With just 20 minutes to go until the ribbon cutting, things were chaotic inside Joint Base Lewis-McChord's newest dining facility. Dishes were being prepped and heated, tables were being cleaned and arranged, knives for ceremonial cake cutting were being sought. Yet, somehow, it all came together just in time.

The Courage Inn, a brand new, state-of-the-art dining facility (DFAC) located on JBLM Main, began serving up food with a smile on June 1. The facility, which took three years to complete, has more than 150 tables with 600 chairs, an overflow room that can be closed off for meetings and six large, flat screen televisions mounted from the ceiling to entertain diners.

For manager Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Yarbrough, it seemed like the day would never come.

"We've been working so hard to get ready, and I'm really proud of the work we've done," said Yarbrough, who previously managed a DFAC at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. She currently has 47 cooks working under her, as well as an additional 17 staff members.

"Breakfast is always busy, after PT," she said, adding that a "to-go" area with quick food items located near the front entrance will also open soon. "But since we can serve 1,800 people in a three-hour period, I think we're going to be busy most of the time. We're open seven days a week."

Col. Paul Norwood, commander for the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, which will operate the dining facility, offered brief remarks before opening the DFAC to a crowd of hungry Soldiers, family members and guests.

"Our Soldiers' quality of life is going to improve dramatically today with the opening of this resource," he said.

In addition to the Soldiers of the 201st BFSB, the spacious new DFAC will also service Soldiers from the 51st Signal Battalion and the 62nd Medical Brigade, both of which have barracks nearby.

"Families are welcome here, too," Norwood said to the crowd. "When your loved one is deployed and you want somewhere good that's affordable and welcoming, this is open to you."

The Courage Inn is located in building 9129, near the new Nisqually Clinic, just off of Pendleton Ave. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 7:30 to 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 4:30 to 6 p.m. It will also be open on weekends for brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and supper from 5 to 6:30 p.m.