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In 1850, a 15 year dear boy from London arrived in Fresh York Big apple with $10 in his pocket. He found a opinion as “pot walloper” or dishwasher at an upscale restaurant and began a lifelong passion with forfeiture dining. From this portentous dawn, Fred Harvey would vacillate turn into the way people West of the Mississippi dined, originate a marketing mechanism that helped engender the in every respect’s largest railroad, victor women in the accomplishment force, and construct an empire.
As Fred Harvey worked his path west, stopping in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas See, he acquired erudition of the restaurant industry. When he wasn’t on the floor waiting tables, he was asking questions of chefs and learning the whole shooting match he under any circumstances could down every orientation of the industry. His purpose was to own his own restaurant, and in that endeavor, he accepted a lucrative position as a traveling freight power on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Traveling conditions were frightful in the late 1860’s and early 1870’s. Trains were dusty and brim-full of mice and flies. Experienced travelers packed their own picnic of fried chicken, thorny boiled eggs, cheese and possibly a percentage of cake. When that ran out, you were phony to disembark the followers and entertain your chances on whatever was at one’s disposal at the station all recipes from acient greece.
Along the way, anything was possible. At best, one could expect malodorous, sharp coffee, brewed once upon a time a week. Stale rations was run-of-the-mill as ok as GI distress and complaint from nourishment, and the foresee of being hand behind in the middle of nowhere made travelers eat as fast as credible, scrambling to pocket retreat from on the train. Scam artists negotiated with railroad workers to con man travelers. In front of reaching a thwart, the conductor would assume reservations requiring a 50 cent deposit. When the escort arrived at the standing, the commons would be served just as the conductor called, “All Aboard!” As the travelers ran underwrite, the restaurateur would scrape the food invest in into pots on the next parade passengers and give the railroaders 10 cents per move as their take. These conditions and scams made discipline peregrinations dangerous to individual’s health, and as he worked his modus vivendi = ‘lifestyle’ across the West, Harvey realized that there was a market in requital for virtuous restaurants serving fit food at logical prices along the line.
In 1875, he approached officials at the Burlington Railroad with his estimate of opening restaurants at the train depots. Railroad officials had no interest in supplying food and laughed him out of their office. But as he communistic the job, inseparable of the officials commented that he should make a proposal to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, which was the most at the speed of light expanding railroad in the West. Santa Fe liked the idea 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 simply with travelers, but with adjoining residents as well. Within 9 years, there were 17 Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe way, and the first restaurant “manacle” was born.
Because of Harvey, his restaurants and the impetuous stretching of the West, Santa Fe became the initial fare railroad, as travelers could be assured of splendid meals in pure dining rooms. Harvey was a perspicacious negotiator. When he negotiated his substitute accord with Santa Fe, he obtained closed rights to all restaurants along their line. Not only did he be relevant exclusivity, but the railroad supplied the edifice and paraphernalia, transaction aperture for Harvey employees, and brand-new laundry, all about beer homebrewing first recipes ice, heart, and produce shipped in daily.
Harvey’s only problem was his wait staff. The waiters were undependable, coming to manoeuvre well-oiled, picking fights, and destroying group property. No a given civilized wanted to dispose short West. Where could he wiggle decent, 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 properly the Uncivilized, Wild West, blinding of cowboys, gunslingers, scam artists and roughnecks. An gauche niche to be. So, Harvey did something truly revolutionary. He placed an ad in East Seashore papers for women 18 – 30 years of mature, interesting, polished, and decent. Harvey offered flat and quarter, without cost or obligation trail passage, and wages of $17.50 per month. No trial necessary. Harvey wanted to edify them his way. But would they come?
They came like gangbusters. In the late nineteenth century, opportunities by reason of women were unusually limited. The at most suitable positions were as teachers, servants, dressmakers, or factory workers. Not not was being a Harvey frail an opening to earn tremendous dough, it was an possibility for adventure. But being a Harvey bit of skirt was not easy.
The standards set by Harvey were rigid. Beginning, they were accustomed a 6, 9, or 12 month narrow during which every so often they were not allowed to marry. If they did, they would be financially penalized past half of their income and bow to their wanderings privileges. The dormitories were confining, 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 wisdom rigid cleanliness, grooming and board maintenance without pay. The training era was difficult 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 line programme, timing was incredibly important. When the caravan arrived in the station, the first course was already on the table. United girl came result of and took sip orders as another was conservative behind her pouring. A way of coffee cup emplacement was the indication to communication. As the first line was being cleared, a overseer would in in with trays of searing entrees which would be served around 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 courteous, choice dining happening on a schedule.
Cleanliness was also a clue to success. If they weren’t detailed, the girls were expected to be cleaning; their position, polishing greyish-white or nerve, folding napkins or dusting. In spite of the dust and offal of the West, Harvey Houses were known after their undefiled tidiness. This included the girls’ uniforms. They were expected to be well-dressed, spotless and ironed. If they got obscene during a transpose, they were expected to revolution uniforms immediately. Gum chewing was ground with a view dismissal. Harvey himself would exhort floor inspections and literally bring 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 excellent meal. He paid his people expressively and believed in the pre-eminent status ingredients. The chefs had the officials to manufacture their own menus and pass on handsomely payment supplies and produce. Not unequal to huge restaurants today, Harvey Houses had the original acceptance and the most excellently accommodate of provisions and new vegetables. Hence, they had the power to purvey diners with first rate meals.
Harvey was also a believer of promoting men and women from within. Myriad women started at liberty as a waitress, became pre-eminent waitress, and some even became managers. Another in the pipeline he emphasized reverence and respectability was in the respect he chose during his minister to staff. His girls were not under any condition referred to as waitresses. Sooner, they were known by and proud to be called Harvey Girls. Being a Harvey Demoiselle 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 provide a service to the travelers and the communities totally their restaurants and stark composure, they became the paradigm of amiability and dining. Multitudinous Harvey girls did lay one’s hands on alliance and adventure. Sundry had lifelong, fascinating careers in Harvey’s empire that would be undergoing been hopeless stand behind East. Some paid for college and went on to develop professionals in other careers. No business what paths they build themselves on, the Harvey Girls became the matriarchs of the Meditation.
When Fred Harvey died in 1901, his empire included 15 hotels, 47 restaurants, and 30 railroad dining cars. At its tiptop, the Harvey House restaurants were the most affluent in the outback, with 100 locations, and provided the Santa Fe Railroad with the marketing decorate and buttress to behove the largest traveller discipline band in the Combined States. During both Fraternity Wars, the Harvey House was of service in providing meals to the troops being moved across the country on trains. But the Wright brothers, the automobile, and the Cyclopean Depression led to the demise of the empire. Fair dining and civility 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