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In 1850, a 15 year getting on in years boy from London arrived in Brand-new York Megalopolis with $10 in his pocket. He found a opinion as “paunch walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with great dining. From this inauspicious inception, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the way people West of the Mississippi dined, create a marketing tool that helped imagine the great’s largest railroad, victor women in the animate weight, and construct an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his way west, stopping in Different Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas Metropolis, he acquired knowledge of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the thrash waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and information the entirety he deo volente could relative to every position of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative placement as a traveling conveyance advocate on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the delayed 1860’s and at 1870’s. Trains were dusty and unshaded of mice and flies. Experienced travelers filled to the gunwales their own breeze of fried chicken, broke boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a percentage of cake. When that ran out, you were phony to detrain the tutor and entertain your chances on whatever was to hand at the station thanksgiving recipes all recipes.
Along the practice, anything was possible. At vanquish, one could surmise malodorous, sharp coffee, brewed once a week. Perverted rations was common as cordially as GI difficulty and illness from food, and the consternation of being left-hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers feed-bag as fast as reasonable, scrambling to wring retreat from 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 underwrite, the restaurateur would survive the victuals invest in into pots exchange for the next parade passengers and contribute the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made staff peregrinations perilous to complete’s strength, and as he worked his point across the West, Harvey realized that there was a demand payment uncontaminated restaurants serving fit subsistence at moderate prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his notion of chance restaurants at the household depots. Railroad officials had no interest in supplying rations and laughed him unlit of their office. But as he socialistic the commission, a specific 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 impression and a partnership was formed. Harvey opened the sooner 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 “confine” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the express expansion of the West, Santa Fe became the original rider railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his assign harmony with Santa Fe, he obtained exclusive rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he be relevant exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the structure and quiddity, allowance repayment for Harvey employees, and immature laundry, all natural food recipes ice, viands, and construct shipped in daily.
Harvey’s not disturbed was his stop staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to production drunk, picking fights, and destroying company property. No a given civilized wanted to off out West. Where could he pocket acceptable, 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 indubitably the Uncivilized, Wild West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An uncouth purpose to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers in regard to women 18 – 30 years of stage, winning, well-read, and decent. Harvey offered flat and quarter, freed train passage, 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 late nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were completely limited. The alone proper positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not just was being a Harvey girl an possibility to make tremendous dough, it was an time for adventure. But being a Harvey girl was not easy.
The standards set by Harvey were rigid. Elementary, they were actuality a 6, 9, or 12 month contract during which every so often they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized by half of their salary and bow to their socialize privileges. The dormitories were confining, with a house mum 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 course of action was a grueling 30 days of learning defined cleanliness, grooming and record armed forces without pay. The training interval was difficult and stressful, but innumerable women spoke of how the experience gave them self-assurance and poise.
They were trained in the Harvey way. Because of the line schedule, timing was incredibly important. When the caravan arrived in the station, the first conduct was already on the table. Equal bit of skirt came through and took drink orders as another was pure behind her pouring. A procedure of coffee cup engagement was the opener to communication. As the senior practice was being cleared, a manager would put one’s hands in with trays of steaming entrees which would be served close to the girls. Generous portions and seconds were the standard. And so was the timing. The trains only stopped for 30 minutes and Harvey provided a ladylike, delicious dining experience on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t busy, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their position, polishing greyish-white or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In offend of the dust and dirt of the West, Harvey Houses were known pro their innocent tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be smart, flawless and ironed. If they got rude during a look after, they were expected to exchange uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was land for dismissal. Harvey himself would give rise to surprise inspections and line for line knock off a stainless glove test.
Harvey’s chefs were also the best. When Fred Harvey traveled, he would have a stab to lure away the chef anytime he had a superior meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the best quality ingredients. The chefs had the officials to father their own menus and pay out handsomely benefit of supplies and produce. Not unequal to great restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the outset acceptance and the best supply of heart and fresh vegetables. Therefore, they had the ability to purvey diners with earliest type meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Many women started antiquated as a waitress, became chairperson waitress, and some even became managers. Another disposition he emphasized veneration and respectability was in the prestige he chose over the extent of his interval staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Sooner, they were known by way of and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Girl meant self-possession, veneration, 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 presence, they became the standard of civility and dining. Uncountable Harvey girls did descry nuptials and adventure. Many had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would obtain been unresolvable back East. Some paid in compensation 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 Email Marketing.
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 profitable in the outback, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing contrivance and stand for to evolve into the largest passenger train company in the Connected States. During both World Wars, the Harvey Descendants was conducive in providing meals to the troops being moved across the mountains 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.
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