London born Fred Harvey, a failed restaurant
owner in St. Louis, convinced the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railway that good food service
was the key to luring passengers to travel on its
line.
In return for providing quality eating houses
along the route, the railroad would supply Harvey
with free coal, free freight for food and employees,
and anything else his establishments needed.
To deliver on his promise, Harvey created the
waitresses that became the symbol of quality for
the next century, “the Harvey Girls.”
Frederick Henry Harvey:
Visionary Restaurateur