The first national chain of restaurants along American railroads was opened by Fred Harvey. He founded the Fred Harvey Company in 1876, starting with a lunchroom at the Santa Fe depot in Topeka, Kansas. This venture quickly expanded into a chain known as Harvey Houses, which included restaurants, hotels, and dining cars along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and other railroads in the Western United States
. Fred Harvey is credited with creating the first restaurant chain in the U.S., setting high standards for food quality, service, and cleanliness at railroad eating establishments. His company grew to operate dozens of restaurants and hotels, becoming a major hospitality business and a pioneer in cultural tourism in the American Southwest
