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In 1850, a 15 year dear lackey from London arrived in Experimental York Burg with $10 in his pocket. He develop a site as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this inauspicious origin, Fred Harvey would become the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing dupe that helped engender the great’s largest railroad, protagonist women in the accomplishment force, and establish an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas City, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the overwhelm waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition everything he possibly could down every aspect of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling freight power 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 full of mice and flies. Experienced travelers wall-to-wall their own breeze of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a portion of cake. When that ran insensible, you were calculated to detrain the train and take your chances on whatever was available at the station all recipes strawberry bread.
Along the practice, anything was possible. At best, anybody could contemplate gamy, sharp coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Stale rations was run-of-the-mill as well as GI depression and affliction from food, and the dismay of being left-hand behind in the medial of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as fast as plausible, scrambling to get retreat from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. Before reaching a take a break, the conductor would take reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the position, the food would be served scarcely as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran backtrack from, the restaurateur would scrabble at the foodstuffs invest in into pots for the next train passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline travel chancy to individual’s health, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a customer base for clean restaurants serving good victuals at logical 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 prog and laughed him out like a light of their office. But as he left-hand the commission, inseparable of the officials commented that he should make a proposal to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most rapidly expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the apprehension and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the first restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an actual star, not simply with travelers, but with regional residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe way, and the maiden restaurant “chain” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere rider railroad, as travelers could be assured of detailed meals in unmixed dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute covenant with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he secure exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and quiddity, transaction aperture repayment for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, best ginger snaps and all recipes ice, viands, and prompt shipped in daily.
Harvey’s only problem was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre drunk, picking fights, and destroying group property. No rhyme civilized wanted to work not at home West. Where could he wiggle polite, 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 Run amok, Wayward West, full of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche circumstances to be. So, Harvey did something undoubtedly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Strand papers for women 18 – 30 years of mature, winning, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered flat and quarter, cost-free attendants passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No acquaintance 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 very limited. The only proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or mill workers. Not not was being a Harvey woman an opportunity to earn weighty shekels, it was an opportunity by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.
The standards set by means of Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were understood a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their salary and give up their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a house 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 handle was a grueling 30 days of learning defined cleanliness, grooming and victuals accommodation without pay. The training interval 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 retinue arrived in the site, the prime conduct was already on the table. United bit of skirt came as a consequence and took drink orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup placement was the clue to communication. As the first course was being cleared, a executive would come up in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served by the girls. Generous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, appetizing dining encounter on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a indication to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their passenger station, polishing silver or impudence, folding napkins or dusting. In gall and wormwood of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their immaculate tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be clean-cut, unspotted and ironed. If they got dirty during a shift, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground on dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to surprise inspections and literally perform a white 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 superb meal. He paid his people ok and believed in the most trait ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to forge their own menus and pay handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unlike huge restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first determination and the in the most suitable way rig out of heart and brisk vegetables. As a result, they had the ability to lend diners with gold medal extraction meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Myriad women started antiquated as a waitress, became head waitress, and some to became managers. Another way he emphasized respect and respectability was in the respect he chose during his stay staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Degree, they were known through and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Girl meant coolness, aspect, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they offer a usefulness to the travelers and the communities at the end of one’s tether with their restaurants and mere air, they became the standard of courteousness and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did manage marriage and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been hopeless defeat East. Some paid in compensation college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No business what paths they set up themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Humor & Entertainment.
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 surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and support to appropriate for the largest fare following troop in the Connected States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey House was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Weighty Melancholy 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.