Grand Island veterans hospital canteen best in the nation

By Robert Pore
[email protected]

The canteen at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Grand Island, along with one in Omaha, has won an award as National Canteen of the Year.

Elizabeth Painter, canteen manager in Grand Island, said Grand Island and Omaha canteens were chosen tops among all the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the U.S.

She said the Grand Island and Omaha canteens (Western Iowa and Nebraska Veterans Hospital) are considered joint canteens.

     Painter said the services provided by the canteen at the veterans medical centers were started in the 1940s as those hospital cared for wounded World War II veterans.

At the time, Painter said those veterans were being “gouged by people who would be coming to the Veterans Hospitals to sell food and other items.”

“So they decided to start up a canteen service that would sell food and a little store that would sell items that the veterans might need,” Painter said.

Those same items are still being sold at the canteen store more than 60 years later, such as toiletries, candy and health and beauty items.

Over the years, though, Painter said items for sale at the canteen have expanded.

“Now we carry electronics, such as televisions, stereos, I-Pods, along with kitchen appliances,” she said.

They also have a catalog service that provides a wider range of goods for those shopping at the canteen.

And what makes it even more appealing is items bought at the canteen are tax free. The canteen is open to the public.

“That is why folks like to buy their big ticket items through us,” Painter said. “Any one who visits the hospital is more than welcome to shop at the canteen.”

Painter said the canteen provides a valuable service to veterans using the facility.

“We have had a lot of people express their gratitude for the services we provide because the whole mission at the hospital is for everybody to be there for the veterans and to provide a service for them because they have provided a service to the country,” Painter said.

She said the attitude of those working at the canteen and the hospital is “We are thankful to be there for them. For us, it’s all about customer service.”

To better serve the veteran, Painter said they keep prices at the canteen competitive.

“We recently did a survey on our food prices locally and we are lower than all the other places in town for comparable items,” she said.

Along with the retail store, Painter said they operate a small restaurant, where they serve hot lunch and dinner, along with deli sandwiches, salads and other items.

She said the award was based on how much sales have gone up the last year. Painter said the retail sales at the Grand Island canteen are up 77 percent over what it was last year in May.

Painter contributes the success of the canteen to keeping the store well stocked and providing items that customers want.

“We are seeing a lot more foot traffic,” she said. “Our sales have been up since I have been here. When I started, the canteen was in the red. Now our sales are in the black. We are moving in the right direction.”

She has managed the canteen for seven months. Along with Painter, Dorian Bunker is the canteen cook and Janet Hansen is the other canteen employee.

“Everybody pulls their own weight,” Painter said. “There’s no time for slacking. It’s very demanding and there’s never a shortage of stuff that needs to be done.”

The canteen averages about 150 customers per day.

Right now veterans and their families, along with hospital staff make up the bulk of the customers who shop at the canteen, Painter said.

“I don’t think that word has spread out in the community much that people can come to the canteen for the canteen itself,” she said. “I kind of think we are a hidden secret. We are here to provide a service.”

The canteen is located on the second floor of the hospital. The Veterans Administration Medical Center is located at 2201 N. Broadwell Ave.