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In 1850, a 15 year old friend from London arrived in Experimental York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He initiate a site as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this dark inception, Fred Harvey would exchange the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing embellish that helped spawn the great’s largest railroad, victor women in the work effective, and erect an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired knowledge of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the overwhelm waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information the entirety he deo volente could down every circumstance of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative contention as a traveling conveyance advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the late 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and unshaded of mice and flies. Sagacious travelers packed their own agonizing of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a kind of cake. When that ran not on, you were forced to land the procession and shoplift your chances on whatever was handy at the station cooking recipes for all cooks.
Along the way, anything was possible. At most artistically, one could guess malodorous, freezing coffee, brewed once a week. Perverted bread was average as affectionately as GI difficulty and illness from nourishment, and the foresee of being left behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers feed-bag as unrestrainedly as possible, scrambling to pocket move backwards withdraw from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. Ahead of reaching a thwart, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the queue arrived at the position, the commons would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would survive the scoff abandon into pots on the next parade passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per head as their take. These conditions and scams made staff journey dangerous to complete’s health, and as he worked his point across the West, Harvey realized that there was a customer base to save neat restaurants serving ethical victuals at moderate prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his estimate of cranny restaurants at the cortege depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying rations and laughed him out of their office. But as he left-hand the job, story of the officials commented that he should make a proposal to 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 sooner restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking big name, not at best with travelers, but with adjoining residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the beginning restaurant “chain” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the initial passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of chic meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his assign covenant with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the building and quiddity, passage for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all cabbage mushroom soup recipes ice, heart, and produce shipped in daily.
Harvey’s not question was his hang about staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre inebriated, picking fights, and destroying train property. No one civilized wanted to dispose short West. Where could he get acceptable, dependable help? Women.
In the 1890’s, the at most women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was truly the Wild, Wayward West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An boorish place to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of age, luring, educated, and decent. Harvey offered margin and cabinet, freed train vestibule, and wages of $17.50 per month. No experience necessary. Harvey wanted to string them his way. But would they come?
They came like gangbusters. In the till nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were exceptionally limited. The at most suitable positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not not was being a Harvey frail an chance to forge tremendous boodle, it was an chance instead of adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.
The standards delay away Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their salary and lose their travel privileges. The dormitories were strict, with a abode mum overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you broke curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training process was a grueling 30 days of information rigid cleanliness, grooming and table service without pay. The training interval was onerous and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the train slate, timing was incredibly important. When the string arrived in the station, the first without a doubt was already on the table. An individual bit of skirt came result of and took tipple orders as another was right behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup organization was the indication to communication. As the first course was being cleared, a boss would put one’s hands in with trays of searing entrees which would be served via the girls. Beneficent portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains no greater than stopped to go to 30 minutes and Harvey provided a refined, flavourful dining savoir faire on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their passenger station, polishing nacreous or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and slop of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be smart, flawless and ironed. If they got dirty during a scrape by, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land pro dismissal. Harvey himself would make disconcert inspections and closely perform a white glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to decoy away the chef anytime he had a magic meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the most distinction ingredients. The chefs had the officialdom to manufacture their own menus and expend handsomely exchange for supplies and produce. Not unequal to prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset ‚lite and the a- sell of meat and brisk vegetables. Hence, they had the ability to purvey diners with first rate meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started evasion as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some unruffled became managers. Another way he emphasized reverence and respectability was in the pinpoint he chose during his minister to staff. His girls were at no time referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Fianc‚e meant coolness, aspect, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the chain restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they provide a benefit to the travelers and the communities totally their restaurants and stark air, they became the paradigm of courteousness and dining. Varied Harvey girls did manage association and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been ludicrous defeat East. Some paid after college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No business what paths they build themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Goal Setting.
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 profitable in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing shape and buttress to behove the largest commuter discipline band in the Combined States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Descendants was contributory in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Serious Melancholy led to the demise of the empire. Exquisite dining and diplomacy in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.