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Exactly 106 years ago, Frank Hardart and Joseph Horn opened the first automat restaurant in the United States, 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.
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.
Click through the gallery to see images from the first automats and their current emulators.
Left: In the first half of the 20th century, the Horn & Hardart Automat […]
Original post by Jose Fermoso
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