129 Years of Family Serving Family: Felicia Robinson, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 129 years of family serving family

Who she is: Felicia Robinson, certified restaurant trainer, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston

Years with the Exchange:  Robinson has been with the Exchange for 20 years. She began her career in April 2004 as an intermittent food service worker at Fort Rucker (now Fort Novosel). Her journey includes multiple locations and positions, including Popeyes manager and food court manager at Fort Novosel, Burger King manager at Fort Polk (now Fort Johnson) and food court manager at Redstone Arsenal before arriving at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. In 2017, Robinson joined a team in Korea to prepare for the Camp Humphreys Exchange grand opening, where she trained the Burger King staff.

What brought her to the Exchange: “I was a military spouse, and it was convenient for me to get a job there,” Robinson said.

Family connections: The Exchange runs deep in Robinson’s family. Her son, Staff Sgt. Dominique Robinson, worked for the Exchange as a projectionist from 2008 to 2012. He now serves as NCOIC of Administration Management at University of South Florida at Tampa, with 12 years in the Air Force. Her daughter, Tiara Robinson, is a store assistant in operations at the Fort Sam Exchange with 10 years of service.

Earliest memories of the Exchange: “Fort Rucker was an aviation training area, so I remember having Airmen coming in at the BK Express and how polite they were.”

What she loves about working at the Exchange: “I love the diversity. I’ve had a chance to meet people from all different areas. I’m always surprised when I meet someone from years ago and see them again at a different installation. The customers become regulars, and everyone is basically like a family.”

What family serving family means to her: “We tend to take care of our family members and hold them near and dear. With me being a family member and looking at the Exchange as a big family—with the customers we serve—it’s about making sure we’re taking care of them and our co-workers as well.

“There are so many Soldiers away from their families. Being kind, helping them see someone cares about making sure their needs are met, while appreciating their service and sacrifice is important,” she said. “I would hope the same care was given to my son in my absence.”

A memorable experience: “One of the most challenging times I experienced within the Exchange was being at Fort Johnson after Hurricane Laura in 2020. Just seeing how everyone came together amid the damage to make sure the community was taken care of was amazing to me.”

Her role as a Certified Restaurant Trainer: Robinson develops the next generation of Exchange restaurant managers. “We certify managers to ensure they follow the correct procedures and guidelines of the respective brands,” Robinson said. “The managers come to the restaurant for one to two weeks of training. We’ve recently gone back to in-store training after COVID.”

Sharing knowledge to build future leaders: “I’ve come across many managers in my career who had no problem sharing their knowledge with me, and I think it’s very important that we share the information we have with others so we can build up future managers for the Exchange.”

Robinson credits several people for shaping her development.

“Aldean Williams was a food court manager when I first started at Burger King, and she was very instrumental in my first management training. I also learned a lot from Ron McDuffie and Sheila Enderle—they were crucial in my development.”

Through her two decades of service, Robinson continues to embody the spirit of family serving family, ensuring that the Exchange, its employees and the communities it serves continue to thrive one restaurant at a time.