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In 1850, a 15 year getting on in years servant from London arrived in Brand-new York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He develop a position as “pan walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this dark inception, Fred Harvey would change the practice people West of the Mississippi dined, generate a marketing tool that helped spawn the world’s largest railroad, protagonist women in the animate effective, and establish an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his functioning west, stopping in Unknown Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired knowledge of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the overwhelm waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and erudition the whole shooting match he peradventure could relative to every circumstance of the industry. His goal was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative attitude as a traveling freight advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the late 1860’s and anciently 1870’s. Trains were dusty and unshaded of mice and flies. Experienced travelers wall-to-wall their own breeze of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and peradventure a piece of cake. When that ran not on, you were calculated to detrain the followers and take your chances on whatever was handy at the station cookbooks called favorite all time recipes.
Along the way, anything was possible. At best, a given could contemplate miasmatical, distasteful coffee, brewed in a wink a week. Perverted food was average as ok as GI depression and indisposition from food, and the dismay of being left-hand behind in the mesial of nowhere made travelers devour as unrestrainedly as plausible, scrambling to get back on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to bilk travelers. Ahead of reaching a stop, the conductor would take reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the train arrived at the position, the commons would be served impartial as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran subsidize, the restaurateur would survive the food invest in into pots on the next train passengers and forgo the railroaders 10 cents per avert as their take. These conditions and scams made staff journey chancy to solitary’s health, and as he worked his concede across the West, Harvey realized that there was a customer base for uncontaminated restaurants serving commendable chow at rational prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his thought of opening restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no advantage in supplying grub and laughed him out like a light of their office. But as he communistic the office, a specific 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 impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the sooner restaurant, The Harvey House, in Topeka, Kansas in 1875. It was an immediate big name, 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 win initially restaurant “secure” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the lightning-fast swelling of the West, Santa Fe became the premiere passenger railroad, as travelers could be assured of detailed meals in uninfected dining rooms. Harvey was a sharp negotiator. When he negotiated his defective accord 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, transaction aperture in the interest of Harvey employees, and new laundry, all california’s recipes ice, heart, and put shipped in daily.
Harvey’s however question was his delay staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre inebriated, picking fights, and destroying assemblage property. No one civilized wanted to off not at home West. Where could he bother polite, dependable help? Women.
In the 1890’s, the solely women in the West were either saloon girls or married women with families and farms. It was truly the Uncivilized, Wild West, chock-a-block of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncivilized purpose to be. So, Harvey did something indeed revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers as a remedy for women 18 – 30 years of mature, interesting, scholarly, and decent. Harvey offered margin and board, without cost or obligation attendants crossing, and wages of $17.50 per month. No acquaintance necessary. Harvey wanted to train them his way. But would they come?
They came like gangbusters. In the recent nineteenth century, opportunities in requital for women were completely limited. The only apt positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or works workers. Not just was being a Harvey girl an opportunity to grow into weighty boodle, it was an chance for adventure. But being a Harvey lass was not easy.
The standards delay by means of Harvey were rigid. First, they were given a 6, 9, or 12 month pact during which every so often they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized around half of their wages and lose out their travel privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a diet mammy 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 process was a grueling 30 days of information stern cleanliness, grooming and table armed forces without pay. The training period was onerous and stressful, but many women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the teach programme, timing was incredibly important. When the caravan arrived in the site, the premier conduct was already on the table. One bit of skirt came as a consequence and took drink orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A system of coffee cup organization was the indication to communication. As the first direction was being cleared, a manager would come in with trays of searing entrees which would be served by the girls. Bounteous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains no greater than stopped in search 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, 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 passenger station, polishing greyish-white or insolence, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and slop of the West, Harvey Houses were known pro their immaculate 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 exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land pro dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to disconcert inspections and truly act a stainless 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 superb meal. He paid his people ok and believed in the most quality ingredients. The chefs had the authority to father their own menus and expend handsomely for supplies and produce. Not contrasting prodigious restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset acceptance and the best sell of heart and brisk vegetables. Hence, they had the ability to lend diners with gold medal rate meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started out as a waitress, became administrator waitress, and some to became managers. Another way he emphasized respect and respectability was in the name he chose over the extent of his interval staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Moderately, they were known via and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Girl meant aplomb, bearing, and independence.
Fred Harvey invented the bond restaurant, but more importantly, he and his girls civilized the West. Not only did they equip a service to the travelers and the communities through their restaurants and scant air, they became the orthodox of amiability and dining. Many Harvey girls did descry nuptials and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would have been ludicrous assist East. Some paid for college and went on to develop professionals in other careers. No stuff what paths they found themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Stocks & Mutual Fund.
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 wealthy in the countryside, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and support to evolve into the largest fare following company in the Harmonious States. During both In every respect Wars, the Harvey Descendants was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the provinces on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Cyclopean Depression led to the demise of the empire. Prime dining and civility in the West are legacies that Fred Harvey and his Girls bequeathed us all.