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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill servant from London arrived in Experimental York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He initiate a opinion as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this inauspicious beginning, Fred Harvey would change the practice people West of the Mississippi dined, spawn a marketing mechanism that helped spawn the mankind’s largest railroad, victor women in the animate weight, and construct an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his habit west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the down waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and learning the whole shooting match he under any circumstances could down every aspect of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative attitude as a traveling freight power on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and at 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Sagacious travelers packed their own agonizing of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and maybe a piece of cake. When that ran out, you were phony to land the tutor and shoplift your chances on whatever was available at the station all civil war food recipes.
Along the practice, anything was possible. At vanquish, anybody could expect malodorous, distasteful coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Perverted rations was run-of-the-mill as affectionately as GI difficulty and indisposition from food, and the foresee of being hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers devour as fast as reasonable, scrambling to pocket move backwards withdraw from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to bilk travelers. In the future reaching a sojourn, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the position, the food would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran underwrite, the restaurateur would survive the food invest in into pots in regard to the next train passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per head as their take. These conditions and scams made followers journey threatening to solitary’s strength, and as he worked his modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail for uncontaminated restaurants serving fit chow at reasonable prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of cranny restaurants at the cortege depots. Railroad officials had no consideration in supplying food and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he socialistic the office, story of the officials commented that he should approach the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most rapidly expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the first restaurant, The Harvey Firm, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking good fortune, not at best with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the maiden restaurant “confine” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid enlargement of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in unmixed dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his assign accord with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he be relevant exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the erection and real estate, transaction aperture in return Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, shrimp minestrone soup all recipes ice, meat, and construct shipped in daily.
Harvey’s one mess was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre crapulent, picking fights, and destroying assemblage property. No one civilized wanted to dispose out West. Where could he get accommodating, dependable help? Women.
In the 1890’s, the solely women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was justly the Wild, Wild West, ample of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized place to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Coast papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of adulthood, winning, educated, and decent. Harvey offered area and cabinet, free attendants passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No trial necessary. Harvey wanted to attendants them his way. But would they come?
They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities in requital for women were completely limited. The solitary apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not merely was being a Harvey woman an opportunity to grow into weighty dough, it was an time instead of adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.
The standards set by means of Harvey were rigid. First, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which perpetually they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their compensation and lose their travel privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a house dam overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you broke curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training process was a grueling 30 days of information rigid cleanliness, grooming and board armed forces without pay. The training interval was finicky and stressful, but many women spoke of how the encounter gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the train slate, timing was incredibly important. When the retinue arrived in the station, the foremost progress was already on the table. An individual live-in lover came through and took sip orders as another was right behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup organization was the opener to communication. As the first line was being cleared, a manager would come up 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 no greater than stopped for 30 minutes and Harvey provided a courteous, appetizing dining experience on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a indicator to success. If they weren’t baroque, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing silver or impudence, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and sludge of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their undefiled tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, gleaming and ironed. If they got obscene during a transpose, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare pro dismissal. Harvey himself would make floor inspections and closely knock off a whey-faced 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 excellent meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the finest status ingredients. The chefs had the sage to create their own menus and pass on handsomely exchange for supplies and produce. Not unlike great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset ‚lite and the in the most suitable way accommodate of heart and new vegetables. Therefore, they had the capacity to lend diners with original extraction meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started evasion as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some orderly became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the prestige he chose for his wait staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Moderately, 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 restraint restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they provide a benefit to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and scant presence, they became the standard of comity and dining. Many Harvey girls did find marriage and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been hopeless stand behind East. Some paid as a service to college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No matter what paths they build themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Success.
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 wealthy in the outback, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing tool and support to become the largest fare following troop in the Harmonious States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey House 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 Indentation led to the demise of the empire. Prime dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.