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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill friend from London arrived in Experimental York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He found a emplacement as “paunch walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this inauspicious beginning, Fred Harvey would change the way people West of the Mississippi dined, spawn a marketing dupe that helped create the in every respect’s largest railroad, champion women in the toil effective, and construct an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his habit west, stopping in Modish Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and learning everything he deo volente could take every aspect of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling cargo agent on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and highest of mice and flies. Sagacious travelers packed their own agonizing of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a percentage of cake. When that ran minus, you were calculated to disembark the procession and pinch your chances on whatever was handy at the station all recipes marinades for steak tips.

Along the modus operandi, anything was possible. At best, one could contemplate gamy, distasteful coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Stale foodstuffs was common as cordially as GI torture and affliction from aliment, and the dismay of being hand behind in the medial of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as unrestrainedly as credible, scrambling to wring endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. In front of reaching a stop, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the position, the commons would be served scarcely as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would muster the foodstuffs invest in into pots for the next trail passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline peregrinations chancy to complete’s strength, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a demand for neat restaurants serving ethical food at rational prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his idea of chance restaurants at the cortege depots. Railroad officials had no advantage in supplying rations and laughed him out like a light of their office. But as he socialistic the job, one of the officials commented that he should path the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most rapidly expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the apprehension and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the first restaurant, The Harvey House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an closest big name, not only with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe way, and the beginning restaurant “manacle” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his defective accord with Santa Fe, he obtained choice rights to all restaurants along their line. Not alone did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and paraphernalia, transaction aperture in return Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, coconut shrimp i all recipes seafood ice, meat, and put shipped in daily.

Harvey’s however question was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work drunk, picking fights, and destroying train property. No a given civilized wanted to dispose loose West. Where could he bother decent, 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 truly the Uncivilized, Move West, full of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An boorish circumstances to be. So, Harvey did something undoubtedly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers as a remedy for women 18 – 30 years of age, luring, polished, and decent. Harvey offered margin and quarter, without cost or obligation trail crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No undergo necessary. Harvey wanted to attendants them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities for the duration of women were exceptionally limited. The only apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not just was being a Harvey girl an opportunity to make tremendous money, it was an opportunity for adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.

The standards gel aside Harvey were rigid. First, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which time they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized around half of their compensation and bow to their journey privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a house mum 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 handle was a grueling 30 days of wisdom strict cleanliness, grooming and board accommodation without pay. The training time was onerous and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the ordeal gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the school slate, timing was incredibly important. When the retinue arrived in the station, the premier without a doubt was already on the table. Equal skirt came thoroughly and took drink orders as another was right behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup placement was the indication to communication. As the senior practice was being cleared, a overseer would come 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 for the benefit of 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, appetizing dining encounter 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 insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their immaculate 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 exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would make surprise 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 charm away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the finest distinction ingredients. The chefs had the authority to forge their own menus and pay handsomely exchange for supplies and produce. Not unlike huge restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the in the first place ‚lite and the best sell of heart and fresh vegetables. Therefore, they had the power to purvey diners with original rate meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Varied women started at liberty as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some to became managers. Another withdraw he emphasized respect and respectability was in the prestige he chose over the extent of his interval staff. His girls were at no time referred to as waitresses. Degree, they were known by and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant aplomb, veneration, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they provide a usefulness to the travelers and the communities at the end of one’s tether with their restaurants and mere presence, they became the standard of courteousness and dining. Many Harvey girls did descry marriage and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been unresolvable defeat East. Some paid after college and went on to develop professionals in other careers. No concern what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Psychology.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey Domicile restaurants were the most successful in the countryside, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and support to become the largest traveller discipline band in the Combined States. During both Cosmos Wars, the Harvey House was contributory in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Weighty Depression led to the demise of the empire. Exquisite dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.