It has been said that the way to a man’s heart passes through the dining room. Likewise, the pulse and morale of the maquila employees in Ciudad Juárez is kept strong and positive through the high-quality food service industry, which has sprung up to complement the economic cornerstone industry of the Juárez/El Paso community.

      Of the nearly 3,000 or more maquilas operating in Mexico, Juárez can lay claim to approximately 290, which translates to at least 210,000 employees and 450,000 meals that need to be served on a daily basis.

      Historically, when the maquila industry was in its infancy, meals were handled in-house or by small mom-and-pop operations that would characteristically cater to only one or two plants. Local vendors serving burritos and tacos were a mainstay of the food service industry.

      As manufacturers flooded Juárez, it became a magnet for thousands of workers to move north from interior Mexico. The demand for efficient food service became overwhelming for the outdated and simplistic infrastructure. With the increased participation of U.S. firms, there were also growing expectations of hygiene. The Mexican government responded with strict regulations of standards, training, and nutritional requirements. From this evolution, the food service industry, as we know it today, was born.

      Firms answering this demand have employed business plans, menus, methods, and hygiene standards that rival the sophistication and quality of any industrialized nation in the world.

            Representing the new, progressive food service industry, Fiesta Servisol, S. de R.L. de C.V., emerged as one of the innovative leaders of those firms rising to meet the industrial culinary needs of the Juárez market. Founded in 1994, the company has grown from one client of 2,400 employees, or 12,000 meals a week, to one of the largest food service providers in Juárez now servicing 20 factories and providing 20,000 meals a day to more than 20,000 maquila employees. Richard Cannarsa, a graduate of New Mexico State University with a master’s degree in hospitality services, has overseen this growth. Prior to becoming president and partner at Fiesta, Cannarsa was a professor of the restaurant food service and culinary arts programs...

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