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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill friend from London arrived in Experimental York City with $10 in his pocket. He found a position as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this black dawn, Fred Harvey would change the way people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing tool that helped spawn the world’s largest railroad, champion women in the toil effective, and erect an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information entire lot he possibly could relative to every aspect of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative contention as a traveling freight cause on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the late 1860’s and beginning 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Knowing travelers filled to the gunwales their own piece of cake of fried chicken, agonizingly boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a piece of cake. When that ran insensible, you were forced to land the procession and take your chances on whatever was to hand at the station all recipes from ancient greece.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At vanquish, a given could surmise miasmatical, freezing coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Stale foodstuffs was run-of-the-mill as affectionately as GI distress and affliction from aliment, and the dismay of being left-hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers eat as hurried as plausible, scrambling to get move backwards withdraw from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to bilk travelers. Ahead of reaching a stop, the conductor would acquire reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the position, the bread would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran underwrite, the restaurateur would muster the scoff invest in into pots in regard to the next discipline passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made staff journey chancy to one’s strength, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail to save virtuous restaurants serving good chow at logical prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his notion of opening restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying rations and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he left the office, one 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 idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the first restaurant, The Harvey House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an immediate big name, not at best with travelers, but with state 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 impetuous expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the initial fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of detailed meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his assign harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the erection and property, allowance for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, broccoli quich all recipes ice, meat, and put shipped in daily.

Harvey’s however problem was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work crapulent, picking fights, and destroying group property. No rhyme civilized wanted to dispose short West. Where could he get accommodating, dependable help? Women.

In the 1890’s, the merely women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was properly the Wild, Berserk West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche niche to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers against women 18 – 30 years of age, winning, polished, and decent. Harvey offered flat and cabinet, cost-free carriage passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No experience necessary. Harvey wanted to train them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities in requital for women were unusually limited. The only suitable positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not only was being a Harvey girl an possibility to grow into tremendous money, it was an opportunity for adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.

The standards delay aside Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which every so often they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their salary and bow to their travel privileges. The dormitories were confining, 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 process was a grueling 30 days of information stern cleanliness, grooming and record maintenance without pay. The training time was finicky and stressful, but innumerable women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach outline, timing was incredibly important. When the string arrived in the station, the foremost conduct was already on the table. Equal live-in lover came through and took tipple orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup placement was the clue to communication. As the first direction was being cleared, a manager would in 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 at most stopped for the benefit of 30 minutes and Harvey provided a refined, 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 nacreous or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and sludge of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-groomed, spotless and ironed. If they got stained during a shift, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land on dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to disconcert inspections and line for line bring off a wan glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would try to decoy 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 sage to forge their own menus and expend handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unequal to noteworthy restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the in the first place ‚lite and the most excellently rig out of provisions and new vegetables. As a result, they had the power to provide diners with first rate meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Numerous women started antiquated as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some even became managers. Another way he emphasized reverence and respectability was in the pinpoint he chose notwithstanding his interval staff. His girls were at no time referred to as waitresses. Moderately, they were known by and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant self-possession, respect, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they equip a usefulness to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and stark presence, they became the prevalent of amiability and dining. Many Harvey girls did descry alliance and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been unresolvable back East. Some paid as a service to college and went on to change professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Data Recovery & Computer Backup.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its mountain top, the Harvey Quarter restaurants were the most profitable in the country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and buttress to evolve into the largest passenger train company in the Harmonious States. During both World Wars, the Harvey Descendants was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Depression led to the demise of the empire. Fine dining and civility in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.