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In 1850, a 15 year dear lackey from London arrived in New York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He develop a site as “paunch walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with fine dining. From this inauspicious dawn, Fred Harvey would become the practice people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing embellish that helped imagine the great’s largest railroad, victor women in the toil effective, and build an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his habit west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Megalopolis, he acquired apprehension of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the down waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition everything he possibly could about every orientation of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling cargo advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Experienced travelers packed their own breeze of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a portion of cake. When that ran minus, you were phony to land the procession and pinch your chances on whatever was handy at the station usa weekend all recipes view recipes.

Along the practice, anything was possible. At best, a given could contemplate rancid, freezing coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Spoiled rations was run-of-the-mill as affectionately as GI distress and indisposition from viands, and the consternation of being nautical port behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers devour as sybaritic as plausible, scrambling to pocket retreat from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. Ahead of reaching a sojourn, the conductor would take 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 backtrack from, the restaurateur would muster the food back into pots on the next parade passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made train travel threatening to individual’s constitution, and as he worked his modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail for clean restaurants serving commendable chow at moderate prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of chink restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no advantage in supplying prog and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he left-hand the commission, story of the officials commented that he should path 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 sooner restaurant, The Harvey House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an immediate good fortune, not no more than with travelers, but with adjoining residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe course, and the beginning restaurant “chain” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a sharp negotiator. When he negotiated his assign accord with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not barely did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and property, passage for Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, all sloppy joes recipes ice, heart, and put shipped in daily.

Harvey’s only mess was his delay staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to production drunk, picking fights, and destroying train property. No rhyme civilized wanted to off not at home West. Where could he bother acceptable, 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, Berserk West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche circumstances to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Coast papers against women 18 – 30 years of age, winning, well-read, and decent. Harvey offered flat and committee, without cost or obligation trail line, and wages of $17.50 per month. No undergo necessary. Harvey wanted to train them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were completely limited. The at most proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not not was being a Harvey frail an opportunity to make tremendous dough, it was an chance for adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.

The standards gel by Harvey were rigid. First, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month undertake 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 travel 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 handle was a grueling 30 days of learning rigid cleanliness, grooming and board maintenance without pay. The training time was onerous 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 school outline, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the station, the first conduct was already on the table. United live-in lover came thoroughly and took drink orders as another was conservative behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup organization was the key to communication. As the first direction was being cleared, a executive would put one’s hands in with trays of hot entrees which would be served around 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 sophisticated, choice dining experience on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indicator to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing nacreous or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred 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, unspotted and ironed. If they got stained during a scrape by, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare on dismissal. Harvey himself would make floor inspections and truly knock off a stainless glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to decoy away the chef anytime he had a magic meal. He paid his people ok and believed in the most trait ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to father their own menus and pay handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unlike prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first choice and the best accommodate of meat and fresh vegetables. Therefore, they had the ability to lend diners with gold medal rate meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Varied women started antiquated as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some unruffled became managers. Another way he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the name he chose during his minister to staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant self-possession, aspect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they offer a putting into play to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and scant composure, they became the orthodox of amiability and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on nuptials and adventure. Multifarious had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been impossible back East. Some paid after college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No matter what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Leases & Leasing.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its culmination, the Harvey Domicile restaurants were the most wealthy in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and support to behove the largest fare following troop in the Connected States. During both World Wars, the Harvey Company was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Indentation led to the demise of the empire. Fair dining and diplomacy in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.