Fred Harvey (1835–1901), food-service innovator
Starting in 1876, he began building a series of food concessions along a major Midwest-to-West-Coast railroad line. The “Harvey Houses,” eventually numbering several dozen, became synonymous with clean, well-managed, pleasant, and even gracious dining opportunities in the most remote and cheerless reaches of the long train journey. They also helped establish waitressing as a safe and well-paying job for respectable young women (known as Harvey Girls).
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