How a Minneapolis company changed the way America eats… ...with a little help

By Ken Buehler

How did she know? Upon visiting a Harvey House, a traveler sitting down for a meal was greeted by one of the charmingly single Harvey Girls, the idea of British born restaurateur Fred Harvey. He is credited with civilizing the West in the late 1800s with his chain of eating houses along the Santa Fe railroad.

Arriving off the train for a meal, a waitress would seat you and take your drink order; coffee, hot or iced tea and milk were on the menu. After just a few minutes one or two other waitresses would come and fulfill your beverage order. The second waitress had not spoken to the first but knew exactly what you wanted. How was this done? Clairvoyance? Some sort of magic that could fool Penn and Teller? No!

The waitresses were just following a simple, system-wide cup code. The first waitress would adjust the coffee cup at each place setting to indicate what beverage was ordered.

● Cup upright on saucer: Coffee

● Cup upside down on saucer: Hot Tea

● Cup upside down but tilted against the saucer: Iced Tea

● Cup upside down and placed away from the sauce: Milk

The Harvey House went the way of Howard Johnsons. The arrival of the dining car changed the way travelers enjoyed a sumptuous repast. Dining car cuisine and service set a standard of excellence that unfortunately only exists on Elegant Dinner Trains like ours on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

Said in the voice and tone of a 1940s Radio Announcer: Moving along in Music and Song, we’ll be right back after this word from our sponsor. (In this case a newspaper ad for a famous Minnesota Product)