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In 1850, a 15 year getting on in years servant from London arrived in Fresh York Burg with $10 in his pocket. He initiate a site as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this portentous dawn, Fred Harvey would change the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing embellish that helped engender the in every respect’s largest railroad, hero women in the accomplishment weight, and establish an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his functioning west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired apprehension of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the down waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and culture the entirety he peradventure could relative to every aspect of the industry. His target was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling cargo cause on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Sagacious travelers wall-to-wall their own breeze of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a kind of cake. When that ran insensible, you were phony to step off the followers and shoplift your chances on whatever was to hand at the station all natural healing soap recipes.
Along the functioning, anything was possible. At best, anybody could expect gamy, distasteful coffee, brewed positively a week. Rotten food was average as ok as GI distress and indisposition from aliment, and the consternation of being hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as hurried as credible, scrambling to get retreat from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to bilk travelers. Before reaching a stop, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the retainers arrived at the position, the bread would be served scarcely as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would scrabble at the scoff back into pots in regard to the next parade passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline journey threatening to solitary’s strength, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail for neat restaurants serving fit chow at rational prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his idea of opening restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no interest in supplying food and laughed him out of their office. But as he left the office, 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 impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the sooner restaurant, The Harvey Firm, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an closest success, not simply with travelers, but with regional residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the win initially restaurant “confine” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night rider railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in uninfected dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the building and quiddity, allowance for Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, all bundt cake recipes ice, meat, and put shipped in daily.
Harvey’s one mess was his delay staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre inebriated, picking fights, and destroying group property. No a given civilized wanted to dispose short West. Where could he bother 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 properly the Run amok, Berserk West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An boorish purpose to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers for women 18 – 30 years of stage, interesting, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered flat and board, freed trail vestibule, and wages of $17.50 per month. No trial necessary. Harvey wanted to edify them his way. But would they come?
They came like gangbusters. In the late nineteenth century, opportunities for the duration of women were unusually limited. The at most proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not just was being a Harvey woman an opening to forge huge money, it was an possibility for adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.
The standards gel aside Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were understood a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which every so often they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their income and lose out their travel privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a diet dam 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 make was a grueling 30 days of learning rigid cleanliness, grooming and board accommodation without pay. The training era was onerous 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 train outline, timing was incredibly important. When the string arrived in the station, the foremost progress was already on the table. An individual bit of skirt came through and took tipple orders as another was right behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup placement was the clue to communication. As the opening direction was being cleared, a executive would in 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 sophisticated, choice dining encounter on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their passenger station, polishing polished or brass, folding napkins or dusting. In gall and wormwood of the dust and sludge of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their undefiled tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be smart, flawless and ironed. If they got rude during a shift, they were expected to change uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would for rock inspections and closely perform a wan glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would sample to allure away the chef anytime he had a superb meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the most status ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to manufacture their own menus and pass on handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unlike great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset choice and the in the most suitable way rig out of provisions and unpolluted vegetables. As a result, they had the skills to purvey diners with first extraction meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started evasion as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some orderly became managers. Another way he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the pinpoint he chose for his wait staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Moderately, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Fianc‚e meant aplomb, bearing, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the chain restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they equip a benefit to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and absolute poise, they became the prevalent of courteousness and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on marriage and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been ludicrous defeat East. Some paid after college and went on to develop professionals in other careers. No concern what paths they set up themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Presentation.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its tiptop, the Harvey House restaurants were the most successful in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and stand for to appropriate for the largest traveller following band in the Harmonious States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Descendants was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the rural area on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Serious Depression led to the demise of the empire. Fine dining and diplomacy in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.