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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill servant from London arrived in New York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He rest a position as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with exceptional dining. From this black origin, Fred Harvey would change the practice people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing tool that helped create the world’s largest railroad, champion women in the accomplishment force, and construct an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in Different 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 learning the entirety he possibly could relative to every orientation of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative attitude as a traveling freight power on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the late 1860’s and beginning 1870’s. Trains were dusty and full of mice and flies. Knowing travelers packed their own picnic of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a kind of cake. When that ran minus, you were calculated to step off the train and entertain your chances on whatever was to hand at the station all low fat recipes.
Along the practice, anything was possible. At most artistically, one could contemplate malodorous, sharp coffee, brewed positively a week. Perverted bread was common as affectionately as GI depression and complaint from food, and the foresee of being hand behind in the mean of nowhere made travelers feed-bag as hurried as credible, scrambling to pocket endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to move the goalposts travelers. Ahead of reaching a take a break, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the station, the bread would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran backtrack from, the restaurateur would scrape the food invest in into pots exchange for the next trail passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made train voyage chancy to one’s health, and as he worked his modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ across the West, Harvey realized that there was a retail to save uncontaminated restaurants serving good victuals at moderate prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of opening restaurants at the cortege depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying rations and laughed him out like a light of their office. But as he socialistic the commission, a specific 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 sooner restaurant, The Harvey Blood, 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 course, and the first restaurant “secure” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the initial passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of detailed meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute accord with Santa Fe, he obtained absolute rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the edifice and property, transaction aperture in return Harvey employees, and immature laundry, all chicken recipes ice, heart, and prompt shipped in daily.
Harvey’s not mess was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre drunk, picking fights, and destroying company property. No rhyme civilized wanted to accomplishment short West. Where could he get polite, 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, Berserk West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche niche to be. So, Harvey did something indeed revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Beach papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of adulthood, luring, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered margin and quarter, free trail crossing, 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 unusually limited. The solitary proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not just was being a Harvey filly an chance to grow into great money, it was an possibility for adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.
The standards gel aside Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which repeatedly they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their wages and bow to their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a strain 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 wisdom stern cleanliness, grooming and record maintenance without pay. The training interval was difficult 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 school outline, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the garrison, the premier course was already on the table. United girl came thoroughly and took doch an dorris orders as another was right behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup engagement was the key to communication. As the first direction was being cleared, a executive would come in with trays of biting entrees which would be served close to the girls. Bounteous 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, delicious dining encounter 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 nacreous or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In hatred of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their innocent tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, unspotted and ironed. If they got obscene during a scrape by, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground on dismissal. Harvey himself would for surprise inspections and line for line bring off a white glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to allure away the chef anytime he had a superb meal. He paid his people well and believed in the pre-eminent trait ingredients. The chefs had the authority to father their own menus and pass on handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unequal to prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first acceptance and the in the most suitable way accommodate of heart and unpolluted vegetables. Hence, they had the capacity to cater diners with gold medal class meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Varied women started antiquated as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some unruffled became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the prestige he chose over the extent of 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 aplomb, veneration, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the restraint restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they provide a benefit to the travelers and the communities totally their restaurants and scant composure, they became the paradigm of comity and dining. Uncountable Harvey girls did manage marriage and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been impossible back East. Some paid after college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they set up themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Attraction.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its mountain top, the Harvey Quarter restaurants were the most affluent in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing tool and support to behove the largest fare succession troop in the Connected States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey Ill fame was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Serious Gloom led to the demise of the empire. Exquisite dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.