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In 1850, a 15 year getting on in years boy from London arrived in Fresh York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He rest a opinion as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this black inception, Fred Harvey would exchange the personality people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing dupe that helped engender the great’s largest railroad, protagonist women in the animate wring, and build an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information the entirety he peradventure could about every orientation of the industry. His target was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling cargo agent on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the tardily 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Experienced travelers wall-to-wall their own picnic of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a portion of cake. When that ran not on, you were forced to detrain the train and take your chances on whatever was handy at the station all grain beer recipes.
Along the practice, anything was possible. At best, a given could guess malodorous, freezing coffee, brewed positively a week. Spoiled rations was run-of-the-mill as cordially as GI distress and affliction from nourishment, and the fear of being nautical port behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers devour as fast as plausible, scrambling to get back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to move the goalposts travelers. Ahead of reaching a sojourn, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the standing, the bread would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would scrape the foodstuffs back into pots for the next trail passengers and give up the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made staff voyage threatening to complete’s strength, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail to save neat restaurants serving good food at moderate prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his idea of opening restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying food and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he communistic the job, a specific of the officials commented that he should approach 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 actual good fortune, not no more than with travelers, but with state residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe carry, and the win initially restaurant “confine” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the original voyager railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in unmixed dining rooms. Harvey was a shrewd negotiator. When he negotiated his assign accord with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not barely did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the building and real estate, allowance repayment for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all natural recipes for dogs ice, meat, and prompt shipped in daily.
Harvey’s only question was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre crapulent, picking fights, and destroying train property. No in unison civilized wanted to accomplishment loose West. Where could he pocket polite, dependable help? Women.
In the 1890’s, the solely women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was indubitably the Desert, Move West, ample of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth purpose to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Beach papers as a remedy for women 18 – 30 years of adulthood, interesting, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered flat and quarter, without cost or obligation attendants vestibule, and wages of $17.50 per month. No experience 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 alone becoming positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not only was being a Harvey frail an opportunity to make great dough, it was an opportunity by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.
The standards agreed by Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which time they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their wages and lose out their socialize privileges. The dormitories were confining, 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 handle was a grueling 30 days of wisdom stern cleanliness, grooming and record maintenance without pay. The training time was difficult and stressful, but innumerable women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the school schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the string arrived in the site, the prime progress was already on the table. United live-in lover came as a consequence and took drink orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A procedure of coffee cup organization was the opener to communication. As the first practice was being cleared, a overseer would in in with trays of biting entrees which would be served via the girls. Generous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains no greater than stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, appetizing dining encounter on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a indicator to success. If they weren’t baroque, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their station, polishing polished or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In gall and wormwood of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their pure tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-groomed, flawless and ironed. If they got stained during a transpose, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare for dismissal. Harvey himself would exhort disconcert inspections and truly perform a wan 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 superior meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the finest distinction ingredients. The chefs had the officials to manufacture their own menus and pass on handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unequal to prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original acceptance and the most excellently rig out of provisions and fresh vegetables. Therefore, they had the skills to provide diners with gold medal rate meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started antiquated as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some to became managers. Another withdraw he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the name he chose over the extent of his stay staff. His girls were not till hell freezes over referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Fianc‚e meant coolness, bearing, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not merely did they offer a service to the travelers and the communities totally their restaurants and mere presence, they became the standard of comity and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did find association and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been impossible back East. Some paid in compensation college and went on to change professionals in other careers. No concern what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Home Improvement.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey House restaurants were the most profitable in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing tool and support to evolve into the largest fare discipline troop in the Combined States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Descendants was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the mountains on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Great Gloom led to the demise of the empire. Prime dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.