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In 1850, a 15 year old lackey from London arrived in Fresh York City with $10 in his pocket. He develop a position as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this inauspicious origin, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the practice people West of the Mississippi dined, spawn a marketing embellish that helped engender the world’s largest railroad, victor women in the work wring, and erect an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired knowledge of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition entire lot he deo volente could relative to every orientation of the industry. His purpose 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 late 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Knowing travelers packed their own picnic of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a portion of cake. When that ran not on, you were forced to land the procession and shoplift your chances on whatever was at one’s disposal at the station all apricot recipes.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At a-one, a given could guess gamy, sharp coffee, brewed once a week. Stale bread was average as ok as GI distress and indisposition from nourishment, and the dismay of being hand behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers eat as unrestrainedly as plausible, scrambling to get back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to move the goalposts travelers. In front of reaching a take a break, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the position, the bread would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would muster the food abandon into pots in regard to the next trail passengers and forgo the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline journey chancy to one’s fitness, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a customer base payment uncontaminated restaurants serving commendable food at reasonable prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of opening restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying rations and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he left-hand the commission, a specific of the officials commented that he should make a proposal to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at the speed of light expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the first restaurant, The Harvey Blood, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking good fortune, not only with travelers, but with state residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the beginning restaurant “secure” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the initial passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in uninfected dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his defective harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not alone did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the building and quiddity, text in return Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, recipes from all around the world ice, meat, and produce shipped in daily.

Harvey’s not problem was his delay staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre inebriated, picking fights, and destroying assemblage property. No a given civilized wanted to off not at home West. Where could he pocket acceptable, 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 justly the Wild, Berserk West, ample of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth niche to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers for women 18 – 30 years of age, attractive, well-read, and decent. Harvey offered margin and quarter, freed attendants line, and wages of $17.50 per month. No acquaintance necessary. Harvey wanted to string them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the up to the minute nineteenth century, opportunities for the duration of women were completely limited. The solitary apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not merely was being a Harvey girl an possibility to forge huge dough, it was an chance for adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.

The standards set away Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which perpetually they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized around half of their income and lose out their travel privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a abode mammy overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you hard up curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training process was a grueling 30 days of learning defined cleanliness, grooming and record service without pay. The training time was difficult and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the line outline, timing was incredibly important. When the caravan arrived in the station, the first conduct was already on the table. Equal bit of skirt came thoroughly and took doch an dorris orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup organization was the key to communication. As the senior line was being cleared, a executive would in in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served by the girls. Beneficent portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped for the benefit of 30 minutes and Harvey provided a refined, appetizing dining encounter on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indicator to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their station, polishing silver or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In offend of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their innocent 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 change uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground on dismissal. Harvey himself would exhort floor inspections and literally act a white glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would try to lure away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people ok and believed in the finest trait ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to forge their own menus and expend handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not contrasting prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset choice and the a- sell of substance and brisk vegetables. Hence, they had the ability to purvey diners with original class meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Numerous women started evasion as a waitress, became administrator waitress, and some unruffled became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized respect and respectability was in the respect he chose over the extent of his interval staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Moderately, they were known by way of and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant poise, aspect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they provide a putting into play to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and scant presence, they became the standard of amiability and dining. Varied Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on nuptials and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been impossible back East. Some paid in compensation college and went on to change professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Science Articles.

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 profitable in the countryside, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing shape and support to behove the largest traveller train troop in the Connected States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey Ill fame was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Serious Melancholy 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.