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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5_9-XFn26izJFSYSRFvaZa03fOAvGbLPN59ZOCfOzgQvErzUWXBb1SL6Axw_n4pe4u24AA4oWkNqUKm7yzt61_IcEV1bfiIbujKZcA2ySb6JTZRdiwqwzJzKLjhorbVhfswRuj4G--cCqddtn-qLRTqsC4Xmf1Eeo4ehOzD0y-GcZE__Ivw2JIix/w640-h514/automat-1.jpg)
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMG8cEqyRhC6amOaX3JFvt_O-9UMUfN9OIhbRK8SPGVMClZGhzZPm23saYXrjHDFZQyVxDmKXLTgYCeSAtvrweDLvNnAivjoN0m08r_w_sKr75pkQuZPJvTaKbq8bsU-kDlg93rJtk6F6WV8oYxMt8toNIorxlyMR_1tkkP64hc27tzEJX2oSS7GE/w640-h480/automat-10.jpg)
Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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Amazing Vintage Photographs of Automats in New York From the 1940s and 1950s
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