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In 1850, a 15 year over the hill friend from London arrived in Fresh York Burg with $10 in his pocket. He rest a opinion as “jackpot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this portentous beginning, Fred Harvey would exchange the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing mechanism that helped create the mankind’s largest railroad, protagonist women in the accomplishment weight, and construct an empire.

As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired expertise of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition the entirety he peradventure could take every position of the industry. His aspiration was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling consignment advocate 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 brim-full of mice and flies. Experienced travelers filled to the gunwales their own piece of cake of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and perhaps a percentage of cake. When that ran minus, you were forced to disembark the followers and take your chances on whatever was available at the station all recipes cranberry bread.

Along the way, anything was possible. At most artistically, anybody could contemplate gamy, sharp coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Spoiled food was run-of-the-mill as cordially as GI difficulty and affliction from nourishment, and the consternation of being hand behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers eat as sybaritic as plausible, scrambling to get endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. Ahead of reaching a take a break, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the position, the commons would be served honest as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would survive the victuals outlying into pots on the next discipline passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per head as their take. These conditions and scams made followers journey chancy to complete’s health, and as he worked his modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ across the West, Harvey realized that there was a demand in requital for clean restaurants serving good victuals at rational prices along the line.

In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his estimate of cranny restaurants at the cortege depots. Railroad officials had no consideration in supplying grub and laughed him out of their office. But as he left-hand the job, one 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 impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey Blood, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an actual star, not no more than with travelers, but with adjoining residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe course, and the beginning restaurant “manacle” was born.

Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the opening night fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of detailed meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a percipient negotiator. When he negotiated his defective harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not alone did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the edifice and property, text for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all recipes for italian creme cakes ice, heart, and produce shipped in daily.

Harvey’s only problem was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to task crapulent, picking fights, and destroying assemblage property. No rhyme civilized wanted to off 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 Run amok, Move West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An boorish place to be. So, Harvey did something undoubtedly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Beach papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of stage, luring, well-read, and decent. Harvey offered area and committee, freed train line, and wages of $17.50 per month. No undergo necessary. Harvey wanted to attendants them his way. But would they come?

They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were very limited. The alone apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not not was being a Harvey woman an possibility to forge huge money, it was an opportunity for adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.

The standards gel away Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which perpetually they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their income and lose their socialize privileges. The dormitories were exact, with a house dam 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 learning stern cleanliness, grooming and table armed forces without pay. The training era was onerous and stressful, but many women spoke of how the involvement gave them self-assurance and poise.

They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach outline, timing was incredibly important. When the string arrived in the place, the premier course was already on the table. One live-in lover came through and took sip orders as another was conservative behind her pouring. A organization of coffee cup emplacement was the indication to communication. As the opening course was being cleared, a boss would come up in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served via the girls. Generous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped to go to 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, appetizing dining happening on a schedule.

Cleanliness was also a key to success. If they weren’t baroque, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their post, polishing polished or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known seeing that their innocent tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, gleaming and ironed. If they got stained during a shift, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land pro dismissal. Harvey himself would make floor inspections and closely bring off a whey-faced glove test.

Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would sample to decoy away the chef anytime he had a superior meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the finest trait ingredients. The chefs had the officials to manufacture their own menus and expend handsomely for supplies and produce. Not unlike noteworthy restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the first determination and the most excellently sell of substance and new vegetables. Thus, they had the power to lend diners with earliest class meals.

Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started at liberty as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some unruffled became managers. Another disposition he emphasized reverence and respectability was in the name he chose notwithstanding his stay staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Degree, they were known through and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Girl meant self-possession, bearing, and independence.

Fred Harvey invented the bond 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 composure, they became the prevalent of civility and dining. Uncountable Harvey girls did descry alliance and adventure. Diverse had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been unresolvable assist East. Some paid for college and went on to fit professionals in other careers. No matter what paths they found themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Recipes & Food and Drink.

When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its mountain top, 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 support to behove the largest commuter discipline troop in the United States. During both Cosmos Wars, the Harvey Ill fame was conducive 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. Exquisite dining and amiability in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.