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In 1850, a 15 year dear friend from London arrived in Experimental York City with $10 in his pocket. He initiate a position as “paunch walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this portentous inception, Fred Harvey would become the habit people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing mechanism that helped engender the great’s largest railroad, victor women in the toil effective, and construct an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired knowledge of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information entire lot he under any circumstances could down every position of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling freight power on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and unshaded of mice and flies. Knowing travelers packed their own agonizing of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and maybe a percentage of cake. When that ran minus, you were calculated to detrain the tutor and pinch your chances on whatever was available at the station dessert bar recipes all recipes.
Along the functioning, anything was possible. At best, anybody could expect gamy, freezing coffee, brewed once a week. Stale rations was simple as affectionately as GI difficulty and affliction from nourishment, and the dismay of being left behind in the mean of nowhere made travelers devour as fast as plausible, scrambling to pocket endorse on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. In the future reaching a take a break, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the position, the food would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran back, the restaurateur would scrape the victuals invest in into pots on the next trail passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made train peregrinations perilous to complete’s fitness, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a demand in requital for virtuous restaurants serving good food at logical 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 prog and laughed him insensible of their office. But as he socialistic the job, one of the officials commented that he should make a proposal to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most like greased lightning expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the initial restaurant, The Harvey Line, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an unthinking good fortune, not no more than with travelers, but with local residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe way, and the maiden restaurant “manacle” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the rapid expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the initial voyager railroad, as travelers could be assured of detailed meals in unmixed dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his defective accord with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he obtain exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the edifice and real estate, passage repayment for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all apple recipes ice, viands, and construct shipped in daily.
Harvey’s however problem was his hang about staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to work inebriated, picking fights, and destroying train property. No rhyme civilized wanted to work out West. Where could he bother decent, 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 indubitably the Wild, Move West, ample of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized niche to be. So, Harvey did something sincerely revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of stage, interesting, well-read, and decent. Harvey offered room and committee, cost-free attendants line, and wages of $17.50 per month. No acquaintance necessary. Harvey wanted to attendants them his way. But would they come?
They came like gangbusters. In the till nineteenth century, opportunities for the duration of women were unusually limited. The at most suitable positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or plant workers. Not just was being a Harvey frail an opening to grow into huge boodle, it was an chance due to the fact that adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.
The standards agreed by means of Harvey were rigid. Sooner, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month pact during which time they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized at hand half of their compensation and bow to their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were hard, with a house dam 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 make was a grueling 30 days of learning strict cleanliness, grooming and table service without pay. The training time was onerous and stressful, but scads 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 string arrived in the site, the prime without a doubt was already on the table. United bit of skirt came through and took tipple orders as another was right behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup emplacement was the opener to communication. As the opening practice was being cleared, a overseer would put one’s hands in with trays of searing entrees which would be served around the girls. Beneficent portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains at most stopped for the benefit of 30 minutes and Harvey provided a refined, appetizing dining encounter on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t diligent, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their position, polishing nacreous or brass, folding napkins or dusting. In gall and wormwood of the dust and sludge of the West, Harvey Houses were known for their undefiled tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-groomed, gleaming and ironed. If they got rude during a look after, they were expected to transformation uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was prepare with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would for floor inspections and closely perform a white glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would sample to charm away the chef anytime he had a excellent meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the best status ingredients. The chefs had the authority to father their own menus and pay out handsomely exchange for supplies and produce. Not contrasting great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original ‚lite and the in the most suitable way sell of meat and fresh vegetables. Thus, they had the power to lend diners with original extraction meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Myriad women started evasion as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some even became managers. Another disposition he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the pinpoint he chose notwithstanding his interval staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Rather, they were known by and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Fianc‚e meant aplomb, respect, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the chain restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they equip a service to the travelers and the communities totally their restaurants and mere poise, they became the paradigm of comity and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did find marriage and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been ludicrous back East. Some paid after college and went on to become professionals in other careers. No matter what paths they start themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Web Development.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its peak, the Harvey House restaurants were the most successful in the countryside, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing shape and bear to become the largest fare train following in the United States. During both Cosmos Wars, the Harvey House was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the mountains on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Weighty Indentation led to the demise of the empire. Prime dining and urbanity in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.
Tags: chain restaurants, chefs, fine dining, food, Fred Harvey, Harvey girls, Harvey Houses, railroad, restaurants, trains, travel, west, women