Marines at Camp Pendleton have access to a brand-new dining facility thanks to a collaborative partnership between NAVFAC Southwest, the Marine Corps and the military contractors who brought the project to life.
NAVFAC Southwest Commanding Officer Capt. Cathy Eyrich joined partners from MCI West and Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton for a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new mess hall aboard the base March 11.
“This was a complex and challenging project and I’d like to thank the entire team for their commitment to delivering this facility in time for the recent holiday season,” said Eyrich. “I also want to thank MCI West and the MCAS Camp Pendleton team for your patience and partnership. Your vital support helped bring this state-of-the-art facility to reality.”
NAVFAC Southwest awarded the $54 million design-build contract to Whiting-Turner Construction in December of 2020. The project consists of a 38,000 square-foot dining facility, as well as a galley, food preparation areas, restrooms, and road improvements around the facility.
The contractor also had to tear down the existing mess hall, which was built in 1954 and was too small to accommodate all the Marines and Sailors who are stationed in the northern area of Camp Pendleton.
“This project is all about the Marine Corps’ efforts to focus on quality of life and retention,” said Brig. Gen. Nick Brown, Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations West - Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. “You look around and you see these Marines and you understand that they represent the history of this camp. Any time you walk here, you understand what warfighting is about, so these Marines need and deserve a place like this to fuel that fight and nourish their brains and their spirits.”
Staff at the new facility will serve up to 2,000 meals a day, a 20 percent increase from the capabilities of the prior mess hall. The dining room can accommodate more than 600 diners at a time and features a main food line, grill line, display cooking stations, salad stations, beverage stations, and desert stations.
The building is equipped with large windows that provide ample daylight for the dining area. Crews also installed an emergency generator that can sustain all dining facility operations for up to 48 hours.
More than 5,000 Marines and Sailors live and work in the northern area of the base.
| Date Taken: |
03.19.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
03.19.2026 16:03 |
| Story ID: |
560959 |
| Location: |
CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: |
131 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, NAVFAC Southwest Delivers New Camp Pendleton Dining Facility, by Katie Cadiao, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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