Sailors can now wear regular clothes when they eat in shore galleys

The Navy is revamping its clothing policy for sailors at its shore galleys — relaxing the rules and standardizing policy across the service.

Going forward, sailors may wear most civilian clothes to shore galleys if the sailor is in a non-duty status — provided that the clothing is clean and does not contain “offensive language or pictures and aren’t overly revealing,” according to the Navy .

This is a departure from previous policy, which allowed installation commanding officers to set their own dress codes for shore galleys. The service said it found these policies were inconsistent and potentially “overly restrictive,” possibly limiting sailors from using the shore galleys.

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“We want to ensure those eating at our galleys enjoy a comfortable dining experience and that starts with their clothing,” Leslie Gould, Director of Fleet & Family Readiness, said in a Navy news release. “We know that our Sailors have busy lives and may be fitting their meals into a hectic schedule. If they’re on their way to the gym or out running errands, we don’t want restrictive clothing policies to discourage them from dining at our galleys.”

Clean gym attire is authorized, and closed-toe shoes as well sandals are both allowed. While board shorts are permitted, bikinis and speedos are not, according to the policy.

Those in military uniform must adhere to the proper uniform guidance.

“Navy schoolhouse students or recruits may be subject to additional dress code requirements without waiver to this policy,” the guidance said. “Students should be afforded the opportunity to dine in relaxed civilian attire, if the curriculum allows.”

There are 80 shore galleys in the Navy.