The story begins in a booming Philadelphia in the late 1800s. White-collar workers are flooding into the offices of newly built skyscrapers, and lunchrooms are springing up to feed them. Coentrepreneurs Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart seize their chance and by the early 1900s have BUILT a thriving chain of small restaurants and cafeterias, the latter a brand new trend of its own. Hardart brings back from Europe inspiration for the Automat, a ‘waiterless’ cafeteria that proves enormously popular, making the Horn and Hardart chain the dominant American restaurant company for the next half century. Kings of the New York and Philly restaurant scenes, the Automats feed millions throughout the Depression and two World Wars, serving all comers in palaces of marble, silver, and steel. Good food served cheap, and the enduring thrill of the automat machines themselves wins the Automat a place in our culture and hearts alike.
Travel back in time to experience this unique piece of America's history, an exciting story and one that may seem strangely familiar. More than just entertainment, THE AUTOMAT is a parable of how we once dined happily together before turning to the isolated and unhappy experience offered by fast food, a bad deal that no amount of advertising can disguise.
Here is a short piece on the Automat:
Our Goal & Our Drive
What started as a shared fascination with cafeterias and their culture, has turned into an incredible educational journey. As we dive deeper into the archives and hear stories told by people who experienced Horn and Hardart's restaurants first hand we appreciate more and more what we once had but have since lost.
The Automat is a project already two years in the making, with hundreds of hours of interviews and archival research behind us. We are seeking funding to complete shooting of the documentary film and to begin post-production work. SUPPORT this PROJECT by March 15th!
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