Automat
a type of self-service restaurant in which customers obtain food from small compartments by depositing the required number of coins in slots so that the doors can be opened.
Automat
American
[aw-tuh-mat]
/ ˈɔ təˌmæt /
Trademark.
automat
British
/ ˈɔːtəˌmæt /
noun
-
Also called: vending machine. a machine that automatically dispenses goods, such as cigarettes, when money is inserted
-
an area or room, sometimes having restaurant facilities, where food and other goods are supplied from vending machines
Explanation
An automat is a food-dispensing machine or a restaurant with many such machines. If you prefer getting your take-out without speaking to another human being, an automat is the place to go. The word automat has the same beginning as automatic, meaning "operating with minimal human intervention." Automats were quite popular in the early- to mid-1900s. These restaurants had fresh food selections, usually made on-site and displayed in glass compartments. Diners dropped a coin into a slot beside their chosen dish, turned a knob, and then lifted the glass door to take their food. The original term was automated cafeteria.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Apart from the tellingly-named ghost kitchens, fast-food companies, the successors of the original Automat, seem eager to find out.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2024
It was to be the Automat of the intelligence community, “with its doors never tightly closed and with customers going in and out, day and night,” according to a CIA history.
From Washington Post ● May 28, 2022
“The level of theater, romance and surprise that Horn & Hardart delivered at the Automat shaped how we thought about and built the Starbucks Experience.”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
They all fondly recall eating at an Automat — that beloved institution of D.I.Y. dining that lasted from 1902 to 1991 in New York and Philadelphia.
From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2022
Francie wished she could ride across the bridge to work and eat in the Automat instead of carrying sandwiches from home.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
In 1902, Horn & Hardart opened the first automat in Philadelphia.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2024
Meanwhile, city workers — once automat patrons at dinnertime — began moving to the suburbs.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
Reiner agreed to an interview, and introduced her to his friend, comedy partner and fellow automat devotee Brooks.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2022
Though the first “automatic” restaurant appeared in Germany in the 1890s, Hurwitz traced the American phenom to Philadelphia restaurateurs Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, who opened their first automat in that city in 1902.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2022
If you are more than ten minutes tardy, an automat will escort you.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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