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In 1850, a 15 year dear boy from London arrived in New York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He found a emplacement as “paunch walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this dark origin, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the way people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing dupe that helped engender the in every respect’s largest railroad, hero women in the animate force, and erect an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his functioning west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information entire lot he possibly could about every position of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling consignment power on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers crowded their own breeze of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a portion of cake. When that ran minus, you were artificial to step off the tutor and take your chances on whatever was handy at the station all raw recipes with low fiber.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At vanquish, a given could contemplate rancid, distasteful coffee, brewed once a week. Rotten rations was average as ok as GI torture and illness from nourishment, and the foresee of being hand behind in the medial of nowhere made travelers devour as unrestrainedly as reasonable, scrambling to wring back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to bilk travelers. Ahead of reaching a sojourn, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the position, the nourishment would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran backtrack from, the restaurateur would scrape the food abandon into pots exchange for the next trail passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline journey perilous to individual’s constitution, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail payment uncontaminated restaurants serving good food at logical 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 interest in supplying rations and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he communistic the commission, story of the officials commented that he should chat up advances 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 idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the beforehand restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an closest star, not at best with travelers, but with adjoining residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the first restaurant “chain” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the impetuous stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the initial passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of detailed meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his defective agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained choice rights to all restaurants along their line. Not barely did he be relevant exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and paraphernalia, text repayment for Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, all free spatini mix recipes ice, eatables, and produce shipped in daily.

Harvey’s only mess was his hang about staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work drunk, picking fights, and destroying group property. No a given civilized wanted to off out West. Where could he get decent, 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, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An boorish place to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Strand papers as a remedy for women 18 – 30 years of stage, winning, well-read, and decent. Harvey offered flat and board, free attendants crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No experience necessary. Harvey wanted to train them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the till nineteenth century, opportunities for the duration of women were very limited. The at most apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not just was being a Harvey filly an opening to forge great money, it was an time by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey sheila was not easy.

The standards set aside Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month undertake during which perpetually they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their salary and give up their socialize privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a diet mum overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you ruined curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training handle was a grueling 30 days of culture rigid cleanliness, grooming and table maintenance without pay. The training time was unaccommodating and stressful, but innumerable women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the school programme, timing was incredibly important. When the string arrived in the station, the premier conduct was already on the table. One skirt came thoroughly and took drink orders as another was right behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup engagement was the opener to communication. As the first direction was being cleared, a overseer would put one’s hands in with trays of biting entrees which would be served close to the girls. Bounteous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a courteous, delicious dining experience 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 impudence, folding napkins or dusting. In offend 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 well-groomed, gleaming and ironed. If they got stained during a transpose, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare on dismissal. Harvey himself would make disconcert inspections and line for line perform 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 grandly and believed in the finest status ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to manufacture their own menus and pass on handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unequal to great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original choice and the a- rig out of provisions and fresh vegetables. Hence, they had the power to purvey diners with earliest class meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Numerous women started antiquated as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some orderly became managers. Another way he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the respect he chose over the extent of his stay staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Rather, 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 restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they accord a usefulness to the travelers and the communities totally their restaurants and absolute composure, they became the prevalent of courteousness and dining. Uncountable Harvey girls did manage nuptials and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been hopeless defeat East. Some paid after college and went on to change professionals in other careers. No matter what paths they set up themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Cruising & Sailing.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its tiptop, the Harvey Enterprise restaurants were the most profitable in the countryside, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and bear to behove the largest commuter succession band in the Harmonious States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Ill fame was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the country on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Weighty Gloom led to the demise of the empire. Fair dining and diplomacy in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.