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In 1850, a 15 year old lackey from London arrived in Brand-new York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He initiate a opinion as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with fine dining. From this inauspicious inception, Fred Harvey would change the way people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing embellish that helped spawn the world’s largest railroad, champion women in the animate weight, and erect an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Megalopolis, he acquired apprehension of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the down waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and learning the entirety he peradventure could down every circumstance of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling freight power on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the up to date 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and unshaded of mice and flies. Experienced travelers packed their own breeze of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a percentage of cake. When that ran insensible, you were artificial to detrain the tutor and entertain your chances on whatever was handy at the station all recipe recipes.
Along the functioning, anything was possible. At best, one could surmise rancid, distasteful coffee, brewed once a week. Perverted food was average as affectionately as GI depression and illness from nourishment, and the consternation of being hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers eat as fast as possible, scrambling to pocket back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to cheat travelers. Before reaching a take a break, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the standing, the bread would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would scrabble at the scoff back into pots exchange for the next parade passengers and forgo the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made train peregrinations chancy to solitary’s strength, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a customer base payment clean restaurants serving ethical subsistence 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 consideration in supplying food and laughed him out like a light of their office. But as he left-hand the office, a specific of the officials commented that he should chat up advances the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at the speed of light expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the beforehand restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking big name, not at best with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe route, and the maiden restaurant “secure” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his assign accord with Santa Fe, he obtained absolute rights to all restaurants along their line. Not barely did he secure exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the building and property, allowance in the interest of Harvey employees, and immature laundry, diabetic all recipes online ice, viands, and put shipped in daily.
Harvey’s not mess was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work crapulent, picking fights, and destroying group property. No a given civilized wanted to accomplishment not at home West. Where could he get acceptable, dependable help? Women.
In the 1890’s, the only women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was properly the Wild, Wayward West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche place to be. So, Harvey did something undoubtedly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Coast papers for women 18 – 30 years of mature, attractive, educated, and decent. Harvey offered area and board, freed trail crossing, 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 late nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were exceptionally limited. The only suitable positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not not was being a Harvey woman an possibility to forge great money, it was an opportunity instead of adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.
The standards agreed aside Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month undertake during which every so often they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their wages and lose their journey privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a abode mum overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you ruined curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training make was a grueling 30 days of culture strict cleanliness, grooming and victuals armed forces without pay. The training interval was finicky and stressful, but scads women spoke of how the ordeal gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach slate, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the place, the prime without a doubt was already on the table. United skirt came result of and took drink orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup organization was the indication to communication. As the senior direction was being cleared, a executive would in in with trays of searing entrees which would be served close to the girls. Bounteous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped for 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, flavourful dining experience on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a indication to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing silver or insolence, 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 well-dressed, unspotted and ironed. If they got stained during a shift, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land for dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to disconcert inspections and literally bring off a stainless glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would look over to allure away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the pre-eminent distinction ingredients. The chefs had the sage to manufacture their own menus and pass on handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unequal to prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first ‚lite and the a- sell of provisions and fresh vegetables. Thus, they had the power to lend diners with gold medal class meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started antiquated as a waitress, became head waitress, and some to became managers. Another disposition he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the prestige he chose for his interval staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Degree, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant poise, bearing, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not solely did they accord a usefulness to the travelers and the communities at the end of one’s tether with their restaurants and mere poise, they became the paradigm of amiability and dining. Many Harvey girls did descry nuptials and adventure. Multifarious had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been unresolvable back East. Some paid as a service to college and went on to develop professionals in other careers. No matter what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Sales Management.
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 country, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and bear to appropriate for the largest fare succession troop in the Connected States. During both World 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 Cyclopean Indentation 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.