Soldiers back from deployment reunite over meal in Rolling Meadows

The last time the men and women of the 882nd Military Police company all gathered to eat in January 2011, their mood wasn’t exactly jovial.

The Arlington Heights-based Army reservist unit was about to leave on a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan, and Hungry? Restaurant in Rolling Meadows was its final pit stop.

Nothing but smiles and laughter could be seen and heard over the weekend, however, as the soldiers — all of them safe — reunited at the Algonquin Road eatery as part of their first training session since returning from the Middle East.

“We tried to send them off with a good meal and now we see that they all made it back, which is wonderful,” said Sam Syreggelas, who co-owns Hungry? with his brother, George.

The unit isn’t assigned a cook, so the Army contracts its meals with restaurants that meet its budget and nutrition criteria, Sgt. 1st Class Dale Frahm said. After some time off, the reservists are back to their regular training cycle of one weekend per month.

Lt. Eric Carl said he noticed a difference in the atmosphere this time compared to 14 months ago.

“We were very focused and business-oriented back then, so you can tell everyone is a little more relaxed,” Carl said.

Syreggelas said that unlike last time, when the restaurant had a few weeks to prepare, Hungry? was approached just a few days ago about serving what amounted to a couple hundred meals. They lose money on the deal, but Syreggelas said they’re happy to do it.

“We take a lot of pride in serving the troops and have a ton of respect for them,” Syreggelas said. “They’ve made so many sacrifices for us that it’s nice to turn the tables.”