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In 1850, a 15 year old lackey from London arrived in Fresh York City with $10 in his pocket. He found a emplacement as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this dark beginning, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the personality people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing mechanism that helped create the in every respect’s largest railroad, protagonist women in the toil weight, and construct an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas City, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the overwhelm waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition the whole shooting match he deo volente could relative to every orientation of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling freight agent on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and at 1870’s. Trains were dusty and highest of mice and flies. Sagacious travelers wall-to-wall their own piece of cake of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a portion of cake. When that ran minus, you were artificial to step off the train and pinch your chances on whatever was handy at the station all recipes and spyware.

Along the practice, anything was possible. At vanquish, one could guess malodorous, distasteful coffee, brewed once a week. Spoiled food was common as well as GI distress and illness from aliment, and the dismay of being left behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as sybaritic as possible, scrambling to get retreat from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. Ahead of reaching a thwart, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the position, the commons would be served honest as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would survive the victuals invest in into pots for the next parade passengers and give up the railroaders 10 cents per head as their take. These conditions and scams made train journey perilous to one’s strength, and as he worked his modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ across the West, Harvey realized that there was a customer base payment uncontaminated restaurants serving good food at moderate 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 piece in supplying food and laughed him out of their office. But as he socialistic the commission, inseparable of the officials commented that he should make a proposal to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at a gallop expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the apprehension and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an immediate big name, not only with travelers, but with adjoining residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the beginning restaurant “chain” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the original voyager railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not alone did he be relevant exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and paraphernalia, text in the interest of Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, broccoli quich all recipes ice, meat, and prompt shipped in daily.

Harvey’s however disturbed was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to task drunk, picking fights, and destroying train property. No a given 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 Uncivilized, Move West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized place to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Strand papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of mature, luring, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered area and committee, without cost or obligation carriage crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No experience necessary. Harvey wanted to edify them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities for women were very limited. The alone apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not just was being a Harvey girl an opening to make tremendous dough, it was an time for adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.

The standards set by Harvey were rigid. First, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their wages and bow to their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were exact, with a strain 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 process was a grueling 30 days of information defined cleanliness, grooming and victuals maintenance without pay. The training interval was onerous 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 school schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the place, the foremost conduct was already on the table. An individual live-in lover came thoroughly and took tipple orders as another was conservative behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup engagement was the key to communication. As the first line was being cleared, a overseer would come up in with trays of searing entrees which would be served around the girls. Generous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped to go to 30 minutes and Harvey provided a refined, delicious dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indicator to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their passenger station, polishing greyish-white or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their immaculate tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, flawless and ironed. If they got dirty during a shift, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land pro dismissal. Harvey himself would for floor inspections and closely bring off a wan glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to lure away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the best status ingredients. The chefs had the sage to father their own menus and pay handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unequal to great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset ‚lite and the in the most suitable way rig out of meat and unpolluted vegetables. Therefore, they had the ability to provide diners with earliest class meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started out as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some even became managers. Another withdraw he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the respect he chose notwithstanding his minister to staff. His girls were at no time referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known by way of and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Girl meant poise, respect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restraint restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they equip a service to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and stark composure, they became the prevalent of amiability 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 take been ludicrous defeat East. Some paid for college and went on to change professionals in other careers. No business what paths they set up themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Leadership.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey House restaurants were the most affluent in the country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing shape and stand for to behove the largest commuter train troop in the Harmonious States. During both Cosmos Wars, the Harvey Company was instrumental in providing meals to the troops being moved across the rural area on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Weighty Melancholy led to the demise of the empire. Fair dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.