History of

Foodservice

 The history of foodservice is closely associated with

travel.
Throughout history, merchants have traveled
extensively to trade with other nations or tribes.
There were also the religious pilgrimages to places of
worship.
Invariably, in the different places of destination, food
and lodging have been provided to the travelers.

 In the Middle Ages, the beginnings of foodservice was evident

in the dining rooms of posting houses of the Romans, as well
as the inns and taverns of the English people.
The Canterbury Inn had a kitchen measuring 45 feet in
diameter , which provides food not only for the monks but also
for the pilgrims who came to the abbey to worship.
In the Royal Households of England where numerous guests
(150 to 00) were received daily, foodservice became a
necessity.
Thus, a systematic recording of its expenses was made and
compiled in the Northumberland Household Book which was
considered the first known record book of scientific food cost
accounting.

 Also in England during the industrial revolution, a

certain Robert Owen provided meals at nominal prices
in an effort to improve the working conditions of the
workers in his mill. Owens feeding program was so
successful that it spread throughout the civilized world.
Hence, he was been known as the father of modern
industrial catering.
An English nurse, Florence Nightingale, pioneered in
hospital foodservice during the Crimean War. She was
so efficient in organizing and managing the meals for
the patients that she has been called the first hospital
dietitian in the modern sense. A noted chef named
Alexis Soyer helped her in the establishment of a
hospitaldiet kitchen.

 The formal school feeding program was started in

England by an Englishman named Victor Hugo. The
American school feeding programs were patterned after
Hugos program.
As opportunities for travel increased, so did the
commercial foodservice grow. In the 16th century,
coffeehouses were established in the United States of
America. In Paris, France, however, it was only sometime
in 1765 that the first restaurant was opened by a
Frenchman named Boulanger.
Then, with the advent of the 20th century, commercial
foodservice has become highly favored over the other
types of foodservice systems.

The Beginnings of
Foodservice in the
Philippines
In the Philippines, foodservice existed as early as the
time of the barangay system. The datu had to feed his
people including the slaves or alipin. Hence, it required
the service of food in great quantities.

The Chinese were the forerunners of the developmental

rudiments of the commercial type of foodservice. The
earliest recorded date of Chinese-Philippine trade is 982
A.D. Traders with valuable merchandise came to Luzon
from Fookien, Southern China. Though the Chinese
peddlers, the Filipinos came to know of varieties in dining
pleasures.

 During the Spanish period, Chinese food became

popular that they were no longer peddled by ambulant
vendors but were served under more permanent
structures. A letter of a civil servant to King Philip II of
Spain reported that the Chinese Community, the
Parian had many eating houses where the Sangleys
(Chinese) and the natives partook of their meals.
The natives set up eating places usually at the back of
public markets. Here, portions of kari-kari (an elaborate
stew) could be readily bought at cheap prices. Thus,
such eating places came to be known as karihan. No
explanation, however, could be obtained from history
books why the Spaniards later called it as carinderia.

 On the other hand, the Chinese operated eateries

which came to be known as panciterias since they
usually serve pancit (noodles).
The Americans modified the foodservice system when
they introduced the concept of cafeteria. It started
with the public school feeding program in 1906when
attempts were made to remedy the poor nutrition of
children. The American teachers put up cafeterias to
demonstrate the value of proper diet to the students.
The cafeteria was a laboratory of the home
economics courses which also served meals to both
students and the faculty.

 The cafeteria concept was not limited to the schools. Other

types of foodservice such as the commercial fast food
centers, in-plant feedings, and dining rooms in healthcare
institutions picked up the concept of self-service.
From then on, many concepts and practices have been
introduced by other countries which have contributed to the
development of foodservice in the Philippines. Changes have
taken place with increasing speed due to many factors like
modern technology; new legislations; and urbanization.
It is expected that with the onset of globalization and the
effect of modern information technology in the Philippine
foodservice industry will become more diversified and
definitely grow in magnitude.

End of Presentation