Automated restaurant opens in NYC

Fox 5 ^ | Dec 15, 2016

[upchuck]

I remember the Horn and Hardart Automats in NYC. What goes around comes around and there's nothing new :)

[Gaffer]

An idea as modern as the 50s. :0)

[Dr. Sivana]

Those automats were a ripoff. The 75 cent peanut butter sandwich ($4 today) had NO JELLY, and barely any peanut butter!

[Paladin2]

Yep, way old tech.

[Oratam]

Right! Millenials probably think they invented it.

[trisham]

It sounds dreadful.

[varyouga]

No thanks.

This isnt a machine and it’s a good idea to be able to see the kitchen when eating in NYC

[Grams A]

You’re so right. Back in the 1970’s we had automated dispensers in our lunch room at TWA in Kansas City. Only filled the machines early on Monday morning. Tuna fish sandwich was good on Monday and Tuesday but if any still there on Friday best not go there. They did have awesome coconut cream pie though.

[Jamestown1630]

LOL! I thought of the ‘automats’ as soon as I saw the article ;-)

[Mr. Douglas]

Again, Back to the Future was off by a year...

[Mr. Douglas]

Yep.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmXLqImT1wE

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

That’s the first thing I thought of.

[Covenantor]

An idea as modern as the 50s. :0)

By the 1950s H&H Automats had been around for more than half a century.

The original Horn and Hardart Automat opened in Philadelphia in 1888. Photo of it on postcard was postmarked 1904.

1966 H&H menu.

[Gaffer]

Thank you.

[bgill]

it’s a good idea to be able to see the kitchen when eating in NYC

Last and final time I was in Whataburger, the burger flipper had his hand stuffed way down in his pants digging around in his butt. That's one reason I cook at home.

[SkyDancer]

Probably could add a zero to all those prices to bring it close to today’s costs.

[SES1066]

Anyone willing to guess if there is a ‘tip jar’ on the premises?

[Celtic Conservative]

Apparently there are a few of those old style automats in the Netherlands. They’e open 24/7 and are quite popular with the late night party crowd.

CC

[bgill]

Only open for lunch or breakfast/lunch but not dinner. Or closes at 9 pm depending on the site. Closed on the weekends. Not very good business sense to close for dinner and weekends.

Have to give them points for hiring someone to up dozens of new entries on yelp and other sites but you’d think they’d have been smart enough not to post them all on the same day.

[Covenantor]

The prices shown on the 1966 menu were pretty much the same as the 1971 prices at the NYC Automat on E42nd and Third ave. Ate there frequently when I worked across the street.

But given that prime corner location at today’s high retail rentals there’s no way it would work.

While there were no servers, there were plenty of people working behind the walls of the machines cooking and preparing the hot plate meals to load the machines. Producers, not food transporters, which is all wait staffers are essentially in high volume fast turn over operations. No offense to waiters intended.