EVERETT – This “Queen of the Skies” won’t be taking flight any time soon.
But she will be serving people in style like her namesake, Boeing Co.’s 747 jet.
When given the chance to name their newly remodeled factory cafeteria, Boeing employees chose to honor the plane that started it all in Everett.
In paying homage to the 747, Boeing workers “recognize the role the airplane has played in Everett as well as the rest of the world,” Dan Mooney, vice president of the 747/747-8 program, told a crowd outside the cafeteria.
Closed since late June, the newly dubbed Queen of the Skies, located just off the 747 production line, reopened Tuesday morning. The updated food joint represents one of several changes Boeing is making to improve the work environment in a plan called “Future Factory.” Boeing will upgrade four other cafeterias and open an additional one for the 787 program.
The Queen of the Skies cafeteria now offers panini sandwiches and on-the-spot wok cooking, said Rick Ragan, regional director for Eurest, the food service provider in Boeing’s Everett factory. Food served in the old site was cooked at a central location and warmed up at the old cafeteria. The remodeling allows Eurest to provide freshly made cuisine.
Besides an updated menu and a brighter look, the Queen of the Skies cafeteria also will eventually have plasma TVs, said Carmin Rosenthal, food service administrator for Boeing. Employees suggested many of the Future Factory changes implemented by Boeing, he said.
“The spirit of Future Factory is right in here,” Rosenthal said.
Shortly after 11 a.m., Dale Pitcher sat in the “Queen of the Skies” eating Chinese food, savoring the changes of late at Boeing.
The company’s Future Factory efforts have not gone unnoticed with Pitcher, who described the atmosphere of the old cafeteria as that of a “rundown McDonald’s.” In the last year, Pitcher noted a much more relaxed atmosphere at Boeing. The recent additions of Tully’s coffee shops and an employee service center offer workers places to escape from the factory setting.
“It makes employees feel more comfortable,” Pitcher said. “It gives us a place to go and relax.”
That’s not to Boeing’s disadvantage though. Employees are more invigorated after their breaks, making them more productive at work, he said.
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