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In 1850, a 15 year dear servant from London arrived in Experimental York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He rest a site as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this portentous beginning, Fred Harvey would become the way people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing tool that helped engender the mankind’s largest railroad, champion women in the animate force, and construct an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his functioning west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas City, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and culture entire lot he possibly could about every circumstance of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling conveyance 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 full of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers filled to the gunwales their own agonizing of fried chicken, agonizingly boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a kind of cake. When that ran out, you were calculated to land the followers and entertain your chances on whatever was available at the station all natural recipes for dog food.

Along the practice, anything was possible. At best, one could expect rancid, distasteful coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Perverted bread was simple as well as GI depression and illness from aliment, and the foresee of being left behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers devour as fast as reasonable, scrambling to pocket endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. Ahead of reaching a take a break, the conductor would acquire reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the retainers arrived at the standing, the nourishment would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would survive the foodstuffs back into pots in regard to the next train passengers and forgo the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline peregrinations threatening to complete’s fitness, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market for virtuous restaurants serving ethical subsistence at reasonable prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his idea of chink restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no interest in supplying grub and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he communistic the job, story of the officials commented that he should approach the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most like greased lightning expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an immediate good fortune, not only with travelers, but with regional residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the maiden restaurant “chain” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the initial fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his assign accord with Santa Fe, he obtained choice rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he secure exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the erection and real estate, transaction aperture repayment for Harvey employees, and new laundry, all natural hair recipes ice, eatables, and prompt shipped in daily.

Harvey’s only disturbed was his delay staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to production well-oiled, picking fights, and destroying group property. No a given civilized wanted to accomplishment short West. Where could he pocket accommodating, 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 Run amok, Move West, full of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth place to be. So, Harvey did something undoubtedly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers for women 18 – 30 years of mature, attractive, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered flat and cabinet, without cost or obligation train line, 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 till nineteenth century, opportunities for women were unusually limited. The alone apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not not was being a Harvey frail an opening to make great dough, it was an possibility instead of adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.

The standards delay by Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized by half of their salary and lose out their socialize privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a house 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 process was a grueling 30 days of information rigid cleanliness, grooming and board service without pay. The training interval was difficult and stressful, but many women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the train schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the site, the premier progress was already on the table. One girl came thoroughly and took doch an dorris orders as another was right-minded behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup organization was the indication to communication. As the senior direction was being cleared, a executive would come up in with trays of hot entrees which would be served via the girls. Beneficent portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped for 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, choice dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t diligent, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their position, polishing greyish-white or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and slop of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, gleaming and ironed. If they got obscene during a look after, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was sod on dismissal. Harvey himself would make surprise inspections and literally bring off a white glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would sample to allure away the chef anytime he had a superb meal. He paid his people well and believed in the finest trait ingredients. The chefs had the sage to father their own menus and pass on handsomely benefit of supplies and produce. Not unequal to prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original choice and the in the most suitable way rig out of provisions and brisk vegetables. Thus, they had the skills to provide diners with gold medal class meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started antiquated as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some even became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the pinpoint he chose notwithstanding his interval staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Sooner, they were known through and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant poise, respect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they accord a usefulness to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and absolute poise, they became the standard of civility and dining. Many Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on alliance and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been unresolvable defeat East. Some paid after college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they build themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Exercise & Fitness.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its culmination, the Harvey Quarter restaurants were the most wealthy in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and buttress to become the largest traveller discipline company in the Connected States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey Descendants was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the rural area on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Cyclopean Gloom led to the demise of the empire. Prime dining and diplomacy in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.