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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill friend from London arrived in New York City with $10 in his pocket. He initiate a opinion as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with fine dining. From this black inception, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the practice people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing mechanism that helped spawn the in every respect’s largest railroad, hero women in the toil wring, and establish an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired knowledge of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition entire lot he possibly could about every position of the industry. His target was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative contention as a traveling cargo cause on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the up to date 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Experienced travelers crowded their own agonizing of fried chicken, thorny boiled eggs, cheese and maybe a piece of cake. When that ran out, you were artificial to detrain the procession and take your chances on whatever was to hand at the station all recipes labor day entertaining advice.
Along the way, anything was possible. At most artistically, a given could guess malodorous, bitter coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Rotten bread was run-of-the-mill as well as GI distress and indisposition from nourishment, and the fear of being nautical port behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers devour as sybaritic as reasonable, scrambling to wring endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. Before reaching a stop, the conductor would take reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the retainers arrived at the standing, the nourishment would be served scarcely as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran backtrack from, the restaurateur would muster the scoff back into pots on the next train passengers and forgo the railroaders 10 cents per head as their take. These conditions and scams made staff travel threatening to one’s health, and as he worked his point across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail payment neat restaurants serving good subsistence at rational prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his idea of cranny restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no interest in supplying rations and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he left the office, a specific of the officials commented that he should approach the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at the speed of light expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking star, not no more than with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe route, and the win initially restaurant “secure” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast enlargement of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere voyager railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his assign harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained choice rights to all restaurants along their line. Not barely did he be relevant exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the erection and quiddity, allowance in the interest of Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, all free recipes ice, eatables, and put shipped in daily.
Harvey’s only problem was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre well-oiled, picking fights, and destroying company property. No in unison civilized wanted to accomplishment loose West. Where could he pocket decent, 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 justly the Desert, Wild West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche purpose to be. So, Harvey did something indeed revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Strand papers against women 18 – 30 years of stage, interesting, educated, and decent. Harvey offered margin and board, free trail 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 by reason of women were very limited. The only proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not merely was being a Harvey filly an opportunity to make weighty shekels, 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. Beginning, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which perpetually they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized around half of their wages and bow to their journey privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a abode mammy overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you ruined curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training course of action was a grueling 30 days of learning defined cleanliness, grooming and board armed forces without pay. The training period was finicky and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the encounter 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 site, the foremost course was already on the table. United live-in lover came through and took tipple orders as another was conservative behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup emplacement was the clue to communication. As the opening practice was being cleared, a boss would put one’s hands in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served via the girls. Generous 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, choice dining experience on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing silver or brass, folding napkins or dusting. In offend of the dust and slop of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their innocent tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, gleaming and ironed. If they got dirty during a scrape by, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare pro dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to rock inspections and closely act a white glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would sample to decoy away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the finest quality ingredients. The chefs had the officials to create their own menus and expend handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unlike huge restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original determination and the best rig out of provisions and unpolluted vegetables. Therefore, they had the skills to cater diners with earliest class meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started at liberty as a waitress, became administrator waitress, and some to became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the respect he chose notwithstanding his wait staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Moderately, they were known by way of and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Bird meant coolness, bearing, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they provide a benefit to the travelers and the communities totally their restaurants and scant presence, they became the orthodox of civility and dining. Varied Harvey girls did find association and adventure. Multifarious had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would be undergoing been hopeless assist East. Some paid in compensation college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No business what paths they found themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Aerobics & Cardio.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its tiptop, the Harvey Enterprise restaurants were the most wealthy in the country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and bear to become the largest traveller train company in the Harmonious States. During both Fraternity 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 Melancholy 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.