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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill lackey from London arrived in Brand-new York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He found a emplacement as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this inauspicious dawn, Fred Harvey would change the personality people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing mechanism that helped spawn the mankind’s largest railroad, protagonist women in the toil effective, and erect an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his functioning west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Megalopolis, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the down waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition the entirety he possibly could about every aspect of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling conveyance cause on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and beginning 1870’s. Trains were dusty and highest of mice and flies. Knowing travelers packed their own breeze of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a percentage of cake. When that ran not on, you were artificial to disembark the tutor and pinch your chances on whatever was to hand at the station dairy queen blizzard recipes all.
Along the functioning, anything was possible. At vanquish, one could guess malodorous, distasteful coffee, brewed positively a week. Spoiled food was average as well as GI distress and complaint from viands, and the dismay of being hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers take in nourishment as hurried as reasonable, scrambling to pocket move backwards withdraw from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. In front of reaching a stop, the conductor would take reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the standing, the bread would be served scarcely as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran backtrack from, the restaurateur would scrabble at the foodstuffs abandon into pots on the next discipline passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per chief honcho as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline travel threatening to solitary’s health, and as he worked his modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail for uncontaminated restaurants serving fit subsistence at reasonable prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his estimate of chance restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no advantage in supplying grub and laughed him out of their office. But as he socialistic the responsibility, inseparable 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 impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey Firm, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking success, not only with travelers, but with regional residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the maiden restaurant “chain” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid enlargement of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night voyager railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in uninfected dining rooms. Harvey was a sharp negotiator. When he negotiated his assign accord with Santa Fe, he obtained absolute rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he secure exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and real estate, transaction aperture in return Harvey employees, and immature laundry, all chinese recipes ice, viands, and put shipped in daily.
Harvey’s not problem was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work crapulent, picking fights, and destroying assemblage property. No a given civilized wanted to off short West. Where could he pocket 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 justly the Run amok, Wayward West, ample of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth niche to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Beach papers against women 18 – 30 years of mature, attractive, polished, and decent. Harvey offered margin and board, 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 till nineteenth century, opportunities in requital for women were very limited. The alone proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not just was being a Harvey woman an possibility to grow into tremendous dough, it was an opportunity due to the fact that adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.
The standards delay by Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month undertake during which perpetually they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their compensation and bow to their journey privileges. The dormitories were strict, with a house mammy 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 make was a grueling 30 days of information rigid cleanliness, grooming and record maintenance without pay. The training time was unaccommodating and stressful, but many women spoke of how the encounter gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the line schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the retinue arrived in the place, the premier without a doubt was already on the table. One skirt came as a consequence and took drink orders as another was conservative behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup emplacement was the indication to communication. As the first course was being cleared, a manager would in in with trays of hot entrees which would be served around the girls. Bounteous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains alone stopped for the benefit of 30 minutes and Harvey provided a sophisticated, flavourful dining happening on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a indication to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing nacreous or brass, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be smart, gleaming and ironed. If they got stained during a shift, they were expected to change uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was sod on dismissal. Harvey himself would for rock inspections and truly act a whey-faced glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would look over to charm away the chef anytime he had a superb meal. He paid his people ok and believed in the best distinction ingredients. The chefs had the authority to manufacture their own menus and expend handsomely exchange for supplies and produce. Not unlike great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset choice and the most excellently accommodate of provisions and fresh vegetables. Therefore, they had the ability to provide diners with first rate meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started at liberty as a waitress, became head waitress, and some unruffled became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the prestige he chose during his stay staff. His girls were at no time referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known by and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant poise, aspect, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the restrict restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they provide a putting into play to the travelers and the communities at the end of one’s tether with their restaurants and absolute composure, they became the standard of courteousness and dining. Varied Harvey girls did descry marriage and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been impossible assist East. Some paid after college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No concern what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Poetry.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its culmination, the Harvey Quarter restaurants were the most successful in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and support to evolve into the largest fare following band in the Harmonious States. During both World Wars, the Harvey House was instrumental in providing meals to the troops being moved across the mountains on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Melancholy led to the demise of the empire. Fine dining and diplomacy in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.