After More Than 30 years, It’s Lights Out for HQ’s Skyline Restaurant
The sun has gone down on the Skyline Restaurant.
The top-floor restaurant at Exchange headquarters, once home to special events and after-hours camaraderie, officially closed for good June 1, after having been shut down for more than a year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For longtime HQ associates, it was the end of an era.
HQ facilities manager Sean Asuncion’s parents, who both worked for the Exchange, also performed in the band Hawaiian Standard Time at Skyline Restaurant during its early days. At right is Sean’s mother JoAnn Asuncion; his father Mel Asuncion (without hat) is on guitar at center. Both are now retired from the Exchange.
“It was a really cool concept back in the day,” said Sean Asuncion, HQ facility manager. “It was more like the officers restaurant when we had more military at HQ. On the weekends, the restaurant would have live music or a DJ. It was rented out for weddings, quinceañeras, birthday parties. It was the place to be.”
Asuncion said the restaurant had been open since the late ’70s and early ’80s. His parents, who both worked for the Exchange, were also entertainers there. “They had a Hawaiian band with hula dancers,” he said. “My mother would dance the hula. My father, and a few of his work associates, would play Hawaiian music.”
In its early years, the Skyline had a bar that HQ associates could go to after work, and smoking was still allowed. Hors d’oeuvres were served.
“You could get a snack and a drink and hang out with your co-workers,” Asuncion said.
As the years passed, the bar was shut down except for special events. The restaurant served lunch Monday through Friday but faced increasing competition from the food concessions at the HQ food court and in the Express, which were able to serve busy associates more quickly.
It went through changes to make it more successful, including a 2017 remodel that added new décor and carpeting, as well as a new kitchen. But it struggled to attract foot traffic.
“It was a great location,” said Linda Densmore, combined activities manager, who was manager of the restaurant during the remodeling. “There just wasn’t enough population in the building to make it a successful operation.”
Setting up for an event at the Skyline Restaurant. The photos that line the walls will be relocated to another floor of the HQ building.
The restaurant went from being open five days a week to being open only Tuesday through Thursday, and in 2019 it changed from table service to cafeteria-style service. The restaurant was temporarily shut down in March 2020 as many HQ associates began working remotely during the pandemic.
“It was the first place we closed down,” said Robert Woods, general manager of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Exchange, who took over management of the restaurant in late 2019.
On June 1, “temporary” became permanent. Although the restaurant had already been closed for more than a year, people who were part of its past were wistful about its permanent closure.
“We had a lot of good times,” Densmore said. “I hosted many events, many retirements, we opened the bar every other Friday for a while. There’s a lot of history there, especially for associates that have been here for 20 or 30 years.”
Have memories of the Skyline Restaurant? Share them in the comments section. If you have photos from events there, send them to exchangepost@aafes.com and we’ll add them to a special Flickr album.
Bittersweet
Bittersweet indeed, Mark. Thanks for your comment.
Robert Philpot
The Exchange Post
How very sad. I retired in 1996 & remember attending many memorable events there. I attended Kimball High School and planned 4 reunions to take place at the club.
This makes me sooooo sad. I worked there for almost 13 years. I played cashier, bartender, computer tech, stand in manager, party planner, etc
I have seen people come and good in there. I will truliss going up there and visited everyone for a drink or meal!!!
Many happy memories including a son’s wedding and my retirement farewell in 1993.
The Skyline Restaurant will be missed. I had my 40th Birthday party, my 2016 Graduation dinner, and my parents 50th Wedding anniversary there. Also, several retirements. But most of all, I will miss Karaoke and the beautiful people, that I met that worked there over the 28 years, I have worked for the Exchange.
The salad bar and friendly staff will be missed.
So many memories. Promotion parties (including mine); my daughter’s wedding reception; IT planning sessions & proposals; bar nights and karaoke. And the Asuncion’s Hawaiian nights!
Great times on the 6th Floor …
Wow…I shot a wedding there in 2008 or 2009. I ate a lot of lunches there before I retired in 2010. In the 1990s, I would hang out occasionally at the bar or did some dancing. I remember when Frank Milewski was often the DJ for us. Lots of memories.
That’s sad, but I had great memories there, still sad..
The “AAFES Skyline Club” provided a terrific dining alternative to HQ staff and visitors. Catering services were a significant part of the business. This closure marks the end of an era. Documenting the Club is an important part of the history of AAFES. I hope readers will forward pictures and relate their experiences in “The Skyline Club”.
oh wow – lots of memories from 6th floor – a calmer place for lunch vs. the busy food court, and a really nice place to bring visitors and hold special team lunches. The Skyline team also catered a few meetings in the building for us, they were professional and thorough, from beginning to end. So many retirement celebrations were held up there, promotion parties, holiday parties! And SO much fun at all the karaoke nights while they lasted. Fun people, singing, various DJs, dancing, and always a great crew working the bar.
Sad to see this occurring…. Attended a number of functions at the Skyline Club when I was stationed at Carswell AFB. My last time there was at the invitation of MG Dick Murray, to have lunch with him prior to my departure for Germany.
I celebrated my 30th birthday with friends at a Friday night dinner and dancing. Many IT Christmas parties, Retirement ceremonies, Award Ceremonies, ’13’ parties, IT had a great Women’s Month event one year, wedding celebrations, nice lunches with friends, not forgetting many afternoons in the 80’s relaxing and getting to know your co-workers better.
Wow, the David W. Carter Class of 1977 put together a Carter 70’s only “Alumni Party” there about 10-12 years ago. That event launched what is now the “Carter Alumni Picnic” (8th year). The “Beautiful” Event was featured in the “Elite News”. A “Special Thank You” to AAFES long time employee, Mrs. Tammy Rivera for making the suggestion and arranging it all!
Will miss the good times there. I had my 50th Birthday Party there and also my parent’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. The set-up was first class and attendees at both events raved about the accommodations, food, and staff.