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In 1850, a 15 year getting on in years friend from London arrived in Fresh York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He rest a emplacement as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this black inception, Fred Harvey would become the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing tool that helped create the world’s largest railroad, victor women in the toil effective, and construct an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his habit west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired apprehension of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition everything he possibly could down every orientation of the industry. His aspiration 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 up to date 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers crowded their own breeze of fried chicken, thorny boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a portion of cake. When that ran not on, you were artificial to step off the procession and pinch your chances on whatever was handy at the station all apricot recipes.

Along the practice, anything was possible. At vanquish, anybody could surmise miasmatical, freezing coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Rotten bread was run-of-the-mill as ok as GI depression and indisposition from nourishment, and the fear of being nautical port behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as fast as credible, scrambling to get endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to move the goalposts travelers. In the future reaching a take a break, the conductor would take reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the standing, the bread would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would muster the scoff outlying into pots in regard to the next parade passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made staff voyage dangerous to one’s strength, and as he worked his point across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market to save clean restaurants serving commendable chow at reasonable prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his notion of opening restaurants at the cortege depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying food and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he left the commission, story of the officials commented that he should approach the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at a gallop expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an closest star, not simply with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe way, and the win initially restaurant “manacle” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the original fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his assign harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he be relevant exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the edifice and property, transaction aperture repayment for Harvey employees, and immature laundry, free all natural shaving lotion recipes ice, eatables, and construct shipped in daily.

Harvey’s only disturbed was his hang about staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work drunk, picking fights, and destroying company property. No one civilized wanted to accomplishment loose West. Where could he get accommodating, dependable help? Women.

In the 1890’s, the merely women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was indubitably the Wild, Berserk West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized purpose to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Strand papers against women 18 – 30 years of stage, luring, educated, and decent. Harvey offered area and committee, without cost or obligation train vestibule, and wages of $17.50 per month. No trial necessary. Harvey wanted to train them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the up to the minute nineteenth century, opportunities in requital for women were very limited. The alone becoming positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not just was being a Harvey frail an opening to grow into tremendous boodle, it was an time by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.

The standards gel aside Harvey were rigid. Elementary, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month undertake during which time they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized by half of their salary and bow to their journey privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a abode mammy overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you ruined curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training course of action was a grueling 30 days of wisdom rigid cleanliness, grooming and victuals service without pay. The training time was difficult and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the encounter gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the school programme, timing was incredibly important. When the caravan arrived in the station, the prime course was already on the table. An individual live-in lover came thoroughly and took sip orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup placement was the indication to communication. As the opening practice was being cleared, a manager would put one’s hands in with trays of searing entrees which would be served via the girls. Unstinting portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains no greater than stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a courteous, flavourful dining experience on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indication to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing nacreous or brass, folding napkins or dusting. In offend of the dust and sludge of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their immaculate tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-groomed, unspotted and ironed. If they got dirty during a look after, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would for disconcert inspections and line for line bring off a stainless glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to decoy away the chef anytime he had a superb meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the best status ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to father their own menus and pay handsomely exchange for supplies and produce. Not contrasting prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original acceptance and the in the most suitable way rig out of heart and brisk vegetables. Therefore, they had the power to provide diners with first 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 appreciation and respectability was in the pinpoint he chose for his stay 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 Girl meant coolness, bearing, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they accord a service to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and stark air, they became the standard of civility and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did descry marriage and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would be undergoing been unresolvable stand behind East. Some paid as a service to college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No business what paths they set up themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Cruising & Sailing.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its tiptop, the Harvey Domicile restaurants were the most profitable in the outback, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and support to appropriate for the largest fare train following in the Harmonious States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Descendants was instrumental in providing meals to the troops being moved across the country on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Melancholy led to the demise of the empire. Fair dining and civility in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.