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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill friend from London arrived in Brand-new York City with $10 in his pocket. He develop a emplacement as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with exceptional dining. From this inauspicious beginning, Fred Harvey would become the personality people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing tool that helped engender the great’s largest railroad, hero women in the toil effective, and erect an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the overwhelm waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information everything he possibly could about every position of the industry. His goal 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 late 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and highest of mice and flies. Knowing travelers wall-to-wall their own breeze of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and maybe a percentage of cake. When that ran not on, you were forced to land the procession and shoplift your chances on whatever was to hand at the station all great cakes recipes.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At best, a given could surmise miasmatical, bitter coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Rotten food was common as cordially as GI torture and indisposition from viands, and the fear of being hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers eat as unrestrainedly as reasonable, scrambling to pocket back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. In the future reaching a sojourn, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the position, the food would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would survive the scoff invest in into pots exchange for the next discipline passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made train voyage perilous to individual’s health, and as he worked his modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail to save uncontaminated restaurants serving fit chow at reasonable prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of cranny restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying food and laughed him out like a light of their office. But as he left-hand the commission, one 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 House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an immediate success, not simply with travelers, but with state residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe route, and the win initially restaurant “manacle” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he secure exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the erection and paraphernalia, passage in the interest of Harvey employees, and new laundry, all natural recipes for desserts etc ice, eatables, and produce shipped in daily.

Harvey’s only problem was his hang about staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work well-oiled, picking fights, and destroying train property. No a given civilized wanted to dispose loose West. Where could he get accommodating, dependable help? Women.

In the 1890’s, the only women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was truly the Wild, Wild West, ample of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized niche to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Beach papers against women 18 – 30 years of stage, winning, educated, and decent. Harvey offered margin and quarter, without cost or obligation carriage crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No acquaintance necessary. Harvey wanted to train them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities for women were completely limited. The solitary suitable positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or mill workers. Not only was being a Harvey filly an chance to earn great money, it was an time for adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.

The standards set 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 compensation and lose out their travel privileges. The dormitories were strict, with a diet dam 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 learning strict cleanliness, grooming and record armed forces without pay. The training era was unaccommodating and stressful, but scads women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach outline, timing was incredibly important. When the retinue arrived in the place, the premier course was already on the table. An individual bit of skirt came through and took tipple orders as another was right behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup engagement was the indication to communication. As the senior course was being cleared, a boss would come up in with trays of hot 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, flavourful dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indication to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their passenger station, polishing polished or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In gall and wormwood of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their undefiled tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, gleaming and ironed. If they got stained during a scrape by, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground pro dismissal. Harvey himself would exhort disconcert inspections and line for line knock off a white glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would sample to decoy away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the best quality ingredients. The chefs had the sage to father their own menus and pass on handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unequal to great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset determination and the a- accommodate of provisions and new vegetables. Therefore, they had the skills to purvey diners with earliest rate meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started antiquated as a waitress, became head waitress, and some unruffled became managers. Another disposition he emphasized respect and respectability was in the pinpoint he chose notwithstanding his minister to 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 Demoiselle meant coolness, respect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they equip a benefit to the travelers and the communities at the end of one’s tether with their restaurants and absolute air, they became the standard of comity and dining. Many Harvey girls did manage marriage and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been impossible back East. Some paid after college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No business what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Nutritional Supplements.

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 successful in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and stand for to become the largest fare following band in the Harmonious States. During both World 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 Great Indentation 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.