

[@Latte23749]

Possibly cuz it might be hard to make that much of food fresh, also to add that its cheaper to buy in bulk

[@ravenger2711]

But again their food is better than you always eat

[@FixingOurFamilyCourts]

Great video about the food service and how it fuels the students. I have so much respect for these incredible young men and women knowing the rigorous schedules and demands they're under. Love our Navy!

[@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.

[@willywatkins-zh9xd]

this is better then entire netflix documentaries.

[@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.

[@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

[@mariannedekock7996]

You're so privileged to have such an awesome meal in your military. Appreciate it and give thanks every day to the chefs preparing these wonderful meals to you. You will never get this privileged in any South African military 😢

[@BigK2G]

Believe it or not this is exactly a video I've been waiting for ...! After watching West Point and AFA videos

[@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%.

[@jamesmillerjo]

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

[@robinabernathy2829]

I will say this for them, of all the service schools they got the coolest looking uniforms.

[@algernon5776]

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

[@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!

[@ciai7317]

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

[@MyFullFiguredLife]

Absolutely amazing! I work in the food industry and can’t even imagine a production this scale. I’ve cooked up to 400 over a couple seatings and it was crazy! This requires so much planning and organizing. Hats off to you guys ❤

[@scottwalker5421]

Thank you very much Navy for the great job you do protecting America for us. Thanks for the video !

[@AlyMewGaming]

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

[@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?

[@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.

[@momkatmax]

LOL at the end the skinny kids were piling on the the special Beer Garden desserts! One young lad had a mound of pastries! So glad to see them enjoy the special theme of the meal ❤

[@abbyselouani364]

The old cook is absolutely hilarious. LOL he loves those kids though.

[@Ascension646]

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

[@realtruth716]

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

[@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.

[@brandongreen2052]

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

[@OpenBorders4isengard]

They are only fighting to keep Israel safe.

[@ziolp]

Safe from what?

[@davewinst1]

All them chefs look absolutely knackered

[@matthewdar886285]

Well organized. The family style dining is wonderful.

[@tamaralaird3389]

They all look so sweet, and so professional. Makes me want to go to the Navy.

[@invista4134]

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

[@martxnmusic]

I was at King Hall while they were shooting this on a Candidate Visit Weekend. The Navy birthday was definitely a highlight. I got to eat a piece of one of the cakes!

[@eugenewright-4p1l1ba6]

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

[@juniorcj82]

Smart sailor seasoning her food at 9:32.

[@jenniferespiritu2172]

Thumbs up to the way Navy serves are truly scrumptious feast it gives that everyday seems special healthy cuisines it serves 😁👍

[@jshshh1041]

It's all impressive, but that comby oven is gangster as hell. Very impressive feat of engineering

[@dopeheathen]

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

[@NELLIE-41388]

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

[@SarahLovesBoobahandErEr]

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

[@thEultimateTide_Pod]

lunch. the most important meal of the day. matpat would be proud

[@KattEyl]

A chef who was hospitalized made videos about the food he was served. Unlike some of the comments here, he was very respectful of what the people in the kitchen had to do with what they had to work with.

[@JayaNarayanBhusal2]

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

[@evanwakano6127]

Most officer from the academy were cool on my sub. USS OHIO blue crew 726 We did run one ensign off the boat. He thought he knew it all and we gave him hell lol

[@MadelineClaire]

I love Annapolis and seeing the Naval Academy.

[@jasongriffin1127]

Watching this makes me so glad I’m Army…

[@milkman81]

So nice to see the rich kids finally have a nice camp to go to that they don’t have to feel they are on the same level of poor people! This video is scary. ‘Merica

[@all4hisglory510]

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

[@juliajohnson6022]

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

[@danielcowan4901]

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

[@ScottsBranch]

I hope the cooks are making more than a GS 5 for all the work they are doing ❤

[@jondstewart]

I am. I’m a WG-08 cook on an Air Force base in Alaska making about as much as a GS-09. As for these folks, not sure. But more than likely they’re making more money than a line cook in a downtown restaurant. Cooking a great meal for over 1,000 takes guts, brains, and strategy!

[@user-jr1jr6eh2i]

I so much respect for them😢❤❤❤❤❤

[@khushikakiba1515]

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

[@benjaminblakemore9704]

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

[@fxdpntc]

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

[@baggyshirt8120]

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

[@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.

[@DoctorWhat3]

The only thing I would like to know, is how much the worklers in the kitchen earn. Are they paid properly for the hard physical labour they do, and can they live off of it WELL? not just scrape by.

[@cindylong624]

I'm sure they are paid much more than working at a restaurant

[@UnIimited_Power]

Worklers!

[@angelabeatty6538]

Thank You for your service!❤

[@AtheismProd]

those chicken patties and curly fries looked good

[@paypastorfresto9176]

American soldier never taste bad, we Filipino soldier prepared for worst.... We can fight without food... We shed tears on training and laugh in battle field.

[@bustercherry2054]

I love these business insider videos

[@chillbro1010]

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

[@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. 🤣

[@isurumera8052]

Excellent kitchen staff, we must thank for them....

[@blackberrylady9265]

Great job thanks for ur services 👍🏾 😀 👏🏿 😊

[@IT-ry8xt]

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

[@OrioleBeagle]

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

[@joewojcik258]

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

[@tj-kv6vr]

Thank You for taking care of our Military

[@user-vm8sr9gp3y]

Without some goals and some efforts to reach it, no man can live.

[@anneoakleigh5133]

Wow hats off to the staff 🇦🇺

[@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.

[@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

[@EricCoop]

They need to bring back the crab feast we used to have on Reform Night in August. I was teaching there from 2017 to 2019 and, to my chagrin, learned that crab night wasn't a thing anymore. Of course, we didn't have Oktoberfest when I was a Mid.

[@PlumbThumbs]

This is awesome!

[@blazingfire0218]

RIP Mr. O’Malley

[@Freedomcustom]

Logistics, Preparation and a Good Team

[@nourishedmedia]

Oktoberfest with the band?! Prost! 🍻

[@JangersTheDog]

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

[@iraeaglemind]

I'm a homeless civilian and they are right.A good meal can make or break your day(even out here).Good luck Navy in the Navy Army game.🏈

[@invisible.fatman]

God bless the US Navy!

[@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.