1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,639 Speaker 1: show that pours a fresh cup of history every day 4 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: of the week. I'm Gabe Lucier and in this episode, 5 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: we're looking at the story of the legendary Automad, a 6 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: mechanized approach to food service that made eating out both 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: more whimsical and more democratic. The day was June ninth, 8 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: nineteen oh two, America's first coin operated cafeteria opened in Philadelphia. 9 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: Known as the Automat, short for Automatic, it was a 10 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: completely waiterless restaurant where customers help themselves by selecting fresh 11 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: made meals from a wall of coin operated compartments. Instead 12 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: of placing an order, customer would simply drop a nickel 13 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: or two into a slot, turn a knob, and open 14 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 1: the little hinged window to retrieve the item of their choice. 15 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 1: This new modern approach to dining attracted a broad range 16 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 1: of customers thanks to its speed, consistency, and relative low cost. 17 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 1: Diners also appreciated being able to see the food before 18 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 1: they bought it, a clear advantage over ordering off a menu. 19 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: The concept proved so popular that over the next several decades, owners, 20 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: Joe Horn and Frank Hardart, went on to establish a 21 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: whole chain of automats nearly one hundred and fifty total, 22 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: but the one that started it all opened on this 23 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: day in nineteen o two at eight eighteen Chestnut Street 24 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Horn and Hardart became business partners in 25 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty eight when they opened a quick service lunch 26 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: counter in downtown Philadelphia. It was the perfect spot for 27 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: white collar workers with short lunch breaks, and over the 28 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: next few years, Horn and Hardart opened several more just 29 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: like it. The duo's biggest claim to fame was their 30 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,399 Speaker 1: fresh drip coffee, a rarity in the dark times when 31 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: boiled coffee was the standard. Things were going well for 32 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: Horn and hard Art, but by the turn of the 33 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: twentieth century they were looking for ways to further streamline 34 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 1: their quick lunch concept. Other industries of the era had 35 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: greatly improved their speed and efficiency through the use of 36 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: conveyor belts and other forms of automation. Horn and Hardart 37 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: wondered if similar methods could be applied to food service, 38 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: and their search for an answer ultimately led them to 39 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: a company in Berlin called Qui Si sauna. In eighteen 40 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: ninety five, Quisisana had opened the world's first automat on 41 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: the grounds of the Berlin Zoological Garden in Germany. The 42 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: original menu was limited to cold sandwiches, glasses of wine, 43 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:02,079 Speaker 1: and coffee, but the American entreprennewers were convinced the technology 44 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: could be used to sell much more than that. They 45 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: met with a sales representative for Quisisana, and in nineteen 46 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: oh one, Hardart took a trip to Germany to test 47 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: the machines out for himself. Fully sold on the concept, 48 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: the duo worked out a deal to have some of 49 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: the machines sent over from Berlin. It took about two 50 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: years for the equipment to arrive in Philadelphia, but once 51 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: it did, Horn and Hardart made up for lost time 52 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: by opening their first automat just a few months later. 53 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: The exact opening date is somewhat disputed, with most sources 54 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: saying it was on June ninth and others on June twelfth, 55 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: but something everyone agrees on is that the place was 56 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: in high demand. Curious customers flocked to the automat on 57 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: opening day, with the restaurant taking in just under eight 58 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: thousand seven hundred nickels. The Philadelphia Inquirer gave a glowing 59 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: report on the Automat's opening, writing that Horn and Hardart 60 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: had solve the city's quote rapid transit luncheon problem, making 61 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: it easier than ever to eat on the go. The 62 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: Automat's customers were impressed by the food, both the quality 63 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: and the variety, but it was the speed and low 64 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 1: prices that truly won them over, and it's easy to 65 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: see why too. The place really was a bargain. Coffee 66 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,239 Speaker 1: costs just a nickel, and a slice of pie cost 67 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 1: only two. More substantial items like a turkey and gravy entree, 68 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 1: would set you back five nickels, so you could easily 69 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,480 Speaker 1: eat a full three course meal for fifty cents or less. 70 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: There were plenty of options to choose from two, including 71 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: comfort food favorites like macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie, 72 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: and salisberry steak with mashed potatoes. The Automat was open 73 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with some dishes being swapped 74 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: out depending on the time of day. Dessert, however, was 75 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: always on offer, with some of the most popular choices 76 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: being ice cream, rice pudding, and an array of freshly 77 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: baked pies, everything from coconut cream and lemon meringue to 78 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 1: huckleberry and pumpkin. The climate controlled compartments made sure every 79 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 1: dish stayed just the right temperature, and new batches of 80 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: freshly brewed coffee were brought out every twenty minutes like clockwork. 81 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 1: Oh and if you're wondering how the coffee was dispensed, 82 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: that's maybe the best part. Instead of retrieving a full 83 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: cup from behind a little glass door, customers would drop 84 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: a nickel in a slot in the wall, turn a crank, 85 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: and watch with the light as piping hot coffee float 86 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: out of Italian crafted spouts shaped just like the head 87 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: of a dolphin. The presentation was top notch, but the 88 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 1: coffee was no slouch either. It was the same drip 89 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: brewed variety that Horn and Hardart had popularized at their 90 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: lunch counters, and it was such an improvement over the 91 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: harsh boiled coffee you'd find in other restaurants that it 92 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: quickly became the Automat's number one. In fact, in the 93 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: company's heyday, it sold more than ninety million cups of 94 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: coffee every year. Who knew dolphins were such hard workers. 95 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: Horn and hard Art customers felt like they were in 96 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: an automated wonderland where just about anything they could want 97 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: to eat or drink was just a few nickels and 98 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: a knob turn away. However, even though the restaurants appeared 99 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 1: fully automated, behind the scenes, there was a constant flurry 100 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 1: of human activity on the other side of the glass 101 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: wall of compartments. A bustling staff continuously refilled the slots 102 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: after each purchase, and of course, the food itself was 103 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: also prepared by human hands. At first, the cooks worked 104 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 1: in a prep kitchen housed on site, either in the 105 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: back or in a basement, but as the operation grew 106 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: larger and more locations were added, food preparation was moved 107 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: to a central commissary in midtown. Another human fixture of 108 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: the automat were the cashiers, aectionately known as nickel throwers. 109 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:05,039 Speaker 1: They worked from booths in the middle of the restaurant, 110 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: exchanging paper bills and larger coins for those ever important nickels. 111 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: The automat concept was such a hit that Horn and 112 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: Hardart opened a second Philadelphia location in nineteen oh five, 113 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,800 Speaker 1: then a third in nineteen oh seven, and a fourth 114 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: in nineteen twelve. That same year, they also branched out 115 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 1: to New York City, opening an automat in the heart 116 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: of Times Square. It was a major turning point for 117 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 1: their business, as the automat's faster dining experience seemed tailor 118 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: made for the city's growing class of busy urban workers. 119 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: The Times Square Automat quickly became a lunchtime institution, drawing 120 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 1: in so many customers that soon a second New York 121 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 1: location was needed, and then another and another. Within ten years, 122 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: Horn and Hardart had expanded to forty locations in the 123 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: Big Apple alone, including a flagship store capable of feeding 124 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,880 Speaker 1: ten ten thousand customers a day. During that time, the 125 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: partners also invested in new and improved equipment based on 126 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: custom designs, as well as assembly line kitchens that used 127 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: standardized recipes, ensuring uniformity from one automat to the next. 128 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,400 Speaker 1: As you might imagine based on all that expansion, the 129 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: automat's appeal wasn't restricted to workers on lunch breaks. The 130 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: restaurants were one of just a few chains in the 131 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: early twentieth century where unescorted women were allowed to dine 132 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: on their own. Horn and Hard Art Automats, or H 133 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:38,439 Speaker 1: and H's as they were sometimes called, were also great 134 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 1: places to take children. Picky kids appreciated the visibility of 135 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 1: the different foods available, and of course working the machines 136 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: was a treat in itself. Did I mention the drink 137 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 1: dispensers were shaped like dolphins. Despite the low prices, automats 138 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: weren't just for people on a budget either. The novelty 139 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: alone was enough to lure in upper class customers, but 140 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: they stuck around for the markedly high brow atmosphere. In 141 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,439 Speaker 1: addition to the animal theme to drink spouts, most automats 142 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 1: featured dining spaces with elaborate Art Deco details, high ceilings, 143 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: chrome paneling, stained glass windows, and wrought brass lighting fixtures. 144 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: Automats were affordable, but there was nothing bare bones about them, 145 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: and as a result, they attracted an incredibly diverse crowd, 146 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: from factory workers and secretaries to politicians and movie stars. 147 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 1: Gregory Peck said the scrambled eggs at the Automat were 148 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: the best he ever tasted, and Irving Berlin was such 149 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: a fan that he eventually wrote the Automat's unofficial theme song, 150 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:45,680 Speaker 1: a little ditty called Let's have another cup of coffee. 151 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 1: In nineteen twenty four, a columnist for a New York 152 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: newspaper described the restaurant this way. The Automat is almost 153 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: as much of an institution along Broadway as Times Square. 154 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: No review or variety show is complete without its quip 155 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: about the famous nickel in the slot eating place. It 156 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 1: swirls with the froth of Broadway life, the peripatetic ads 157 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 1: of the one flight tailors, the Rah Rah Boys, the 158 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: chorus girls, scrapping newsboys, leading men, visiting school teachers, gamblers, 159 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,560 Speaker 1: ladies of the evening, and hard boiled gents. It is 160 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,200 Speaker 1: one of the melting pots of Broadway, where all casts 161 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 1: rub elbows. The Automat's novelty and low prices were obvious 162 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: selling points, but that was the thing that really made 163 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: it a special place, the equalizing effect it had on 164 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: everyone who went there. During the Great Depression, the Automat 165 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: was a lifeline for people in dire straits. For many, 166 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 1: it was the only meal they could afford, and for 167 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:52,080 Speaker 1: those who didn't even have a nickel, it was still 168 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:54,800 Speaker 1: a warm place to get off your feet without fear 169 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: of being hurried out by the weight staff or a manager. 170 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: There were free glasses of water at the Automat and 171 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,960 Speaker 1: free ketchup two, and in the darkest days of the Depression, 172 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: some customers would mix the two together and drink what 173 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 1: they called a depression cocktail. But you know what, They 174 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: drank it while sitting in marble topped tables two seats 175 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:19,960 Speaker 1: over from the city commissioner or a Broadway actress. The 176 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: Automat offered a truly democratic dining experience, and the day 177 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: to day lives of millions of people were better for it. 178 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 1: Against the odds, the restaurant with the most impersonal business 179 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:35,240 Speaker 1: model somehow became one of the most welcoming places in 180 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: the city, a point of intersection for people from all 181 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: walks of life. By the early nineteen fifties, there were 182 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,679 Speaker 1: more than one hundred and fifty Horn and Hard Art 183 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 1: Automats spread across Philadelphia, New York City, and Baltimore. That 184 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: made it the largest chain restaurant not just in the 185 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 1: country but the whole world. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. After 186 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: hitting that high peak, the Automat began its slow decline. 187 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:07,720 Speaker 1: The first major sign of trouble came in nineteen fifty 188 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: when H and H finally raised the prices of its 189 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:15,360 Speaker 1: famous coffee from one nickel to two. Many longtime customers 190 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:19,119 Speaker 1: felt it was a betrayal and started going elsewhere, especially 191 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: after the prices of all the other items also began 192 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: to rise. Without economy on its side, the Automat lost 193 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:30,920 Speaker 1: a large part of its charm. Meanwhile, other innovations in 194 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:34,319 Speaker 1: food service were making the Automat seem more antiquated by 195 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: the day. For example, fast food restaurants started adding drive 196 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: through windows to cater to America's growing car culture, a 197 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:47,320 Speaker 1: convenience that the city bound Automat just couldn't match. Profits 198 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 1: continued to slip throughout the nineteen sixties as consumer tastes 199 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 1: changed and the price of ingredients rose higher and higher. Eventually, 200 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 1: the company had to make some tough choices, including the 201 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: decision to close its original store on Chestnut Street. On 202 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: December twenty eighth, nineteen sixty eight, America's first automat closed 203 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,199 Speaker 1: its doors after sixty six years of serving the public. 204 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: By that time, the automat machines at that location had 205 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: been shut down for over a year, serving as little 206 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 1: more than decoration for an otherwise normal cafe. Six months later, 207 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 1: the restaurant's historic interior, including much of the machinery, was 208 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: donated to the National Museum of American History. It's not 209 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:34,080 Speaker 1: currently on view to the public, but it's still nice 210 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 1: to know it's there. The Horn and Hard Art Company 211 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 1: muddled on through the nineteen seventies, with more automats closing 212 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: every year. In nineteen eighty one, they filed for bankruptcy 213 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: and many of the restaurant buildings were converted into McDonald's, 214 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: Burger King and a host of other fast food franchises. 215 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 1: A handful of automats remained open alongside H and H's 216 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: bakery cafes, but by then it was only a matter 217 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: of time. In nineteen ninety, Philadelphia's last automat shut its doors, 218 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: marking the end of the company's almost ninety year run 219 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,320 Speaker 1: in the city. Then just one year later, the last 220 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: H and H automat in New York City, and the 221 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: country served its last cup of coffee. Since that final 222 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:25,680 Speaker 1: closure in nineteen ninety one, multiple attempts have been made 223 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: to resurrect automat style dining in the United States, but 224 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: so far none of them have worked. Over in Europe, however, 225 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: the dream of coin op dining is alive and well, 226 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: at least in some places. The Netherlands, for instance, is 227 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: home to a Dutch chain of walk up fast food 228 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 1: restaurants that still use the Automat system. It's called Fabo, 229 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: and there are currently about sixty shops nationwide, with more 230 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: than twenty in Amsterdam alone. There are no vaulted ceilings, 231 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: marble tabletops, or Dolphin Co coffee spouts, but as a 232 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: late night gathering place for locals and tourists alike, Fabo 233 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 1: is a bit of a melting pot, just like the 234 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: original Automat, and as long as people somewhere are still 235 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 1: buying cheap, delicious food from little glass boxes, the spirit 236 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: of the H and H Automat lives on. I'm Gabe 237 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: Lucier and hopefully you now know a little more or 238 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,720 Speaker 1: a lot more about history today than you did yesterday. 239 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: If you enjoyed today's episode, consider keeping up with us 240 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, where you'll find us at 241 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,400 Speaker 1: TDI HC Show. You can also rate and review the 242 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: show on Apple Podcasts, or you can get in touch 243 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 1: directly by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. 244 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays and Ben Hackett for producing the 245 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: show and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you 246 00:15:54,280 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: back here again soon for another day in history class.