Put a Nickle in, Get Your Food Out

Rich, poor, young and old ate at Horn & Hardart Automats. Frank Hardart and Joseph Horn opened the first Automat restaurant in the United States in 1902 at 818 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia. It had no tables, no waiters and only a single counter with 15 stools. For the first time in American restaurant dining, customers served themselves. Although this idea was groundbreaking, the restaurant had two more killer features that would make it a success and help launch a fast-food nation: The meals were cheap, and it was quick.





The Automat was brought to New York City in 1912 and gradually became a fixture of popular culture. The most prominent operator of this format was Horn & Hardart. In the United States, this format apparently never spread beyond major northern industrial cities and hence a "trip to the Automat" became a virtual necessity for visits "up North" by travelers from southern and rural areas.

Unlike fast-food restaurants today, the original Automat was an attractive and socially acceptable place to be and be seen. During the Depression, the Automat also became an attractive value proposition: A plate of beans or macaroni and cheese cost only a few nickels.

The diner inserted the required number of coins and then slid open a window to remove the meal, which was generally wrapped in waxed paper. The food preparers inserted the product into the back of the machines, which also functioned as a wall between the kitchen and the lobby, which typically had a tile floor.

Unlike fast-food restaurants today, the original Automat was an attractive and socially acceptable place to be and be seen. During the Depression, the Automat also became an attractive value proposition: A plate of beans or macaroni and cheese cost only a few nickels.

The company also popularized the notion of "take-out" food, with their slogan "Less work for Mother".

The chain remained popular through the 1950s. It declined with the rise of the Fast food restaurants; the last Automat closed in 1991.



How cool was that?!