Marines seeking a quick meal at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, now have another option that does not require leaving their vehicle. A new drive through has opened at the 62 Area dining hall, giving personnel a faster way to grab chow during the duty day.

The Tres Habaneros drive through is the latest addition to the base dining facility. It is operated by the Sodexo Group, a private food services company that also runs other versions of the Mexican inspired meal service at university and hospital cafeterias.

The opening follows regular conversations between officials and the Marines who use Camp Pendleton dining facilities. Master Gunnery Sgt. Marcus Jenkins, a food technician with Marine Corps Installation-West, said base officials conduct a monthly focus group to collect feedback from Marines.

Accessibility was among the issues raised during those meetings. The new service is intended to make meals easier to obtain for Marines whose assignments or uniforms may make entering the dining facility less convenient.

“Those discussions, they kind of help us guide our efforts to make the meals more convenient and accessible,” Jenkins said.

“For example, some of the Marines work in the field, or maybe they work with diesel mechanic stuff, and their uniforms are sometimes dirty, where they don’t want to go into the dining facility. So they have that capability to just drive through and be able to get chow as well.”

A photograph of the drive through sign posted by base officials lists operating hours from Monday through Friday. Breakfast is available from 6 to 8:15 a.m., lunch runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and dinner is served from 4 to 6 p.m.

Breakfast choices include an egg and vegetable burrito that can be ordered with meat additions and toppings. Marines can also choose a side such as fruit, yogurt, or oatmeal, providing several quick options before the workday gets moving.

Image Credit: DoW

The lunch and dinner menus include burgers, chicken sandwiches, and Caesar salad plates. Junior enlisted Marines may pay by swiping their meal plan cards, according to Jenkins.

Other customers can purchase meals at the listed 2026 prices. Breakfast costs $4.50, lunch is $7.25, and dinner costs $6.25.

The new location is the second drive through operating on Camp Pendleton. Another has served Marines at the 22 Area Chow Hall since 2013, while the Army also operates drive through facilities at several bases, including installations in Colorado and Kansas.

The 62 Area dining facility itself represents a substantial upgrade for the northern side of the California base. The Orange County Register visited the new $33 million dining hall in April after it replaced a chow hall that was 72 years old in March.

The newer facility features windows extending from floor to ceiling, new menu items, a pizza oven, and a massive salad bar. The Tres Habaneros service now adds another layer of convenience for Marines who need to eat without spending extra time inside the facility.

The military also has a notable connection to the origins of restaurant drive through service. In 1975, a franchise owner near Fort Huachuca, Arizona, saw a decline in the number of soldiers eating at his restaurant and devised a way to serve them while they remained inside their vehicles.

At the time, Army rules required soldiers wearing duty uniforms away from the base to stay in their cars. That restriction created a problem for the McDonald’s in Sierra Vista, Arizona, which struggled to attract military customers during the day.

According to a franchise history page on the McDonald’s corporate website, “licensee David Rich solved this problem by installing a sliding window in the wall to facilitate Drive Thru orders. And just like that, McDonald’s first Drive Thru was born in Arizona.”

Camp Pendleton’s newest dining option applies that same basic idea to today’s Marines. Whether they are returning from the field, working around diesel equipment, or simply trying to grab a quick meal, they can now collect breakfast, lunch, or dinner from their vehicles at the 62 Area dining hall.