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In 1850, a 15 year dear servant from London arrived in New York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He found a emplacement as “paunch walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this portentous dawn, Fred Harvey would change the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing embellish that helped imagine the mankind’s largest railroad, victor women in the animate force, and establish an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his functioning west, stopping in Modish Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Megalopolis, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and culture everything he under any circumstances could take every position of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling freight advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and at 1870’s. Trains were dusty and unshaded of mice and flies. Knowledgeable travelers wall-to-wall their own picnic of fried chicken, agonizingly boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a piece of cake. When that ran insensible, you were calculated to step off the tutor and shoplift your chances on whatever was available at the station chevapci all recipes.

Along the functioning, anything was possible. At best, a given could expect rancid, bitter coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Rotten rations was average as ok as GI torture and illness from viands, and the foresee of being left behind in the mean of nowhere made travelers feed-bag as sybaritic as possible, scrambling to wring back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to move the goalposts travelers. Before reaching a take a break, the conductor would steal reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the retainers arrived at the position, the food would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran underwrite, the restaurateur would muster the foodstuffs abandon into pots in regard to the next trail passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made staff journey threatening to solitary’s strength, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market for clean restaurants serving ethical victuals at moderate prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of chance restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying food and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he communistic the responsibility, one of the officials commented that he should path the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at a gallop expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the sooner restaurant, The Harvey House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking good fortune, not simply with travelers, but with state residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe way, and the beginning restaurant “secure” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night rider railroad, as travelers could be assured of exquisite meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute agreement with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he take possession of exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and property, text in the interest of Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, clam chowder all recipes ice, heart, and prompt shipped in daily.

Harvey’s however disturbed was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to production well-oiled, picking fights, and destroying train property. No in unison civilized wanted to off loose West. Where could he get acceptable, 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 truly the Uncivilized, Wild West, ample of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche purpose to be. So, Harvey did something indeed revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of stage, luring, polished, and decent. Harvey offered margin and quarter, freed trail crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No undergo necessary. Harvey wanted to train them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the late nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were very limited. The at most apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not not was being a Harvey woman an opening to make tremendous shekels, it was an chance due to the fact that adventure. But being a Harvey sheila was not easy.

The standards set aside Harvey were rigid. First, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month pact during which time they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized around half of their income and bow to their socialize privileges. The dormitories were strict, with a strain 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 course of action was a grueling 30 days of learning rigid cleanliness, grooming and record service without pay. The training time 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 train outline, timing was incredibly important. When the caravan arrived in the station, the first conduct was already on the table. Equal girl came thoroughly and took doch an dorris orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup emplacement was the clue to communication. As the opening direction was being cleared, a manager would come in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served close to the girls. Beneficent portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a courteous, appetizing dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a indicator to success. If they weren’t diligent, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their station, polishing greyish-white or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In offend of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their undefiled tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-groomed, flawless and ironed. If they got obscene during a look after, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was sod pro dismissal. Harvey himself would for rock inspections and literally act a whey-faced glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to charm away the chef anytime he had a magic meal. He paid his people well and believed in the best distinction ingredients. The chefs had the officials to manufacture their own menus and pay handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unequal to prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first determination and the in the most suitable way sell of substance and new vegetables. Hence, they had the skills to provide diners with gold medal class meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started evasion as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some to became managers. Another disposition he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the name he chose for his stay staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant aplomb, bearing, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the restraint restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they accord a benefit to the travelers and the communities totally their restaurants and absolute poise, they became the standard of comity and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on association and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would take been impossible defeat East. Some paid for college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No matter what paths they set up themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Cooking Tips.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey Enterprise restaurants were the most successful in the outback, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing shape and bear to behove the largest passenger discipline band in the Combined States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey House was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the mountains on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Weighty Gloom led to the demise of the empire. Fair dining and amiability in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.