What is an Automat?

An Automat is a machine that displays food behind small glass doors. At Horn & Hardart, customers could look through the windows, choose a dish, insert coins, and open the door to take it. Employees prepared the food and stocked the compartments from behind the wall.

The appeal was simple:

• See your food: Look through the windows and choose the exact item you want.
• Get it quickly: The food is ready, with no order to place.
• Serve yourself: Insert your coins, open the door, and take your meal.

Horn & Hardart: Pioneers of the Automat in the U.S.

In the late 1800's a salesman introduced Frank Hardart to a German invention known as the “waiterless restaurant.” Hardart was interested enough to travel to Germany and see it for himself. Convinced it could work in Philadelphia, he committed $30,000 to have a machine made and shipped across the Atlantic, according to The Automat by Marianne Hardart and Lorraine B. Diehl.

Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart opened the first Automat in the United States on June 9, 1902, at 818 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia.

The first machine was quite different from the one people would come to know. The food shown in its brass-trimmed windows was a sample of what customers could order. After inserting a token, a customer waited for the dish to arrive from the basement by dumbwaiter, then inserted a second token to receive it.

How the Automat Evolved

The machinery improved over time. In 1912, Horn & Hardart introduced a design by its chief engineer, John Frische. With its milk-glass front and four rectangular windows, it was much closer to the Automat people remember today. Customers inserted a coin, turned a knob, and opened a window to take their food.

Behind the windows, employees kept the dishes coming. They loaded food into a rotating drum from the rear, then turned it so a fresh selection appeared on the customer’s side.

That same year, Horn & Hardart opened its first New York City Automat at 1557 Broadway in Times Square. The concept caught on in both cities. By the early 1930s, Horn & Hardart operated dozens of locations, including Automats, cafeterias, and other restaurants.

The Automat Today

The last Horn & Hardart Automat closed in 1991, but the idea of choosing food from behind a glass door never disappeared. Automat-style machines can still be found in other parts of the world, including Amsterdam, where FEBO is well known for its food-filled windows.

For us, it’s a reminder that the machines were more than a passing novelty. They made getting food quick and fun. At Horn & Hardart, they were also part of a place where people could sit down, enjoy a meal and a cup of coffee, and feel at home. That whole experience is what we hope to bring back.