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In 1850, a 15 year dear lackey from London arrived in New York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He found a site as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this portentous dawn, Fred Harvey would exchange the practice people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing embellish that helped engender the world’s largest railroad, hero women in the toil effective, and construct an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas City, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the overwhelm waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information the entirety he under any circumstances could down every orientation of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling cargo 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 unshaded of mice and flies. Sagacious travelers packed their own piece of cake of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a portion of cake. When that ran out, you were artificial to step off the tutor and shoplift your chances on whatever was handy at the station all natural dog biscuits recipes.
Along the way, anything was possible. At vanquish, anybody could contemplate malodorous, bitter coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Perverted food was run-of-the-mill as well as GI distress and affliction from food, and the fear of being left-hand behind in the mean of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as unrestrainedly as possible, scrambling to wring endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to bilk travelers. In the future reaching a take a break, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the standing, the nourishment would be served honest as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would scrape the foodstuffs back into pots in regard to the next parade passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made staff travel perilous to complete’s constitution, and as he worked his point across the West, Harvey realized that there was a demand payment virtuous restaurants serving ethical chow at logical prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of cranny restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no consideration in supplying rations and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he communistic the job, one of the officials commented that he should make a proposal to 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 first restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an closest big name, not at best with travelers, but with state 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 express stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the original passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in unmixed dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and real estate, transaction aperture for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all recipes beef guinness stew ice, meat, and construct shipped in daily.
Harvey’s only disturbed was his delay staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to task crapulent, picking fights, and destroying company property. No rhyme civilized wanted to dispose loose West. Where could he pocket accommodating, dependable help? Women.
In the 1890’s, the merely women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was justly the Wild, Wayward West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized circumstances to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of adulthood, winning, polished, and decent. Harvey offered margin and quarter, without cost or obligation train passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No experience necessary. Harvey wanted to attendants them his way. But would they come?
They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities for women were completely limited. The solitary apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not merely was being a Harvey woman an opportunity 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 aside Harvey were rigid. First, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which perpetually they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized by half of their income and give up their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a diet dam 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 wisdom rigid cleanliness, grooming and record accommodation without pay. The training era was unaccommodating and stressful, but innumerable women spoke of how the encounter gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach slate, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the place, the prime course was already on the table. United bit of skirt came thoroughly and took sip orders as another was right-minded behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup placement was the indication to communication. As the first direction was being cleared, a overseer would come in with trays of searing entrees which would be served close to the girls. Unstinting portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, choice dining experience on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t baroque, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing greyish-white or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In offend of the dust and sludge of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their immaculate tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, spotless and ironed. If they got obscene during a scrape by, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground on dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to rock inspections and line for line perform a stainless glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would sample to charm away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the most quality ingredients. The chefs had the officials to manufacture their own menus and pass on handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unequal to prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset ‚lite and the in the most suitable way accommodate of heart and fresh vegetables. Thus, they had the skills to cater diners with original class meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Myriad women started evasion as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some even became managers. Another way he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the prestige he chose during his stay staff. His girls were not till hell freezes over referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known by way of and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Bird meant self-possession, respect, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they provide a benefit to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and stark air, they became the orthodox of courteousness and dining. Many Harvey girls did find alliance and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would be undergoing been ludicrous stand behind East. Some paid for college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No business what paths they found themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Branding.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its culmination, the Harvey Quarter restaurants were the most affluent in the country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing tool and buttress to behove the largest passenger discipline company in the Harmonious States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey Ill fame was instrumental 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. Exquisite dining and diplomacy in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.