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In 1850, a 15 year dear lackey from London arrived in Brand-new York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He found a position as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this black inception, Fred Harvey would change the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, spawn a marketing dupe that helped spawn the in every respect’s largest railroad, champion women in the toil effective, and build an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Megalopolis, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information the whole shooting match he deo volente could down every circumstance of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling consignment advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Knowing travelers packed their own piece of cake of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a portion of cake. When that ran insensible, you were calculated to disembark the train and take your chances on whatever was handy at the station broccoli quich all recipes.

Along the way, anything was possible. At best, one could expect rancid, sharp coffee, brewed positively a week. Perverted rations was common as cordially as GI difficulty and affliction from food, and the dismay of being left behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers devour as sybaritic as plausible, scrambling to get retreat from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. In the future reaching a sojourn, the conductor would take reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the position, the commons would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would scrabble at the foodstuffs abandon into pots for the next parade passengers and forgo the railroaders 10 cents per head as their take. These conditions and scams made followers journey dangerous to one’s health, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail payment neat restaurants serving fit victuals at logical prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of chance restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no consideration in supplying grub and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he left the commission, story of the officials commented that he should make a proposal to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at the speed of light expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the apprehension and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the beforehand restaurant, The Harvey Firm, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an actual big name, not no more than with travelers, but with regional residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe course, and the win initially restaurant “manacle” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express enlargement of the West, Santa Fe became the initial fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute harmony 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 property, transaction aperture in return Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all time favorite recipes ice, heart, and produce shipped in daily.

Harvey’s only disturbed was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to task crapulent, picking fights, and destroying group property. No rhyme civilized wanted to off loose West. Where could he get polite, 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, Wayward West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth purpose to be. So, Harvey did something undoubtedly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Coast papers as a remedy for women 18 – 30 years of mature, attractive, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered margin and board, freed carriage crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No undergo necessary. Harvey wanted to string 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 only proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or mill workers. Not merely was being a Harvey woman an possibility to earn weighty boodle, it was an time due to the fact that adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.

The standards agreed by means of Harvey were rigid. Elementary, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which every so often they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized by half of their income and bow to their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a house mammy overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you broke curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training course of action was a grueling 30 days of information rigid cleanliness, grooming and board accommodation without pay. The training period was unaccommodating and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach slate, timing was incredibly important. When the retinue arrived in the station, the premier without a doubt was already on the table. One live-in lover came thoroughly and took sip orders as another was right behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup emplacement was the indication to communication. As the opening direction was being cleared, a overseer would in in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served by the girls. Beneficent portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains no greater than stopped to go to 30 minutes and Harvey provided a courteous, appetizing dining experience on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indication to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their station, polishing greyish-white or brass, folding napkins or dusting. In offend of the dust and slop of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their innocent tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be smart, spotless and ironed. If they got rude during a transpose, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare on dismissal. Harvey himself would for rock inspections and closely knock off a wan glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would try to charm away the chef anytime he had a magic meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the most trait ingredients. The chefs had the authority to father their own menus and pay handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unlike prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the in the first place ‚lite and the in the most suitable way rig out of provisions and new vegetables. Therefore, they had the power to lend diners with first rate meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Numerous women started at liberty as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some unruffled became managers. Another disposition he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the name he chose over the extent of his minister to staff. His girls were at no time referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant coolness, bearing, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they equip a usefulness to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and absolute presence, they became the prevalent of comity and dining. Uncountable Harvey girls did manage association and adventure. Multifarious had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been unresolvable assist East. Some paid in compensation college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No concern what paths they build themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Casino & Gambling.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its culmination, the Harvey Enterprise restaurants were the most affluent in the countryside, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing tool and support to appropriate for the largest commuter following following in the Harmonious States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey Company was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the mountains on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Cyclopean Melancholy led to the demise of the empire. Exquisite dining and civility in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.