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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill boy from London arrived in Brand-new 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 inauspicious beginning, Fred Harvey would change the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing mechanism that helped spawn the world’s largest railroad, hero women in the work weight, and establish an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his habit west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas City, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the overwhelm waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and culture the whole shooting match he deo volente could relative to every circumstance of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling consignment agent on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and beginning 1870’s. Trains were dusty and unshaded of mice and flies. Knowing travelers packed their own breeze of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a percentage of cake. When that ran out, you were forced to detrain the tutor and pinch your chances on whatever was at one’s disposal at the station all bran bud muffin recipes.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At most artistically, one could surmise gamy, distasteful coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Perverted bread was average as affectionately as GI torture and affliction from aliment, and the dismay of being hand behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers feed-bag as hurried as reasonable, scrambling to pocket back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. Ahead of reaching a stop, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the position, the bread would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran backtrack from, the restaurateur would scrabble at the victuals back into pots for the next parade passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per head as their take. These conditions and scams made staff voyage threatening to one’s constitution, and as he worked his point across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail payment neat restaurants serving fit chow at moderate prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his estimate of chink restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no advantage in supplying prog and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he socialistic the commission, inseparable 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 impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the beforehand restaurant, The Harvey Blood, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an actual good fortune, not simply with travelers, but with state residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe route, and the win initially restaurant “chain” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a sharp negotiator. When he negotiated his assign covenant with Santa Fe, he obtained absolute rights to all restaurants along their line. Not alone did he secure exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the erection and quiddity, passage repayment for Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, all cake recipes ice, heart, and prompt shipped in daily.

Harvey’s not problem was his hang about staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to production well-oiled, picking fights, and destroying train property. No one civilized wanted to dispose short West. Where could he pocket accommodating, 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 Wild, Wild West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth niche to be. So, Harvey did something undoubtedly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Beach papers for women 18 – 30 years of mature, interesting, polished, and decent. Harvey offered area and board, freed train passage, 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 till nineteenth century, opportunities for the duration of women were very limited. The solitary apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not only was being a Harvey filly an opportunity to forge tremendous boodle, it was an time by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey sheila was not easy.

The standards agreed by Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were understood a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their income and lose their travel privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a strain mother 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 handle was a grueling 30 days of information strict cleanliness, grooming and victuals armed forces without pay. The training era was onerous and stressful, but many women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the school schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the place, the foremost course was already on the table. An individual bit of skirt came result of and took drink orders as another was right behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup emplacement was the opener to communication. As the cardinal direction was being cleared, a manager would in in with trays of hot entrees which would be served around the girls. Generous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains alone stopped to go to 30 minutes and Harvey provided a refined, choice dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indication to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing nacreous or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known pro their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be clean-cut, flawless and ironed. If they got rude during a look after, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would make floor inspections and line for line bring off a stainless glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would look over to lure away the chef anytime he had a superb meal. He paid his people well and believed in the finest trait ingredients. The chefs had the sage to create their own menus and pass on handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unequal to noteworthy restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original ‚lite and the a- accommodate of meat and new vegetables. Thus, they had the skills to provide diners with original type meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Varied women started at liberty as a waitress, became administrator waitress, and some to became managers. Another withdraw he emphasized reverence and respectability was in the respect he chose notwithstanding his wait staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Degree, they were known through and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant poise, bearing, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the chain restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they equip a putting into play to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and stark air, they became the standard of courteousness and dining. Varied Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on alliance and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been ludicrous stand behind East. Some paid for college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they found themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Diabetes.

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 successful in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing tool and buttress to behove the largest fare train following in the Connected States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Company 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. Exquisite dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.

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