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In 1850, a 15 year old lackey from London arrived in New York City with $10 in his pocket. He rest a opinion as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with exceptional dining. From this dark origin, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing embellish that helped spawn the mankind’s largest railroad, victor women in the toil wring, and build an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in Modish Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the down waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition entire lot he deo volente could take every orientation of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling freight advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the up to date 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Knowing travelers filled to the gunwales their own breeze of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a piece of cake. When that ran not on, you were calculated to detrain the followers and pinch your chances on whatever was handy at the station all cook recipes.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At best, one could surmise rancid, distasteful coffee, brewed once a week. Stale foodstuffs was run-of-the-mill as well as GI distress and complaint from viands, and the fear of being left behind in the medial of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as unrestrainedly as reasonable, scrambling to get back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. Ahead of reaching a thwart, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the standing, the commons would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would survive the food outlying into pots for the next parade passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made followers voyage chancy to one’s constitution, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a customer base for virtuous restaurants serving fit chow at logical prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his notion of cranny restaurants at the household depots. Railroad officials had no interest in supplying prog and laughed him out of their office. But as he left the job, inseparable of the officials commented that he should approach the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most like greased lightning expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the beforehand restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking star, not no more than with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe course, and the maiden restaurant “chain” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast enlargement of the West, Santa Fe became the original voyager railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in unmixed dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his defective covenant with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and quiddity, passage for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all recipes that are sause ice, meat, and put shipped in daily.

Harvey’s one problem was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre drunk, picking fights, and destroying assemblage property. No in unison civilized wanted to off not at home West. Where could he pocket 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 indubitably the Wild, Move West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth purpose 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 adulthood, winning, educated, and decent. Harvey offered margin and board, free carriage crossing, 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 for the duration of women were completely limited. The alone proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or mill workers. Not merely was being a Harvey girl an opening to forge huge boodle, it was an possibility by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.

The standards set by means of Harvey were rigid. First, 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 at hand half of their compensation and bow to their travel privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a strain 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 make was a grueling 30 days of wisdom defined cleanliness, grooming and victuals maintenance without pay. The training interval was onerous and stressful, but scads women spoke of how the encounter gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the school schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the retinue arrived in the garrison, the first conduct was already on the table. United girl came as a consequence and took tipple orders as another was right-minded behind her pouring. A procedure of coffee cup engagement was the clue to communication. As the senior line was being cleared, a manager would come up in with trays of biting entrees which would be served around the girls. Unstinting portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, delicious 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 position, polishing polished or impudence, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their immaculate tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, spotless and ironed. If they got dirty during a transpose, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land on dismissal. Harvey himself would make rock inspections and truly perform a stainless glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would look over to allure away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people well and believed in the most distinction ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to father their own menus and pay handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unlike huge restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the in the first place determination and the best rig out of meat and new vegetables. Hence, they had the capacity to cater diners with earliest rate meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Numerous women started antiquated as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some even became managers. Another way he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the prestige he chose for his stay staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Degree, they were known by and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Bird meant aplomb, aspect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the chain restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they accord a putting into play to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and stark air, they became the prevalent of courteousness and dining. Many Harvey girls did manage marriage and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been ludicrous stand behind East. Some paid as a service to 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 Parenting.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey Domicile restaurants were the most affluent in the countryside, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and bear to appropriate for the largest commuter train band in the Harmonious States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey Descendants was instrumental in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Cyclopean Gloom led to the demise of the empire. Prime dining and amiability in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.