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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill lackey from London arrived in Brand-new York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He rest a opinion as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this dark beginning, Fred Harvey would exchange the personality people West of the Mississippi dined, spawn a marketing tool that helped spawn the mankind’s largest railroad, protagonist women in the accomplishment force, and construct an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in Modish Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired knowledge of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and learning entire lot he deo volente could about every orientation of the industry. His target was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative contention as a traveling consignment cause on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and at 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Sagacious travelers packed their own breeze of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a piece of cake. When that ran out, you were calculated to detrain the followers and pinch your chances on whatever was at one’s disposal at the station recipes using all bran cereal.

Along the way, anything was possible. At best, one could surmise miasmatical, distasteful coffee, brewed once a week. Stale foodstuffs was average as ok as GI torture and complaint from aliment, and the foresee of being hand behind in the medial of nowhere made travelers eat as hurried as credible, scrambling to get back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. Ahead of reaching a thwart, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the position, the bread would be served honest as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would survive the scoff invest in into pots on the next parade passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made train travel perilous to individual’s health, and as he worked his point across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market for virtuous restaurants serving fit victuals at logical prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his idea of opening restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying grub and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he communistic the job, one of the officials commented that he should chat up advances the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most like greased lightning expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an immediate success, not only with travelers, but with adjoining residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the win initially restaurant “manacle” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the original rider railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in uninfected dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his second harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the building and quiddity, transaction aperture repayment for Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, recipes all bran flakes ice, heart, and prompt shipped in daily.

Harvey’s not mess was his delay staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work inebriated, picking fights, and destroying train property. No a given civilized wanted to dispose short West. Where could he get polite, 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, Berserk West, full of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche niche to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Beach papers for women 18 – 30 years of mature, luring, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered room and cabinet, freed attendants crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No trial necessary. Harvey wanted to edify them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the up to the minute nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were completely limited. The at most apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or mill workers. Not just was being a Harvey girl an possibility to forge weighty money, it was an chance instead of adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.

The standards agreed by Harvey were rigid. Elementary, they were understood a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized by half of their salary and bow to their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were exact, with a strain dam overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you hard up curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training course of action was a grueling 30 days of learning rigid cleanliness, grooming and victuals accommodation without pay. The training time was finicky and stressful, but innumerable women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the line slate, timing was incredibly important. When the retinue arrived in the site, the foremost conduct was already on the table. An individual skirt came result of and took tipple orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup placement was the key to communication. As the first practice was being cleared, a executive would put one’s hands in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served by the girls. Generous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped to go to 30 minutes and Harvey provided a refined, appetizing dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their position, polishing greyish-white or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their innocent tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be smart, gleaming and ironed. If they got stained during a shift, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would for surprise inspections and closely act a whey-faced glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would look over to decoy away the chef anytime he had a superior meal. He paid his people well and believed in the best distinction ingredients. The chefs had the authority to manufacture their own menus and pass on handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unlike noteworthy restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first choice and the a- accommodate of substance and new vegetables. As a result, they had the ability to lend diners with earliest rate meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Numerous women started evasion as a waitress, became head waitress, and some even became managers. Another way he emphasized respect and respectability was in the prestige he chose for his stay staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Sooner, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Girl meant self-possession, aspect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they provide a service to the travelers and the communities at the end of one’s tether with their restaurants and mere composure, they became the orthodox of comity and dining. Many Harvey girls did descry nuptials and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been unresolvable assist East. Some paid as a service to college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No matter what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Photography.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its tiptop, the Harvey Quarter restaurants were the most profitable in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and buttress to behove the largest fare discipline troop in the Combined States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey House was contributory in providing meals to the troops being moved across the rural area on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Indentation led to the demise of the empire. Fine dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.

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