How Coffee Was Served at the Automat

There was a time when getting a cup of coffee felt a little different.

At Horn & Hardart, even the smallest details were thoughtfully designed.

This is how coffee was served at the Automat.

You’d insert your coin, turn the handle, and a fresh cup of coffee would pour out at just the right temperature. Simple to use, but remarkably precise.

What felt effortless to the customer took real attention behind the scenes. Behind the wall, large stainless steel carafes held the coffee, carefully maintained to ensure quality and temperature. Joseph Horn, co-founder of Horn & Hardart, was known to stop by restaurants unannounced and test the coffee himself.

And then there was the design.

The face of the dispenser, known as the dolphin spout, was inspired by the fountains of Florence, Italy. Horn brought that idea into the Automat so even a simple cup of coffee would feel special.

When Horn & Hardart closed in the early 1990s, most of these machines were dismantled, lost, or discarded. Only a few remain in private collections, and they rarely surface.

For us, the revival has always been about more than just the coffee. It’s also about rediscovering the pieces that made the experience what it was. Old designs. Original materials. Forgotten details. And bringing them back into the world.

The dolphin spout was at the top of that list.

Eventually, we came across a fellow Automat enthusiast who had recreated the spout with careful attention to the original design.

We were thrilled to acquire two of them and finally see these pieces up close again.

Moments like this are a reminder of why we’re doing this in the first place. Piece by piece, we’re bringing Horn & Hardart back to life.