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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill boy from London arrived in Fresh York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He found a emplacement as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with fine dining. From this inauspicious inception, Fred Harvey would become the way people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing embellish that helped create the world’s largest railroad, victor women in the toil wring, and establish an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his habit west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Megalopolis, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and learning the entirety he under any circumstances could about every circumstance of the industry. His aspiration 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 tardily 1860’s and at 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Knowing travelers filled to the gunwales their own agonizing of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and maybe a portion of cake. When that ran insensible, you were artificial to detrain the tutor and pinch your chances on whatever was handy at the station recipes in all.
Along the modus operandi, anything was possible. At vanquish, one could surmise gamy, freezing coffee, brewed once a week. Spoiled bread was simple as well as GI depression and indisposition from nourishment, and the fear of being left-hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as hurried as credible, scrambling to get move backwards withdraw from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. Before reaching a stop, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the position, the nourishment would be served scarcely as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran underwrite, the restaurateur would survive the food invest in into pots for the next parade passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline voyage threatening to solitary’s health, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a demand for uncontaminated restaurants serving ethical subsistence at moderate prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his estimate of opening restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no advantage in supplying prog and laughed him out of their office. But as he socialistic the office, a specific of the officials commented that he should path the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most rapidly expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the apprehension 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 simply 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 “manacle” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express enlargement of the West, Santa Fe became the original passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of detailed meals in unmixed dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his defective agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the erection and quiddity, text in the interest of Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all quick bread recipes ice, heart, and put shipped in daily.
Harvey’s not problem was his hang about staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to task well-oiled, picking fights, and destroying company property. No rhyme civilized wanted to accomplishment loose West. Where could he get 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 properly the Uncivilized, Wild West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth place to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Coast papers against women 18 – 30 years of stage, winning, educated, and decent. Harvey offered room and board, cost-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 up to the minute nineteenth century, opportunities in requital for women were very limited. The only apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not only was being a Harvey frail an opening to earn tremendous money, it was an opportunity instead of adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.
The standards agreed aside Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month pact during which every so often they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized around half of their compensation and bow to their journey privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a house mother 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 process was a grueling 30 days of learning stern cleanliness, grooming and table accommodation without pay. The training period was finicky and stressful, but scads women spoke of how the ordeal gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the string arrived in the station, the prime course was already on the table. Equal bit of skirt came result of and took tipple orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup engagement was the key to communication. As the cardinal practice was being cleared, a manager would put one’s hands in with trays of hot entrees which would be served by the girls. Bounteous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped for the benefit of 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, flavourful dining experience on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing greyish-white or impudence, folding napkins or dusting. In gall and wormwood of the dust and slop of the West, Harvey Houses were known pro their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be clean-cut, gleaming and ironed. If they got dirty during a look after, they were expected to change uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground for dismissal. Harvey himself would exhort disconcert inspections and closely act a wan 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 superb meal. He paid his people ok and believed in the finest quality ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to father their own menus and pass on handsomely exchange for supplies and produce. Not unequal to great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first determination and the a- rig out of substance and brisk vegetables. Thus, they had the power to purvey diners with earliest class meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Myriad women started at liberty as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some even became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the prestige he chose for his minister to staff. His girls were not till hell freezes over referred to as waitresses. Sooner, they were known by and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant self-possession, veneration, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the chain restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they equip a usefulness to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and mere poise, they became the orthodox of amiability and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on marriage and adventure. Multifarious had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been unresolvable stand behind East. Some paid for 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 Language.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey Quarter restaurants were the most successful in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and support to behove the largest commuter succession troop in the United States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey Descendants was contributory in providing meals to the troops being moved across the rural area on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Cyclopean Depression 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.