Once the largest restaurant chain in the United States, Automats were a sort of intermediate between a cafeteria and a vending machine. The walls of the Automat were lined with individual, glass-fronted compartments containing a plate of food. A 1902 newspaper described it this way: “Anything from a sandwich to an oyster stew may be obtained by dropping the necessary coin in a slot… the food will be displayed in long glass compartments. You see what you want, and by dropping a coin into the aperture beside the desired dish and pulling a lever the mechanism starts to work and lets down a sandwich, a piece of pie, or whatever the order may call for.” The Automat also offered coin-operated spouts for drinks like coffee and chocolate milk, and open, cafeteria-style seating.
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
New York automats from the 1940s and 1950s
