FLETC Mess Hall

Are they still in business? Well, as long as the government doesn't shut it down.
High props for the salsa--much better than their Georgia and Virginia counterparts.

Wonderful dining experience. The employees are great with great attitudes. The following is a humorous review but the employees are solid great people, nothing against them. The FLETC Artesia employees have aprons with a logo very similar to the Chick-Fil-A logo, to remind everyone of the fine dining experience.

Review:

This outstanding restaurant / dining hall is part of a "members only" known as FLETC; entry is controlled via ID check at the "guard shack" of the FLETC campus. To gain access to this VIP club, one must pass a membership screening, background check, medical and physical exams, and be personally interviewed. Once membership is granted, you can eat here, for FREE.

Inside are wonderful options, such as bins of corn dogs and onion rings under heat lamps. One can utilize the many plastic Lubys-style trays and eat unlimited corn dogs. A salad bar exists, often with "fusion" salad dressing in which the Ranch dressing got spilled into the Vinaigrette dressing by some BP trainee who is exhausted from PT earlier that day. Only here is "grilled chicken" performed without a grill. The chicken will be retrieved from a pot of hot water, with perfect grill marks imprinted on it.

For those who consider mineral and salt intake important, this is the place to be. Onion rings, bacon slices, french fires, are all on the menu. Crates of bananas will be found (either all green, or all brown) near the cash registers, for those who want their potassium.

Please be cognizant of the dining hours, as part of your FLETC club membership, you may be enjoying a club-sponsored fun event that day, such as "range", "PT", or "driving." Some events, such as "range" are so fun that it may finish 15 minutes before closing of the dining hall. PT may begin so early that you must eat breakfast at 6AM. Please note that even though the dining hall lists 6AM as "open", the lady with the key to the front door will not walk to the door until 6:05AM.

Also, "pro tip" - check your forks. Many forks are flatter than the butter knifes. When you pull them out of the silverware bins do a "press check" on them. Also, if you (see "range" comment) end up arriving late, plan on eating your pork chops or chicken breast with a soup spoon, all the knives and forks are used up and dirty and thus not available. Do not waste precious time pulling napkins from one-by-one from the dispensers near the tray pickup. Instead, use the napkin dispensers near the cookies and pie area, and use the two-handed method, grab the TOP of the dispenser container, pull it forward, open the dispenser, and grab a stack of napkins for you and your classmates. This two handed drill can be done in 2 seconds, remember smooth is fast.

Good luck and thank you to our HEROES who are FLETC members.

Dining Menu, public information via public internet: https://www.fletc.gov/sites/default/files/diningmenu-artesia-jun-sept2020.pdf

This place really does well with what they have. Not one complain at all, you have your choice of appetizers entrées desserts everybody has to remember this is a government mess hall not a five-star restaurant. While detailed there I've truly enjoyed my breakfast and lunch thank you to all that work there.

Best thing in the place is the brown bag special. PB&J sandwich with milk. Save yourself the shame.

We came here to eat dinner with dad while he worked. For a cafeteria they do really well. They're were friendly and quick. My kids for some reason really love it here. It's just typical cafeteria food, but they love it. They keep asking to go back ‍

The first thing you need to know about eating at FLETC is that there is a strict dress code. I'm not talking shirt and tie, I'm talking about your shirt and pants must have perfect creases and your boots must be shiny. Your outfit must adhere to an almost uniform appearance. If not, the staff will berate you and hurt your feelings. Kind of rude if you ask me.

Once inside, you will find a variety of foods that have been conveniently un-canned for you. Some foods you can scoop yourself, but other foods are like razor blade refills and spray paint, encased behind glass, and a staff member has to get them for you. Fancy.

FLETC is not like a traditional restaurant or buffet, or even middle school cafeteria. The menu rotates between all manner of scoopable food substances. Monday, for example, you can have a scoop of enchiladas with a side of scooped mashed potatoes. Then on Tuesday, remembering your scoop of enchiladas from Monday, you can then have "Mexican rice" to go with that day's "turkey". There will be no mashed potatoes to be found. That is your fault for coming here. It is fusion cuisine of the highest order (assuming fusion cuisine is always served with a scoop).

FLETC is leading the way when it comes to innovative food preparation and food re-use. There is nothing FLETC can't put in a stainless steel tray and place under a heat lamp. Yesterday's corn bread is tomorrow's corn bread stuffing. Left over hamburger patties? No problem, just put them back under a heat lamp and re-label those as Salisbury steak. Yum. Too many pasta noodles laying around? Find some freezer burned pepperoni slices in the back of the freezer and mix those right in with those noodles. Just like mom used to make.

I'm hungry! (Just let me finish these push-ups)

You must be attending (or be the guest of someone) who is attending the FLETC. Otherwise you can't get in. Artesia's most exclusive dining experience, lol.

NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Descent variety, but I had no idea that so many vegetables could be steamed. If you like vegetables and want to be able to ring a gallon of water out of each brussels sprout then you have come to the right place. Ironically, since LEO's are supposed to be in shape, the pies and deserts are pretty darn good. When the salad bar isn't backed up due to people trying to make pieces of art on a plate, it is pretty good too.