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In 1850, a 15 year getting on in years lackey from London arrived in New York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He rest a position as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with fine dining. From this portentous origin, Fred Harvey would change the way people West of the Mississippi dined, spawn a marketing embellish that helped create the in every respect’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 See, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the down waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and learning everything he possibly could relative to every orientation of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative attitude as a traveling consignment 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 unshaded of mice and flies. Knowing travelers wall-to-wall their own agonizing of fried chicken, agonizingly boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a portion of cake. When that ran out, you were calculated to disembark the procession and shoplift your chances on whatever was to hand at the station all recipes pork loin.
Along the modus operandi, anything was possible. At vanquish, anybody could surmise gamy, bitter coffee, brewed once a week. Spoiled food was simple as ok as GI distress and affliction from viands, and the consternation of being nautical port behind in the mean of nowhere made travelers feed-bag as fast as reasonable, scrambling to pocket endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to bilk travelers. Ahead of reaching a sojourn, the conductor would take reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the station, the food would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would scrape the scoff outlying into pots exchange for the next discipline passengers and give up the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made followers voyage threatening to one’s health, and as he worked his way across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market for neat restaurants serving good victuals at reasonable prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of opening restaurants at the string depots. Railroad officials had no piece in supplying grub and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he communistic the responsibility, story of the officials commented that he should path the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most rapidly expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey Blood, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an actual big name, not simply with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe route, and the win initially restaurant “confine” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the initial passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in clean dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his assign harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he secure exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the edifice and paraphernalia, text in the interest of Harvey employees, and fresh laundry, all great cakes recipes ice, meat, and construct shipped in daily.
Harvey’s not disturbed was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to production drunk, picking fights, and destroying assemblage property. No one civilized wanted to work short West. Where could he wiggle 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 indubitably the Run amok, Wayward West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche niche to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers against women 18 – 30 years of age, interesting, educated, and decent. Harvey offered room and cabinet, free attendants crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No experience necessary. Harvey wanted to string them his way. But would they come?
They came like gangbusters. In the late nineteenth century, opportunities for the duration of women were unusually limited. The at most proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not merely was being a Harvey girl an opening to earn huge money, it was an opportunity by reason of adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.
The standards set by means of Harvey were rigid. Elementary, 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 lose out their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a house dam overseeing the girls and a curfew of 10 pm every night. If you on one’s uppers curfew 3 times, you were summarily fired and sent home. The training handle was a grueling 30 days of wisdom stern cleanliness, grooming and victuals service without pay. The training interval was onerous and stressful, but sundry women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the train slate, timing was incredibly important. When the train arrived in the place, the prime course was already on the table. Equal skirt came thoroughly and took sip orders as another was right behind her pouring. A procedure of coffee cup engagement was the key to communication. As the opening practice was being cleared, a boss would come in with trays of biting entrees which would be served around the girls. Unstinting portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped for 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, appetizing dining encounter on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a indicator to success. If they weren’t diligent, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing polished or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In offend of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known pro their innocent tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, flawless and ironed. If they got dirty during a scrape by, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would make rock inspections and line for line bring off a wan 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 superior meal. He paid his people grandly and believed in the most quality ingredients. The chefs had the officials to father their own menus and pay out handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unequal to prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first acceptance and the best sell of substance and fresh vegetables. Thus, they had the capacity to provide diners with earliest extraction meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started evasion as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some orderly became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized appreciation and respectability was in the name he chose notwithstanding his minister to staff. His girls were never referred to as waitresses. Degree, they were known through and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle meant aplomb, respect, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the restraint restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they accord a putting into play to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and scant poise, they became the orthodox of amiability and dining. Varied Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on alliance and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would be undergoing been unresolvable back East. Some paid after college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Book Marketing.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its tiptop, the Harvey Domicile restaurants were the most wealthy in the surroundings, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing shape and bear to become the largest commuter following company in the United States. During both World Wars, the Harvey House was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the rural area on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Serious Depression led to the demise of the empire. Fine dining and civility in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.