The United States Army

04/17/2026 | News release | Archived content

USAG Stuttgart celebrates opening of new restaurant on Kelley Barracks

U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Commander Col. Edward J. Sanford and Kelley Kantine, manager cut the ribbon during the grand opening of the Kantine on April 17, 2026, at Kelley Barracks, Germany.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official launch of the new dining facility. The Kantine. provides a variety of different food options to enhance the quality of life for its service members.

USAG Stuttgart serves as the Department of War's premier overseas command and control platform, hosting two Unified Combatant Commands and three Service Component Commands across five installations. U.S. Army photo by Balmina Sehra (Photo Credit: Balmina Sehra) VIEW ORIGINAL

STUTTGART- U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart celebrated the grand opening of a new restaurant on Kelley Barracks today.

The Kelley Club Canteen, located inside the Kelley Club, opened to the delight of more than 100 lunchgoers who showed up to celebrate with leadership from the garrison and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

"I am proud that we can continue improving our community's quality of life by offering them another space to eat great food and enjoy each other's company," USAG Stuttgart Commander Col. Edward J. Sanford said.

After the German Kantine on Kelley closed last December, USAG Stuttgart contracted the operators of the German Kantine on Panzer Kaserne to open a similar restaurant in the newly renovated Kelley Club. Over the last three months, garrison leadership and staff, along with restaurant employees, worked quickly to convert the space to meet the new restaurant's needs.

"Food is my passion, and cooking for the community has been my pleasure throughout the past years," Ionel Dobrita, the Kelley Club Canteer manager said. "I'm looking forward to this new adventure in this new space."

The Kelley Barracks community has heavily anticipated the opening of the new dining facility, which includes a large outdoor dining space, has been heavily anticipated by.

"I'm so excited to have another place to eat, the space looks amazing, and I know the food will be too," Mitchel Phelps said.

At the opening, Sanford, Dobrita, and AFRICOM's commandant Col. Nicholas Dickson cut a star-spangled cake and officially declared the new Kelley Club Canteen opened.

The Kelley Club Canteen will offer breakfast and lunch, with future dinner service potentially expandingon demand. Opening hours are weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restaurant may be booked for special events thanks to its large indoor and outdoor space.

The United States Army published this content on April 17, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 21, 2026 at 09:10 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]