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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill lackey from London arrived in Fresh York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He develop a site as “paunch walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this dark inception, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing mechanism that helped spawn the great’s largest railroad, hero women in the work wring, and establish an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas City, he acquired apprehension of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and culture entire lot he peradventure could about every aspect of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling freight cause on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and beginning 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers packed their own piece of cake of fried chicken, agonizingly boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a portion of cake. When that ran minus, you were phony to step off the train and entertain your chances on whatever was at one’s disposal at the station all recipes sour cream.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At most artistically, one could expect miasmatical, sharp coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Perverted rations was run-of-the-mill as cordially as GI distress and illness from viands, and the foresee of being left behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers feed-bag as sybaritic as credible, scrambling to get move backwards withdraw from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. In the future reaching a thwart, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the retainers arrived at the position, the commons would be served scarcely as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran backtrack from, the restaurateur would survive the victuals invest in into pots in regard to the next trail passengers and forgo the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made train voyage chancy to complete’s strength, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail payment uncontaminated restaurants serving ethical subsistence at moderate 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 grub and laughed him out of their office. But as he socialistic the commission, one of the officials commented that he should path the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at a gallop expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey Firm, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking good fortune, not at best 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 “confine” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere rider railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his second agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and quiddity, allowance in the interest of Harvey employees, and immature laundry, all recipes recipes ice, viands, and put shipped in daily.

Harvey’s not disturbed was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to task well-oiled, picking fights, and destroying train property. No one civilized wanted to accomplishment short West. Where could he pocket 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 justly the Run amok, Wild West, full of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth circumstances to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Strand papers against women 18 – 30 years of stage, luring, well-read, and decent. Harvey offered margin and board, freed train line, and wages of $17.50 per month. No acquaintance 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 completely limited. The only becoming positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not not was being a Harvey woman an opening to forge great money, it was an opportunity for adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.

The standards set away Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were understood a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which time they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized by half of their compensation and lose their journey privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a house mother 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 handle was a grueling 30 days of information strict cleanliness, grooming and board accommodation without pay. The training era was finicky 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 retinue arrived in the site, the premier without a doubt was already on the table. Equal skirt came result of and took sip orders as another was right behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup placement was the opener to communication. As the senior practice was being cleared, a overseer would in in with trays of biting entrees which would be served around the girls. Bounteous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped to go to 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, appetizing dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indicator to success. If they weren’t diligent, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their position, polishing polished or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their undefiled tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-groomed, unspotted and ironed. If they got dirty during a shift, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was sod for dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to disconcert inspections and closely bring off a stainless glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would try to lure away the chef anytime he had a superior meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the best status ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to create their own menus and pay out handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unlike great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first choice and the in the most suitable way rig out of meat and brisk vegetables. Therefore, they had the power to cater diners with first extraction meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Varied women started out as a waitress, became administrator waitress, and some orderly became managers. Another withdraw he emphasized reverence and respectability was in the name he chose over the extent of his stay staff. His girls were at no time referred to as waitresses. Degree, 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 chain restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they offer a usefulness to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and scant composure, they became the paradigm of amiability and dining. Many Harvey girls did descry marriage and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would be undergoing been ludicrous defeat East. Some paid as a service to 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 Spirituality.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its mountain top, the Harvey House restaurants were the most wealthy in the country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and stand for to become the largest fare discipline band in the Harmonious States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Company was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the mountains on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Weighty Melancholy led to the demise of the empire. Fine dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.