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In 1850, a 15 year getting on in years friend from London arrived in Brand-new York City with $10 in his pocket. He develop a opinion as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this inauspicious inception, Fred Harvey would exchange the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, spawn a marketing tool that helped spawn the world’s largest railroad, victor women in the animate effective, and construct an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the down waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition the whole shooting match he possibly could about every position of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative contention as a traveling freight advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the up to date 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and highest of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers crowded their own picnic of fried chicken, agonizingly boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a piece of cake. When that ran insensible, you were phony to land the followers and entertain your chances on whatever was handy at the station all soul’s day recipes.

Along the practice, anything was possible. At vanquish, one could guess rancid, freezing coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Perverted rations was average as well as GI distress and illness from aliment, and the fear of being left-hand behind in the medial of nowhere made travelers devour as fast as reasonable, scrambling to wring move backwards withdraw from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. Before reaching a thwart, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the position, the nourishment would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would muster the food outlying into pots on the next trail passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline peregrinations dangerous to individual’s health, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market for neat restaurants serving fit food at rational prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his estimate of cranny restaurants at the household depots. Railroad officials had no advantage in supplying rations and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he socialistic the commission, one of the officials commented that he should approach 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 first restaurant, The Harvey House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking star, not only 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 “confine” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express enlargement of the West, Santa Fe became the original rider railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a sharp negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute covenant with Santa Fe, he obtained absolute rights to all restaurants along their line. Not barely did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the building and paraphernalia, passage repayment for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all recipes and slow cooker ice, viands, and construct shipped in daily.

Harvey’s not problem was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to task inebriated, picking fights, and destroying group property. No rhyme civilized wanted to work loose 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 indubitably the Wild, Wild West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche niche to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of mature, interesting, educated, and decent. Harvey offered room and quarter, free attendants passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No trial necessary. Harvey wanted to string them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the up to the minute nineteenth century, opportunities for women were unusually limited. The alone becoming positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not only was being a Harvey frail an opportunity to earn weighty dough, it was an chance instead of adventure. But being a Harvey sheila was not easy.

The standards agreed aside Harvey were rigid. Elementary, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their income and lose their socialize privileges. The dormitories were exact, with a abode mum overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you on one’s uppers curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training process was a grueling 30 days of culture stern cleanliness, grooming and victuals armed forces without pay. The training interval was unaccommodating and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the line outline, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the site, the foremost without a doubt was already on the table. An individual bit of skirt came as a consequence and took doch an dorris orders as another was right behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup placement was the clue to communication. As the opening line was being cleared, a overseer would come in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served close to the girls. Beneficent portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped for 30 minutes and Harvey provided a refined, choice dining savoir faire on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a key to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their passenger station, polishing nacreous or brass, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and sludge of the West, Harvey Houses were known pro their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, flawless and ironed. If they got dirty during a look after, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was sod pro dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to disconcert inspections and closely bring off a whey-faced 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 excellent meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the pre-eminent quality ingredients. The chefs had the authority to forge their own menus and pass on handsomely benefit of supplies and produce. Not unlike noteworthy restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset acceptance and the best sell of provisions and brisk vegetables. As a result, they had the skills to lend diners with original class 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 even became managers. Another disposition he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the name he chose over the extent of his wait staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Degree, they were known through and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant coolness, veneration, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restraint restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they offer a putting into play to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and absolute air, they became the prevalent of civility and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did find nuptials and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been unresolvable defeat East. Some paid as a service to college and went on to develop professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they set up themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Debt Relief.

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 profitable in the country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and support to become the largest fare following company in the United States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Company was contributory in providing meals to the troops being moved across the country on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Weighty Depression led to the demise of the empire. Fine dining and amiability in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.