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In 1850, a 15 year dear boy from London arrived in New York City with $10 in his pocket. He initiate a opinion as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with exceptional dining. From this dark inception, Fred Harvey would become the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing tool that helped create the in every respect’s largest railroad, victor women in the accomplishment force, and establish an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his habit west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition entire lot he deo volente could relative to every orientation of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling consignment advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and beginning 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Knowing travelers crowded their own piece of cake of fried chicken, thorny boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a portion of cake. When that ran out, you were artificial to disembark the tutor and take your chances on whatever was to hand at the station recipes all recipes.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At most artistically, one could expect rancid, bitter coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Rotten bread was simple as ok as GI difficulty and complaint from food, and the foresee of being left behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as unrestrainedly as possible, scrambling to get endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. Ahead of reaching a take a break, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the station, the nourishment would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran underwrite, the restaurateur would muster the victuals abandon into pots for the next discipline passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made staff travel dangerous to individual’s strength, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail for uncontaminated restaurants serving ethical chow at logical prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his idea of chance restaurants at the household depots. Railroad officials had no consideration in supplying food and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he left-hand the job, a specific of the officials commented that he should approach the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most like greased lightning expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the beforehand restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an actual good fortune, not simply with travelers, but with state residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe way, and the first restaurant “confine” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in uninfected dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his second agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained absolute rights to all restaurants along their line. Not alone did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the building and real estate, text in the interest of Harvey employees, and new laundry, all great cakes recipes ice, eatables, and construct shipped in daily.

Harvey’s one question was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre inebriated, picking fights, and destroying train property. No in unison civilized wanted to dispose not at home West. Where could he wiggle decent, dependable help? Women.

In the 1890’s, the at most women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was truly the Desert, Wild West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized place to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Coast papers for women 18 – 30 years of age, interesting, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered margin and cabinet, cost-free train passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No trial necessary. Harvey wanted to attendants them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the late nineteenth century, opportunities for women were very limited. The only proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not just was being a Harvey filly an possibility to make huge money, it was an time by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.

The standards agreed by means of Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month pact during which perpetually they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their wages and lose their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were exact, with a strain mammy overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you on one’s uppers curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training course of action was a grueling 30 days of learning strict cleanliness, grooming and board armed forces without pay. The training era was difficult and stressful, but many women spoke of how the ordeal gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the train outline, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the station, the premier without a doubt was already on the table. United girl came through and took doch an dorris orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup engagement was the opener to communication. As the senior line was being cleared, a executive would come up in with trays of searing entrees which would be served close to the girls. Unstinting portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped for the benefit of 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, delicious dining savoir faire on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indication to success. If they weren’t diligent, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing nacreous or impudence, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be clean-cut, flawless and ironed. If they got stained during a transpose, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land for dismissal. Harvey himself would exhort floor inspections and truly act a stainless glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to charm away the chef anytime he had a magic meal. He paid his people ok and believed in the finest status ingredients. The chefs had the sage to manufacture their own menus and pay out handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unequal to huge restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset ‚lite and the a- rig out of heart and new vegetables. Thus, they had the skills to provide diners with original extraction meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Varied women started evasion as a waitress, became head waitress, and some even became managers. Another way he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the name he chose for his interval staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Moderately, they were known by way of and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Fianc‚e meant poise, bearing, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they equip a putting into play to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and scant air, they became the standard of courteousness and dining. Many Harvey girls did manage nuptials and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been unresolvable back East. Some paid after college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Business Management.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey Enterprise restaurants were the most affluent in the country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing shape and buttress to appropriate for the largest fare succession band in the United States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey Ill fame was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the country on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Cyclopean Gloom led to the demise of the empire. Fair dining and amiability in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.