BREMERTON, Wash. –
For command employees looking for a quick snack or a fresh sandwich for lunch, Anchors Aweigh stands ready to help. The Kitsap County-based food service company opened two locations at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility late last year to help provide the shipyard workforce with additional dining options.
Located near the Bremerton Gate, outside Building 460, and on the first floor of Building 850A, both Anchors Aweigh locations offer a wide variety of food options for employees looking for a quick snack or just a hot cup of coffee.
“I love working here,” said Star Crisostomo, a barista at the Building 850A location. “I have a great team. I love the schedule, but I really enjoy speaking with the people that come here every day. We have our regulars and really try to give them something special every time they come in.”
Patricia Maloney, the owner of Anchors Aweigh, was excited to finally operate inside the Controlled Industrial Area.
“The previous owner called me and told me he was retiring last year,” Maloney said. “He encouraged me to put in a bid for this contract. Honestly, I never thought I’d get it, but I’m glad I did.”
Maloney and Anchors Aweigh are part of the State of Washington’s Department of Services for the Blind’s Business Enterprise Program. The program is part of the Randolph Sheppard Act—a federal law that gives legally blind vendors the opportunity to operate vending facilities on specified public property. Through the program, legally blind individuals like Maloney operate many of the cafeterias, delis, espresso stands and snack bars located inside various state agencies.
Both shipyard locations are open from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
“We want our customers to have delicious, hot food,” said Summer Cook, café manager at the main gate location. “All of our menu items are assembled and made fresh every morning. We work hard to give the workers more than a bad cup of coffee. They can get one of those anywhere in town. We want to make sure our customers leave here with something they are happy with.”
To make that happen, Maloney and kitchen manager Matt Nelson meet weekly to discuss different menu combinations.
“I meet with Patricia at the beginning of every week, and we come up with ideas for what we will be serving that week,” Nelson said. “She’s really excited about offering new things. We’ve experimented with soups, pierogis, different types of sandwiches and burritos. We want to give people options. It gets boring eating the same thing every day.”