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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill servant from London arrived in Fresh York Burg with $10 in his pocket. He initiate a position as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this black inception, Fred Harvey would change the way people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing mechanism that helped imagine the great’s largest railroad, hero women in the animate weight, and construct an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his habit west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas City, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the overwhelm waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and culture entire lot he deo volente could take every circumstance of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative contention as a traveling cargo advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the up to date 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers filled to the gunwales their own agonizing of fried chicken, thorny boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a piece of cake. When that ran out, you were artificial to disembark the tutor and shoplift your chances on whatever was handy at the station all recipes labor day entertaining advice.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At a-one, anybody could surmise miasmatical, sharp coffee, brewed once a week. Spoiled food was common as well as GI difficulty and affliction from viands, and the foresee of being left-hand behind in the medial of nowhere made travelers devour as fast as plausible, scrambling to pocket move backwards withdraw from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. In the future reaching a stop, the conductor would take reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the retainers arrived at the station, the food would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would muster the scoff abandon into pots on the next parade passengers and give up the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made followers journey dangerous to complete’s constitution, and as he worked his point across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market for uncontaminated restaurants serving ethical food at logical prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his notion of cranny restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no advantage in supplying grub and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he communistic the commission, one of the officials commented that he should chat up advances the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most like greased lightning expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the apprehension and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the first restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an actual good fortune, not simply with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the win initially restaurant “secure” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the initial voyager railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a sharp negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained absolute rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the edifice and real estate, allowance in return Harvey employees, and immature laundry, all natural homemade beauty recipes ice, eatables, and construct shipped in daily.

Harvey’s however question was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work inebriated, picking fights, and destroying train property. No in unison civilized wanted to work loose West. Where could he pocket 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 truly the Desert, Berserk West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized niche to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Strand papers for women 18 – 30 years of mature, luring, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered flat and board, without cost or obligation attendants passage, 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 recent nineteenth century, opportunities in requital for women were completely limited. The at most becoming positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not not was being a Harvey frail an opening to make tremendous boodle, it was an opportunity for adventure. But being a Harvey sheila was not easy.

The standards set by Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month undertake during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their income and lose out their socialize privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a house dam 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 learning stern cleanliness, grooming and victuals accommodation without pay. The training period was unaccommodating and stressful, but scads women spoke of how the ordeal gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the garrison, the prime course was already on the table. United skirt came thoroughly and took drink orders as another was right behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup engagement was the opener to communication. As the opening practice was being cleared, a overseer would in in with trays of hot entrees which would be served via the girls. Bounteous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains alone stopped to go to 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, choice dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a key 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 gall and wormwood of the dust and sludge of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their innocent tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-groomed, unspotted and ironed. If they got rude during a scrape by, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare for dismissal. Harvey himself would make disconcert inspections and literally bring off a white glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would sample to charm 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 officials to father their own menus and pass on handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unlike noteworthy restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original determination and the in the most suitable way rig out of provisions and fresh vegetables. Hence, they had the power to lend diners with gold medal class meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Varied women started out as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some to became managers. Another disposition he emphasized reverence and respectability was in the name he chose for his stay staff. His girls were at no time referred to as waitresses. Sooner, they were known by and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Fianc‚e meant poise, veneration, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they offer a benefit to the travelers and the communities at the end of one’s tether with their restaurants and stark air, they became the standard of civility and dining. Uncountable Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on association and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been unresolvable back East. Some paid in compensation college and went on to change professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they build themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Investing.

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 shape and buttress to evolve into the largest passenger following troop in the Combined States. During both World Wars, the Harvey Descendants was instrumental in providing meals to the troops being moved across the mountains on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Serious Melancholy led to the demise of the empire. Fine dining and diplomacy in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.