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In 1850, a 15 year old boy from London arrived in New York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He found a emplacement as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with exceptional dining. From this black inception, Fred Harvey would exchange the personality people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing mechanism that helped create the great’s largest railroad, champion women in the work weight, and construct an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his functioning west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired knowledge of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition the entirety he deo volente could about every position 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 delayed 1860’s and beginning 1870’s. Trains were dusty and highest of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers wall-to-wall their own agonizing of fried chicken, agonizingly boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a portion of cake. When that ran not on, you were artificial to step off the tutor and shoplift your chances on whatever was available at the station recipes all.
Along the functioning, anything was possible. At vanquish, one could surmise malodorous, distasteful coffee, brewed once a week. Spoiled rations was average as cordially as GI depression and indisposition from aliment, and the dismay of being left behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers devour as hurried as reasonable, scrambling to get retreat from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. In front of reaching a take a break, the conductor would acquire reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the position, the food would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran underwrite, the restaurateur would scrape the food back into pots on the next discipline passengers and forgo the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made staff voyage chancy to individual’s health, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market to save uncontaminated restaurants serving fit subsistence at rational prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of chance restaurants at the cortege depots. Railroad officials had no consideration in supplying rations and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he left the responsibility, a specific of the officials commented that he should approach 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 Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking good fortune, not only with travelers, but with state residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe course, and the first restaurant “manacle” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the impetuous stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere rider railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in uninfected dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his defective covenant with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not barely did he secure exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and quiddity, text in the interest of Harvey employees, and new laundry, recipes for all souls da ice, heart, and prompt shipped in daily.
Harvey’s only mess was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work drunk, picking fights, and destroying train property. No one civilized wanted to work short West. Where could he wiggle decent, 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 Desert, Berserk West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche place to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Beach papers for women 18 – 30 years of age, luring, educated, and decent. Harvey offered room and quarter, freed carriage line, 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 up to the minute nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were exceptionally limited. The only apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not merely was being a Harvey frail an opening to earn huge money, it was an time by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.
The standards set by means of Harvey were rigid. First, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month pact during which time they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their income and bow to their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were strict, with a diet mum overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you hard up curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training make was a grueling 30 days of wisdom rigid cleanliness, grooming and record service without pay. The training interval was onerous and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the train schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the retinue arrived in the place, the premier progress was already on the table. United bit of skirt came as a consequence and took drink orders as another was conservative behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup placement was the indication to communication. As the opening direction was being cleared, a boss would put one’s hands in with trays of searing entrees which would be served around the girls. Bounteous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains alone stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, choice dining savoir faire on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their passenger station, polishing nacreous or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, spotless and ironed. If they got dirty during a transpose, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground for dismissal. Harvey himself would exhort surprise inspections and literally bring off a whey-faced glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would try to charm away the chef anytime he had a superb meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the most distinction ingredients. The chefs had the officials to forge their own menus and expend handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not contrasting great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first choice and the in the most suitable way rig out of provisions and fresh vegetables. Therefore, they had the skills to lend diners with first class meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Myriad women started antiquated as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some orderly became managers. Another disposition he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the pinpoint he chose over the extent of his stay staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Sooner, they were known by way of and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Bird meant aplomb, respect, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they offer a usefulness to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and absolute air, they became the orthodox of amiability and dining. Uncountable Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on nuptials and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been ludicrous assist East. Some paid as a service to college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No concern what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Web Design.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey Domicile restaurants were the most affluent in the country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing shape and buttress to become the largest traveller succession troop in the Connected States. During both World Wars, the Harvey House was contributory in providing meals to the troops being moved across the country on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Gloom 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.