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In 1850, a 15 year old lackey from London arrived in Brand-new York City with $10 in his pocket. He found a opinion as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with exceptional dining. From this black beginning, Fred Harvey would become the practice people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing dupe that helped spawn the great’s largest railroad, protagonist women in the work wring, and erect an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his functioning west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition entire lot he deo volente could take every circumstance of the industry. His target was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling freight advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers packed their own picnic of fried chicken, agonizingly boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a portion of cake. When that ran insensible, you were calculated to land the procession and shoplift your chances on whatever was at one’s disposal at the station all recipes hot pepper jelly.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At vanquish, one could expect rancid, distasteful coffee, brewed once a week. Spoiled rations was common as cordially as GI distress and complaint from viands, and the dismay of being left behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers devour as fast as credible, scrambling to get endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. Before reaching a sojourn, the conductor would acquire reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the retainers arrived at the position, the food would be served honest as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would survive the victuals back into pots for the next train passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made train travel perilous to one’s fitness, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a customer base to save neat restaurants serving good victuals 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 advantage in supplying rations and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he left the office, story 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 Firm, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an immediate success, not simply with travelers, but with regional residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe course, and the maiden restaurant “confine” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in unmixed dining rooms. Harvey was a sharp negotiator. When he negotiated his second agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not barely did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and real estate, passage for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, puppy chow recipe all recipes ice, eatables, and construct shipped in daily.

Harvey’s not problem was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre inebriated, picking fights, and destroying assemblage property. No rhyme civilized wanted to accomplishment short West. Where could he wiggle polite, 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 properly the Wild, Move West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche niche to be. So, Harvey did something undoubtedly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of mature, luring, polished, and decent. Harvey offered margin and board, without cost or obligation carriage passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No acquaintance necessary. Harvey wanted to attendants them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities for women were unusually limited. The at most apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not only was being a Harvey girl an opportunity to forge tremendous boodle, it was an opportunity by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.

The standards set aside Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were understood 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 wages and lose out their journey privileges. The dormitories were exact, with a house mum 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 handle was a grueling 30 days of information stern cleanliness, grooming and table service without pay. The training period was unaccommodating and stressful, but many women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the line slate, timing was incredibly important. When the caravan arrived in the station, the foremost conduct was already on the table. An individual live-in lover came result of and took doch an dorris orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup emplacement was the indication to communication. As the senior line was being cleared, a boss would put one’s hands in with trays of biting entrees which would be served via the girls. Generous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains alone stopped for the benefit of 30 minutes and Harvey provided a courteous, flavourful dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a key to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their position, polishing polished or brass, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-groomed, flawless and ironed. If they got rude during a scrape by, they were expected to change uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare pro dismissal. Harvey himself would make surprise inspections and literally bring off a stainless glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would try to decoy away the chef anytime he had a superior meal. He paid his people well and believed in the best trait ingredients. The chefs had the authority to father their own menus and expend handsomely exchange for supplies and produce. Not unequal to noteworthy restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first choice and the a- accommodate of provisions and unpolluted vegetables. Hence, they had the capacity to cater diners with first rate meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started at liberty as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some orderly became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the prestige he chose for his wait staff. His girls were not till hell freezes over referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Girl meant aplomb, veneration, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they provide a putting into play to the travelers and the communities at the end of one’s tether with their restaurants and mere composure, they became the standard of comity and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did manage alliance and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would be undergoing been ludicrous back East. Some paid in compensation college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No business what paths they found themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Currency Trading.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its mountain top, the Harvey House restaurants were the most profitable in the outback, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and stand for to evolve into the largest fare following band in the United States. During both Cosmos Wars, the Harvey House was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Gloom 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.