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In 1850, a 15 year dear servant from London arrived in Brand-new York Burg with $10 in his pocket. He rest a position as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with exceptional dining. From this black dawn, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing embellish that helped engender the in every respect’s largest railroad, victor women in the accomplishment wring, and build an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired apprehension of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and culture the whole shooting match he peradventure could relative to every circumstance of the industry. His target was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative contention as a traveling conveyance agent on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and highest of mice and flies. Knowing travelers wall-to-wall their own piece of cake of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a kind of cake. When that ran not on, you were calculated to disembark the procession and pinch your chances on whatever was handy at the station all natural perfume recipes.

Along the way, anything was possible. At best, one could guess rancid, distasteful coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Spoiled foodstuffs was run-of-the-mill as cordially as GI distress and complaint from viands, and the dismay of being nautical port behind in the mean of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as hurried as possible, 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 sojourn, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the station, the commons would be served honest as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would survive the victuals invest in into pots in regard to the next train passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per head as their take. These conditions and scams made followers journey dangerous to individual’s strength, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail to save clean restaurants serving commendable chow at rational prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his estimate of chance restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no consideration in supplying prog and laughed him out like a light of their office. But as he left the responsibility, story 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 apprehension and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the beforehand restaurant, The Harvey Firm, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking success, not at best with travelers, but with adjoining residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe course, and the maiden restaurant “secure” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his defective accord with Santa Fe, he obtained choice rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the edifice and real estate, passage in the interest of Harvey employees, and immature laundry, dessert bar recipes all recipes ice, viands, and produce shipped in daily.

Harvey’s however mess was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to production inebriated, picking fights, and destroying train property. No a given civilized wanted to work short West. Where could he bother accommodating, dependable help? Women.

In the 1890’s, the only women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was truly the Wild, Wayward West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An boorish circumstances to be. So, Harvey did something indeed revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Coast papers as a remedy for women 18 – 30 years of age, interesting, well-read, and decent. Harvey offered margin and quarter, without cost or obligation carriage passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No undergo necessary. Harvey wanted to train them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the up to the minute nineteenth century, opportunities in requital for women were exceptionally limited. The solitary apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or mill workers. Not just was being a Harvey girl an chance to make great shekels, it was an possibility by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.

The standards delay by Harvey were rigid. First, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which time they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their wages and lose their socialize privileges. The dormitories were strict, with a abode mum 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 course of action was a grueling 30 days of wisdom strict cleanliness, grooming and victuals service without pay. The training time was difficult and stressful, but scads women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the train programme, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the garrison, the prime progress was already on the table. An individual live-in lover came through and took tipple orders as another was right behind her pouring. A procedure of coffee cup placement was the key to communication. As the cardinal line was being cleared, a manager would come up in with trays of hot entrees which would be served around 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 refined, appetizing dining encounter on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their station, polishing polished or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be clean-cut, gleaming and ironed. If they got obscene during a scrape by, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to surprise inspections and literally act a wan glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to decoy away the chef anytime he had a superior meal. He paid his people ok and believed in the most status ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to create their own menus and expend handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unlike noteworthy restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the in the first place choice and the a- accommodate of provisions and brisk vegetables. As a result, they had the ability to provide diners with first type meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Numerous women started antiquated as a waitress, became head waitress, and some even became managers. Another disposition he emphasized respect and respectability was in the respect he chose during his interval staff. His girls were not till hell freezes over referred to as waitresses. Moderately, they were known by way of and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Bird meant coolness, aspect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restraint restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they equip a usefulness to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and absolute presence, they became the prevalent of courteousness and dining. Varied Harvey girls did descry nuptials and adventure. Multifarious had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been impossible back East. Some paid in compensation college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No concern what paths they found themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Mobile & Cell Phone.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its tiptop, the Harvey Domicile restaurants were the most successful in the countryside, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing tool and buttress to evolve into the largest fare succession following in the United States. During both World Wars, the Harvey Ill fame was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Indentation 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.