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Fred Harvey began building a successful chain of restaurants and hotels along the Santa Fe passenger line in 1876, after a
verbal agreement with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Harvey had a commitment to the business philosophy of doing everything
first class, and he held to that standard in his drive to bring sorely needed food service to the country’s rail travelers.
Harvey, an European emigrant of Scottish descent, had ridden on America's passenger trains, and had even worked for two railroad
companies. He knew that passengers were hard pressed to find decent food on their journeys. Prior to his railroad experience,
Harvey had learned the restaurant business from the ground up in New York and New Orleans, but his idea for depot restaurants
was turned down by the Burlington Railroad before he approached the Santa Fe.
In the agreement, the Santa Fe shared the building costs and gave Harvey space on their trains for moving his food, equipment
and supplies. The Harvey House focus was to increase Santa Fe ridership by offering high quality food at reasonable prices
for the train traveler.
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